2013 Photos: Friday & Saturday Tonedeaff's MardiGrass Photos   April 23, 2013: Breaking News: Tony Bower (Mullaway) given twelve months jail, maybe out in nine months with good behaviour.. An appeal would still see him in jail till June.... The Magistrate said there was no provision in the law for what he was doing and he felt obliged to give him a sentence in line with existing penalties. This is from our first reports. More details will appear online as they come to hand. If we appeal to the Supreme Court for a variation of the (no) bail condition/s, we may be able to get him out inside a fortnight. A barrister has been retained. For donations to Tony's Legal Fund: Alan Salt Summerland Credit Union BSB 728-728 Account 22295366 I think a lot of people need Tony to be free, and we have to do our best to make that happen. webhead@hempembassy.net Entry into Plantem Park and the Nimbin Hall where most MardiGrass events are held costs $50 for a weekend pass including Friday night, or $30 for a one day pass. With three nights camping a full ticket costs $100. Armbands are available at the Nimbin Hall and the Hemp Embassy. Camping sites and tickets can be booked online at www.nimbinmardigrass.com PARKING Please park as directed and keep driveways clear. This is important. BE AWARE OF NO PARKING ZONES. Visitors parking will be appropriately sign posted on the entrances to the village. RTA approved road traffic control will be in place during MardiGrass. SUNDAY RALLY This main event begins at 2.30pm Sunday at the Western Carpark exit and will block traffic as the parade proceeds South along Cullen Street to the Green Bank where we turn left down into Plantem Park. A delegation will continue along Cullen St. to the police station to ensure they get the message, we ARE HERE FOR CANNABIS LAW REFORM AND IT’S TIME THEY HELPED US. CAMPING Please camp in designated camping areas only, not beside the road. Be super careful with rubbish, recycling is happening so please bother. The Nimbin streets are glass-free zones during MardiGrass. Remember it is a cannabis harvest festival not a beerfest but JUNGLE PATROL will provide breathalyser checks for drivers anyway. WARNING Be careful with your drug consumption. Especially cookies! They can be stronger than you expect. It is wise to eat half then wait an hour or so before you eat anymore. Don’t mix with alcohol. If you feel woozy or have an injury or need help ask the JUNGLE PATROL or go to the Nimbin Hall Info Booth. The Green Bank Healing Centre is a quiet place to chill out. No loud drumming or amplified music after midnight and no dogs please! The Game of Stones Fire & Smoke May 4th & 5th WHY SHOULD I BUY THE GOLDEN BUD PASS? Because MardiGrass can�t happen or continue if you don�t. Because it gives you free access to every event including the Hemp Olympix, all music, and anything in the Town Hall. Because some events like the Comedy Cabaret and Joint Rolling will fill the Town Hall which has limited capacity and Golden Bud Passes get priority entry. Because you are supporting cannabis law reform which is what MardiGrass is all about. Because the Council and Police have given us so many rules and regulations to comply with, the whole event is in danger of folding if you don�t. Because you can�t get entry into the Hemp Bar, Mullaways Magic Medicine Tent, the HEMP Olympix, Cannabis Cup or other venues without the Golden Bud wristband. Because the showground camping team are all volunteer legends who will look after you with genuine old style Aussie country hospitality and you�ll have a terrific weekend. Because you�ll feel really good about yourself contributing to a worthwhile cause. Because in years to come you can tell your grandchildren you protested against the insane and unholy war on drugs   MardiGrass 2013 Weekend Passes and Camping The Nimbin Showground which is the recommended campsite for MardiGrass visitors needs up to ten volunteers from two weeks before the MardiGrass weekend of May 4/5. The same applies for the new MardiGrass venue behind the HEMP Embassy. Both places are offering a campsite, tucker and a good time for helpers. Contact nimbinmardigrass@hempembassy.net Put "Volunteering" in the subject line and include a phone no if you can. "MardiGrass 2013 will be a whole new experience in May", says MOB President Michael Balderstone. "We�re using a a new venue in the middle of the village behind the Town Hall on private land that will work beautifully we think.