The Tweed Valley Banana Festival

The Tweed Valley Banana Festival is a family orientated festival that involves all sections of the local community.

All of our wonderful winners for 2007Several thousand visitors arrive to see our Street Parade which provides a Carnival atmosphere for the Main Day activities which are held at the Murwillumbah Show Ground with many staying in town during the week of the Festival.Colour and pagantry is provided with the participation of our youth in the Prince, Jnr. Princess , Senior Princess, Teen Queen & Festival Queen Competitions. The Queens may choose to compete for the title of Charity Queen and raise monies for local charities with over $36.000 being raised last year.

Our 2007 Miss Charity- Miss Leah RosevearThe theme "Medieval Madness" was a roaring success and due to the cancelation of the Street Carnival because of bad weather we will be staging the same theme for2008.


MEDIEVAL MADNESS II - "The return of the Banana Bunch"
Following on with the success of last years theme, and the fact that our Street Parade was washed out, we bring to you Medieval Madness II " The return of the Banana Bunch". This will enable those people who spent so much times and effort in building their floats , to resurrect them for this years festival So it's back to Medieval Times with marauding merenary hordes, vikings and knights of old with damsels in distress and mighty dragons.Let us look at the combatants:M.E.A.D. - Mercenary Elite of Age of Darkness.- A Dark Age Living History Society based near Byron Bay. M.E.A.D. formed in January 2007 after fighting and training in other mercenary groups for nearly two and half years. M.E.A.D. created something completely unique, a multicultural tribe of warriors that represent the WORLD'S elite fighters in the dark ages. From Celts, Gauls, Saxons and Francs, Welsh, Norsemen, Picts, Romano British, Japanese and Chilean cultures.A light in Dark Age times.Men and women are part of this unique combat tribe, along with a group of archers, merchants and artisians.We recreate the lost arts - freely teaching how to hand-make arrows, shields, armour, weapons, tents, clothing, flags, chain maile, period garb, and encampments. M.E.A.D. is the only medieval club in the northern rivers that make all their own weapons, arrows,shoes, clothes and armour. As living history we are the only group that fit into the criteria of local and hand made everything. Participating in festivals, feasts, interstate and interclub events are also an essential part of our tribal group. Learning as much as we can as we go and sharing it with all those who wish to learn.M.E.A.D. welcome the oppurtunity to meet their local community and share thier passion for combat and culture.24th and 25th August Murwullumbah Harvest FestivalM.E.A.D. will be premiered along with members from M.I.C.K - Medieval Irish & Celtic Knights; the Jorth Gar Garrison of The New Varangian Guard, the Blue Mountains Mercenarys, Irish dancers, and other medieval re-enactment groups joining upJORTH GAR GARRISON OF THE NEW VARANGIAN GUARDJorth Gar is a professional performance Dark Ages Re-enactment group which operates from Tamborine Mountain on the Qld Gold Coast. We are an official garrison of the New Varangian Guard.The New Varangian Guard is a inter-national organization which re-enacts the lifestyle and combat of the Viking and Eastern mercenaries that served the Byzantine Empire. These Rus and Viking warriors were given by Prince Vladimir of Kiev, to the Byzantine Emperor Basil II in recognition of his military treaty with the Rus.The Varangian Guard were an elite unit that served as the Byzantine Emperor's personal bodyguard on the battlefield and within his palace at Constantinople. They were well equipped, well paid and had a reputation for being fearless and accomplished warriors; and for absolute loyalty. Even though their new employers were strongly Christian Orthodox, many of these Rus and Viking warriors held fast to their traditional pagan ideals and spirit. They derived inspiration from their ancestors and kinsmen-ship. The Jorth Gar branch of the New Varangian Guard concentrates primarily on the earlier Varangian Guardsmen of Viking origin and their many exploits and accomplishments. It is with these Varangians from which Jorth Gar derives its identity and focus. We also re-enact warriors that have returned back to their homelands, very wealthy and with great prestige, after active service in the Guard.An opportunity now exists for you and your family to travel back in time to experience life during the Dark Ages with members of The New Varangian Guard. Come and watch their combat displays, visit their encampment and talk to the Sons of Odin and the Daughters of Freya - warriors and craftsmen of the Jorth Gar Garrison of The New Varangian Guard.