BEST OF BYRON: What to do in Byron Bay when it rains

For the most part, Byron’s weather is nothing short of perfect. We’re blessed with a balance of blue skies, gorgeous sunshine, cooling ocean breezes and fresh crispy mountain air.

However, as we head into the heaviest rainfall months, typically January to March, we felt compelled to put together a list of rainy-day activities in Byron. Because nothing throws a spanner in the holiday agenda of sunbathing, beach walking and alfresco dining quite like a surprise visit from Byron’s infamous subtropical downpours.

Pack away the ‘kini, bench the sunnies and get ready to embrace a whole different side to Byron Bay!

Embrace the arts

One of our favourite places to visit when we need a creative fix is the revolving art exhibitions at Yeah, Nice Gallery located in the industrial estate. As the Gallery displays and sells its works, there’s a good chance you’ll fall in love with a gorgeous new piece to take home. The next exhibition kicks off on January 8th, with the insanely talented, Hannah Carrick, who grew up locally in Lennox Heads. While Carrick now resides in Sydney, it’s her early experiences of nature and a childhood spent by the sea and surrounding Hinterland that often serve as inspiration for her work.

Another local favourite is the cosmically magnetic, Jai Vasicek who quickly made a name for himself with mixed media canvases, alongside handcrafted crosses and brightly embellished tiles. His repertoire of designs feature vibrantly loud colour pallets, raw textures, religious iconography and exotic female forms. Always in demand, always on-trend, Vasicek is by far one of Byron’s most exciting artists to date.

Get a little creative yourself

Now that you’ve been inspired by our local artists, why not get a little creative yourself? Book in for a two-hour beginner’s class at Byron School of Clay, or an afternoon session at Mud Byron Bay. It’s good old-fashioned messy fun, and they’ll even fire and glaze your two favourite pots for a post-holiday memento.

If you would prefer to channel your creativity into something a little more edible, Bhavana Cooking School offers a series of full day workshops with a focus on health and wellbeing. Rather than choosing what you want to cook, you’re instead asked to select from the health benefits you’d like to achieve through your meals, which could range from Brain and Heart Health, to Liver Rescue and Gut and Adrenal Health.

Book into a day spa

What’s better than spending a rainy day in bed? Spending it tucked into a massage bed at one of Byron’s top day spas!

Comma, located in Byron Bay’s industrial estate, is a firm favourite for both locals and tourists alike. From invigorating lymphatic massages to stimulate flow and vitality, to detoxifying clay treatments and ‘cherry on top’ optional extras. They’ll knead away every last drop of stress within mere minutes of you walking through their door.

Other favourites include The Kiva Spa, Halcyon Spa, Raes, and Gaia Retreat.

Lock yourself in for some live entertainment

Brunswick Picture House features a hilarious mix of comedians, burlesque, cabaret and live music. Tommy Little’s scheduled for a stint early January, followed by an epic triple bill featuring Nikki Britton, Sam Taunton & Tom Ballard, before Sam Simmons and comedy royalty Arj Barker take the stage. There’s also genre-bending cabaret acts and live music – Thelma Plum, Matt Corby and Dan Sultan have all recently played here. Seriously, we’re continually overwhelmed by the stellar line-up this little regional venue pulls together.

While we’re on the topic of live music, The Northern never fails to disappoint. It’s definitely worth keeping track of who’s playing in advance as these gigs do tend to sell out pretty quickly! Byron’s biggest pub, Beach Hotel, also offers free live music every day with a focus on local talent.

Get to know our local distillers

The rain shouldn’t damper your spirits so much than you are driven to drink, but… the local distillers and breweries are pretty darn special in Byron and its local surrounds.

With the likes of Cape Byron Distillery (home of Brookie’s Gin), Stone & Wood, and Husk Distillers all just a short drive from The Bower, you really can’t go wrong with a day of spirit-ual education. In fact, we wrote a whole blog post on this very subject. Check it out HERE.

Wine and dine

Probably the most obvious way to spend a rainy day is to lock yourself down for a long lunch in one of Byron Bay’s many incredible restaurants. In town, you can’t go past the crab linguine at Balcony Bar, the Burrata at Mez Club, or get a little fancy at Raes Dining Room with their Davidson plum glazed duck.

A short drive out of town to the Byron Arts & Industry Estate sits Barrio, offering a vibrant menu of Spanish-inspired dishes. Walk off your meal (don’t forget your umbrella) with a stroll around the Habitat centre, their carefully curated line up of flagship stores and independent boutique labels present an emporium of beautiful things with the iconic style you’d expect from Byron.