� Weather is the biggest factor as usual, but the natural amphitheatre there drains well and is next to the Town Hall for our wet weather retreat. Sibley Street will stay open and we won't be using Peace Park except for gathering there before the Rally on Sunday. Food and other stalls will be on the bitumen in the car parks behind the Town Hall and the laundromat. The main entry will be on the road beside the Hall. The new venue is perfect for the Hemp Olympix Growers Iron Person Event and Bong Throw, and if the weather permits using an outside stage, a bit of the old Aquarius magic will return. It�s part of the land used in 1973 and there are plans for an Aquarian Village of teepees and a dome as the Fortieth Aquarius celebrations flow on after MardiGrass. There is renewed belief in cannabis law reform thanks to the changes in America and the current NSW Inquiry into Medical Cannabis adds to the anticipation. Their report comes out only a couple of weeks after MardiGrass and even though the NSW Government is conservative we remain optimistic time for change has arrived. All the usual MardiGrass events are in the pipeline accompanying the main event, Sundays Rally for law reform. The Town Hall Forums, Kombi Konvoy, Million Marijuana March, Pot Poetry and Pot Art, Pickers and Harvest Balls etc etc. New events planned include some Fringe Olympix, the �Mullers and Packers Bong Relay� and the �Colorado Flashmob�. Also a Growers Breakfast so everyone gets a flying start to the days, tincture making workshops, a Beard Expo and a MardiGrass Marriage! Please contact the MOB if you would like to help, or even better come to the weekly MardiGrass Organising Body meetings every Friday from 5pm at the Nimbin HEMP Embassy." Market Stalls: Contact Michael Balderstone 66890326 or Cat Anderson 0429194248 Musicians, Entertainers: Music line up is full. Please apply next year or come and busk! Welcome to the 2013 MardiGrass Program. For Pot's sake, please buy an armband pass to help us cover costs A $50 Weekend MardiGrass Golden Bud Pass gives you entry to all events Friday, Saturday and Sunday A One Day MardiGrass Bush Pass for Sat or Sunday events is $30 If the Town Hall looks like getting overcrowded for any event, priority will be given to Golden Bud Passes Advertising space is available in the Print Program of 2013 Nimbin MardiGrass, the 21st annual Rally for Cannabis Law Reform. 30,000 copies were printed last year and we�ll print the same again. We distribute the program all year from the Embassy promoting the virtues of Hemp for food, fuel, fibre, medicine and as a recreational substance of choice. You can place your advertisement for $250 in 82mm wide, 55 mm high in CMYK at 150dpi as a PDF, Tiff or jpg. Larger sizes are available at the same width. Or contact us for your requirements. head@hempembassy.net The deadline for print is this week, ending19th April! Thank you for your support. Ads will be automatically included on MardiGrass website program for 2013 as soon as we receive them. We reserve the right to reject ads deemed not in keeping with the aims and objectives of the MOB. (MardiGrass Organising Body) You can find previous editions of the 16 page MardiGrass Program online. http://www.nimbinwave.com/wordpress/print-mardigrass-2010.pdf http://www.nimbinwave.com/nmg/2011-mardigrass-program.pdf Less than 4.5MB downloadable files for Adobe Reader. -------------------------- MardiGrass will become a Festival when we can celebrate the herb without fear of prosecution and persecution. When the Police Riot Squad have a float in the street parade behind the Ganja Faeries, Big Joint & POLITE, then we really will have a proper festival and celebration. In the meantime, this annual event is a POLITICAL PROTEST RALLY. --------------------------- Nimbin MardiGrass 2013 There is a new venue this year for MardiGrass, behind the HEMP Embassy and Town Hall, right in the middle of the village. There is a natural amphitheatre around a stage and plenty of space for the HEMP Olympix and we will not get in the way of traffic or the skatepark. If it�s raining, music will be in the Town Hall which is part of the same venue. Sunday�s Twenty First Annual Cannabis Law Reform Rally is now planned to march from the Western Car Park by the Drongoasis. We have submitted a DA to Lismore council and they seem happy about our new plan. Police are always concerned about our MardiGrass protest plans and we agreed people are not to trespass on the Police Station land nor blow smoke in any police faces. Either act will give cause for arrest. Police want the MardiGrass weekend to be non confrontational and we agree. It�s critical we are peaceful protestors and respect is maintained. They want to emphasise they don't make the laws and they support our right to protest. We think secretly many of them would like to march with us, so impossible has their job got these days dealing with the popularity of cannabis. To register for Jungle Patrol or find out about volunteering at MardiGrass, drop in or phone 66891842 or contact us at nimbinmardigrass@hempembassy.net or check the MardiGrass section of the Hemp Embassy Forum Save A Mate Events First