Wild Imaginings - The Future, Now

Wild Imaginings is a TEDx-style gathering where artists, activists, and changemakers share bold ideas for the future of the Northern Rivers — through story, music, and collective dreaming.

This edition is a little different. We're bringing Wild Imaginings to The Farm Byron Bay — and for the first time, we'll be shining a spotlight on grassroots projects that have been backed by our community through the Seed Giving Circle.

Come for the ideas. Stay for the connection.

From 4:00pm — Weaving Connections

To warm up the evening and create opportunities for deeper connection , join us early for a hands-on weaving experience with Kim Tait — master weaver, fibre artist, and long-time Byron Shire local. A gentle way to arrive, connect , and ground yourself before the night unfolds.

From 5:30pm — Wild Imaginings

An evening of bold ideas, stories, and collective dreaming — featuring:

🌿 Coedie McCarthy (The Boy of Many Colors) — Yidinji Bar Burrum and Mamu artist, rapper, dancer, filmmaker, and cultural visionary living on Bundjalung Country. Coedie's work weaves ancient tradition and contemporary expression — bringing the old ways into a new age.

🌿 Zenith Virago — Deathwalker, celebrant, TEDx speaker, and Byron Citizen of the Year. Zenith has spent 30 years pioneering a more human, community-led approach to death and dying — and what it means to live and leave well.

🌿 Carmen Stewart — Founder of It Takes a Town and Imagine Northern Rivers; community strategist, futurist, and 2021 NSW Woman of the Year. Her work has activated over 21,000 hours of community contribution and launched 31 new local initiatives.

🌿 Greg Sheehan — World-renowned percussionist, educator, and Rhythmagician from Bellingen. A leading figure in Australian percussion for 50 years, his Rhythm Diamonds system has shaped generations of musicians.

🌿 Alison Drover — Environmental Strategist and Change Agent based in Byron Bay, working at the intersection of ecology, leadership, and regenerative business.

🌿 Techa Beaumont & Simon Jankelson — Seed Northern Rivers — sharing what it really takes to build a supportive ecosystem for the next generation of regenerative changemakers.

🌱 Projects powered by the community:

We'll also hear about three grassroots Northern Rivers initiatives that have been backed through the Seed Giving Circle — a community-led model where locals pool resources to fund bold environmental projects:

• The Returning's Bundjalung Bush Food Nursery — a Bundjalung-led native bush food nursery creating education, training, and employment opportunities while strengthening connection to Country.

• Save Wallum — protecting the rare and sacred Wallum ecosystem in Brunswick Heads from inappropriate development.

• Local Address — mapping the Northern Rivers' overlooked low-carbon building materials and making this knowledge freely available.

🥂 Food & drink available

🎶 Ethan aka DJ RaKuu (SunDance) spinning fresh tunes before and after speakers

From 8:30pm — After Party

Join us at KulchaJam in Byron for Storyville — DJs and live music till late. $20 on the night, with proceeds going to the Seed Giving Circle.

We made this event free because we want everyone to be here. In the spirit of reciprocity and paying it forward, we invite you to make a donation to the Seed Giving Circle when you register. The Seed Giving Circle pools resources to back bold, grassroots climate and environmental projects across the Northern Rivers — shifting power back to the people closest to the work. More about the Seed Giving Circle →

Community-led. Fiercely local. Unapologetically hopeful.