First launched in 2022, Caper Festival is the brainchild of Alex Taylor and Abbie Gibson, who sought to bring the food festival scene to Byron’s already famous events calendar. Originally just a three-day festival, Caper Festival was met with huge success, seeing numerous sold-out events and as locals and visitors came together in support of the region’s culinary culture.
Back for its second year, Caper Festival has set its sights on two weekends worth of events, teaming up with chef Louis Tikaram to do the honours of curating all the foodie goodness. Hailing from Mullumbimby himself, Louis gained a star-studded resume working at world-renowned restaurants before opening Brisbane’s riverside eatery Stanley. “Being part of the first-ever Caper Festival as a guest chef back in 2022 was a blast, and now I’m stoked to come back home to Byron Shire and curate. With heaps of mates in the chef and supplier scene and top-notch produce at our fingertips, we’ve got some cracking events lined up,” says Louis.
Caper Festival‘s 2024 program of events was just unveiled and it’s the chefs, farmers and creatives that put Byron’s cuisine and culture on the map taking centre stage. At this year’s festival, you’ll find free community events and exhibitions as well as ticketed experiences taking over the region from the beach to the hinterland. North Byron Hotel has teamed up with Caper Festival to be its Official Watering Hole – hosting daily activities like live music, cooking demonstrations, cheese and wine tastings and pony rides.
On the festival’s opening night, Three Blue Ducks will be kicking off the festivities by hosting the chefs behind more than a dozen bucket-list restaurants, such as Beach Byron Bay, Raes on Wategos, Harvest Newrybar, Pipit and more. Each of these establishments will be slinging its own signature canape, showcasing the diverse depth of talent in Byron and beyond. On Thursday May 23, Three Meadows will be hosting two headline guest chefs, Jake Kellie from arkhé restaurant Adelaide and Ross Magnaye from Serai restaurant Melbourne for a ‘Fire with Fire’ dining experience. The duo will be serving up farm to fire fare with a flame-licked three-course menu.
On Saturday May 18 and 19, the beloved Brunswick Heads cinema Brunswick Picture House will be hosting dinner and a show. Chef Robbie Oijvall from The Smoking Camel will be whipping up an unmissable mezze, alongside Arabian-themed performance, ‘Rock the Casbah’ by Cheeky Cabaret. The festival will be bidding aloha with a tiki-themed closing party at North Byron Hotel. ‘We Like to Tiki’ will feature Louis Tikaram, Ross Magnaye (Serai Melbourne), chef Jedd Rifai (North Byron Hotel), and chef Karl Kanetani (Beach Byron Bay) smoking and charring traditional Hawaiian dishes over open-flame.
Tickets for these events are on sale. Find out more about the Caper Byron Bay Food & Culture Festival program here.