Aid course for volunteer Jungle Patrollers only. Limited Places. Friday 3rd May 10.30 am til 5pm at The Nimbin Bowling Club. Ring Heidi to sign up 66897589 * Musicians and performers wanting to play should enter the busking competition. * Local residents or businesses with special needs or requests please get in touch. * If you want to get involved as a volunteer please come a week or two before or drop in and write in the book when and what you want to do, what skills you have, contact no etc etc. We are especially looking for people with a NSW traffic control certificate who would be available to assist us over the MardiGrass weekend. Please contact Heidi if you would like to be a part of this very important task. Special Privileges apply! If you are not local, contact nimbinmardigrass@hempembassy.net Wintle's MardiGrass 'Toon Safety First: Parents, Teens and Drugs Although we urge young people to minimise all drug use while their body is still growing, national surveys show that many do not heed our warnings. To prevent adolescents who do experiment from falling into abusive patterns, we need to create fallback strategies that focus on safety. Putting safety first requires that we be careful to provide our young people with credible information and resources. We also need to teach our teenagers how to identify and handle problems with alcohol and other drugs�if and when they occur�and how to get help and support. Join us in advocating reality-based approaches to drug education at home and in school that foster open and honest dialogue around the risks and consequences of drug use. We also invite you to critically examine random student drug testing, an invasive policy that can erode relationships of trust between students and adults at school and unintentionally direct students to more dangerous behaviors. * KEEPING THE DREAM ALIVE... Nimbin Aquarius Foundation... Come and meet us at the Nimbin Aquarius networking space in the Nimbin Community Centre garden area during MardiGrass and throughout the year. Locals and visitors to Nimbin are always welcome to visit us and share their stories. We will have tea, coffee and cold drinks for sale, as well as some delicious food. Music will be playing in the garage next door with N.O.O. (Nimbin Organic Orchestra), show-casing a wide variety of musical talent. They welcome donations to help with future events. * BUSKERS 'Grassed Stand. Designated busking zones for MardiGrass 2013. The winner of the 'most popular' busking performance during the big weekend, whoever collects the most "tokes", gets to play on the Town Hall Stage after the Rally on Sunday. Keen buskers can register for their preferred locations at the Town Hall info booth or at the Embassy on the day. * Pot Art entries need to be into the HEMP Embassy by 4.20 Friday May 3rd although that is very late. Entries are accepted from April 1st and this year some shop windows have their own artist so follow the Pot Art Trail along Cullen Street. * The Hemp Rope Tug-O-Drug War is a ramped up event in the Hemp Olympix again this year so get your team of 5 (five) together. All five team members have to have something in common! Once again we have a Police versus Polite event scheduled for mid-day Saturday to kick off the HEMP Olympix. Last year the Police fooled us by turning up an hour late by which time our star performers had wandered off and they subsequently soundly beat our weakened team which was hastily scratched up from the crowd and included children! It must not happen again this year so if you fancy yourself in the Polite team get in touch please. * Kombi Konvoy details are HERE. * Comedy in the Town Hall Saturday Night 8 till 10pm! This year Alan Glover and S Sorrensen will again host the MardiGrass Comedy with special guest Mandy Nolan. Due to the popularity of this event you will probably need a Golden Bud full weekend pass for entry. Council say 300 audience limit. If there's room left, $15 for those without passes. MardiGrass POLITE PLOT! The Nimbin POLITE SQUAD was created in response to the Police Riot Squad raids on April Fools Day 2008 on the HEMP Bar and Nimbin Museum. This years MardiGrass Polite recruitment drive is looking for more overalls and bodies to fill them, and for the first time our new division, the Polite Undercover Surveillance Squad (PUSS) is taking enrolments and there are unlimited vacancies left. Bring a camera if you have one and a mobile phone for Undercover Polite work. POLITE Missions have taken the BIG JOINT to Sydney and Canberra to meet Obama. They've certainly made their presence felt from the HEMP BAR-POLITE BUREAU attached to the Embassy. As ambassadors for cannabis law reform and advocates of medicinal cannabis, the POLITE will champion the cause again at this years' Rally on May 4th and 5th, carrying the parade flagship BIG JOINT at 2.30pm on MardiGrass Sunday. During the big weekend, Nimbin POLITE will coordinate with Jungle Patrol, the Justice Action Group (JAG) and the Civil Liberties Observer Group (CLOG). They will document all civil liberty complaints and also witness the behaviour of law enforcement. New 'Undercover Operatives' will be trained to mingle with the crowd and detect suspicious activities! Watch out for a MardiGrass warm up at the now annual April Fools Day Polite Raids. *MardiGrass Arm Bands and Passes: MardiGrass has always been about trust but it doesn�t happen all by itself. Months of preparation and ground work go into the weekend so the village as a whole benefits as well as the thousands of visitors. We�d like it to happen in such a way that everyone who attends it has an uplifting experience. Accordingly, the MardiGrass organisers ask that everyone understands the critical importance of buying armbands. Without you buying armbands we are history. Some businesses even give preferential service to armband wearers and we support that. We need your support. Please buy one. Driving a point home.... If you are thinking it's safe to smoke in your parked car, don't. Police officers home in on the flick of lighters and glowing joints in cars at night, checking it out and busting people. So smoking bongs/billies in car parks at night is not a good idea. A feature length documentary about local cannabis culture - called Marijuana Australiana - is in the final stages of production. The film charts the emergence of medical cannabis law reform and looks at the local breeding scene, featuring amazing cinematography and interviews with breeders growing cannabis sativa trees that soar over 20ft. high. For more about the film check out http://marijuanaaustraliana.com The 21st annual Cannabis law reform rally and gathering begins at midday on Wednesday May 1st when we march from Lismore Court House to the Police Station (Next Door), then to the office of our local Federal MP Janelle Saffin, and on to the office of our NSW representative, Thomas George,  to deliver them requests to treat us and our choice of medicine as part of everyday life - not a criminal matter. We did this for the first time last year and feel like they didn't hear us so plan on a repeat. The Weekend proper begins Friday May 3rd at dusk with the Bundjalung Custodians and the Opening Ceremony followed by the Pickers' Ball in the Town Hall, or if the weather is fine, on our new stage in Plantem Park, as it is being called presently! Saturday May 4th, main events include the heats of the Hemp Olympix, Forums and workshops on all aspects of cannabis, the Kombi Konvoy, 4.20 Mass Enlightenment and the evening Harvest Ball. More music in Mingle Park, and on the Market Stage. Sunday May 5th, finals of the Hemp Olympix, more Forums, Pot Poetry and the main street float parade and rally with the Ganja Faeries and Polite Big Joint preceding the rally speakers. This is a not for profit event sponsored by the Nimbin HEMP (thats Help End Marijuana Prohibition) Embassy which is run by volunteers and dedicated to ending the ridiculous war on cannabis, one of the planet's most useful plants. We need you to buy an armband to support cannabis law reform and we guarantee you a great and educational weekend at Nimbin's Yarndi University. The Lismore City Council and NSW Police are vowing to be tough on roadside camping and we recommend you go into one of the official campsites. If you are visiting for the day only we have off road carpark sites for you separate from camping areas. Volunteers Mardigrass is run by volunteers and you can be one if you come in a week or two before and are happy to get your hands dirty. For that you will get an armband and a campsite and maybe even a meal or two! Previously we have been flooded with volunteers and it becomes difficult to manage. So if you want to be part of the MOB volunteers come early or email us. We need all sorts of skills from cooks to builders, to artists and joint rollers. We are especially looking for electricians, cooks, artists, recyclers, NSW licenced traffic controllers (Royal treatment for these!), and skilled video and camera persons. Here's a link to the forum if you want to register as a volunteer, and maybe tell us your skills and time of arrival. Traffic controllers would be with the Jungle Patrol. NTV-HD: Turn on, tune in and chill out. nimbintelevision.net | YouTube | Justin TV You're all welcome to the MardiGrass Organising Body (MOB) meetings at the Embassy each Friday from 5pm. Weather Nimbin sometimes has wild weather and floods. In the days leading up to MardiGrass you can check the weather on the rain radar from these links. Check the weather on the Grafton NSW Rain Radar Check the NSW weather on the Infra-red Australian Weather Satellite Check the Infra-red Australian Weather Satellite Mind Candy Community Brainstorm In 2013, the annual Mardi Grass forums, talks and workshops will deliver another astounding line-up of expert heads - and that includes YOU! Come to the Town Hall and imagine Nimbin after Weed is Legal at the Mind Candy Community Brainstorm. Special guests Fiona Patten [Australian Sex Party] Alex Wodak [Australian Drug Law Reform Foundation] Matt Reilly [Cannabis Law Reform] Cate Faerhmann [Greens NSW MP] and other speakers to be announced, will lead discussions on how to be an effective campaigner and activist for cannabis law reform. John Jiggens [Author of "Sir Joseph Banks and the Question of Hemp"] has a special talk planned on the size of the Australian illicit drug trade, the cost of drug law enforcement and the amount of money a tax on the illicit drug trade could earn. The Farmer's HEMP Tent will host sessions covering recent advances in hemp agriculture and commerce; building with hemp; and hemp seed uses and products. We also plan a hempcrete building project over the weekend that will use all the cans and plastic water bottles from our rubbish. Interested in the medicinal use of cannabis? Mullaways Medical Tent in the Town Hall Garden promises talks and discussions as well as practical workshops on tincture and hash making. Parking and Traffic Changes over MardiGrass Restricted/no parking will be in place in the village from 12 noon Friday May 3rd to 11pm Sunday May 5th. Below are areas affected: * Cecil Street will have no parking from Cullen street to the showgrounds this year and also no parking in Thorburn street between Cullen and Sibley streets. * The central section of the village also will have no car parking like last year. Chill Central safety zone will have no cars from the �blister� outside the Museum to the garden before the pedestrian crossing. On the eastern side there will be no parking permitted from the Hotel all the way to Perceptios. * Thorburn Street from Silky Oak Drive will have a road closure managed by the Backpackers to ensure clear access to and from the campsites and their parking. * Road Closure Sunday along Cullen st from the western car park exit to the Old Bank building for the Rally.....from 2.30pm � 3.15pm approx. * The western council carpark is to be free of any camping � all camping is to be directed to the Showgounds or Backpackers camping sites. Roadside camping is not permitted. Authorities will target this after some dangerous traffic situations developed when people parked in inappropriate places, locked their cars, and walked away. * Vehicle parking paddock areas this year is free if you buy an armband..otherwise $10 per car. * There will be NO CAMPING at any of the Day Parking areas. You may sleep in your car but in NO WAY - Light fires - Set up tents - Disrupt Traffic flow - and PLEASE only poo in the toilets provided, use Bins supplied and Respect Our Unique Village. Nimbin - Global Marijuana March Marijuana takes the edge off just enough to free us from the stultifying minutiae of day-to-day life: You forget the mundane and remember the sublime. CLOG � 2013 The Civil Liberties Observer Group for the MardiGrass of 2013 is a joint community action being hosted by the LEXUS Union of Students of Southern Cross University on behalf of and in partnership with the Nimbin Justice Action Group, the MardiGrass Organising Body, and the Hemp Embassy of Nimbin: towards assisting in the non-violent realisation of peace and harmony via organised and informed prudential observation all violence is counter-productive informed observers make better coppers better coppers make fewer arrests Thursday and Friday before MG at 4pm in Town Hall .....POLITE, CLOG (Civil Liberties Observer Group) WARM UP and Rules Of Engagement with Jim Moylan CLOG   Check out the 2NimFM radio podcast site at http://nimbinradiomedia.libsyn.com/ This site includes podcasts of many of the 2NimFM radio programs broadcast during last MardiGrass. They will be recording events over this MardiGrass and posting new material as it comes in. While at MardiGrass, Tune your FM radio to Nimbin's own NIM FM 102.3, broadcasting and interviewing live from venues around the village.

Let's Roll! FRIDAY May 3rd 10:00am  Nimbin Hall/School of Arts: Information Booth opens All MardiGrass Passes Available Here! Join the HEMP Party! The MardiGrass Family Cafe in the Town Hall open all weekend serving healthy meals and top local coffee and homemade cakes. 5:00 pm  Allsop Park * Opening Ceremony � Following the arrival of Chibo carrying the Eternal Flame For The Victims Of Prohibition, the Bundjalung Custodians will do a smoking ceremony and welcome to country plus stories of the local area . There will be speeches and a minute of silence to remember our Brothers and Sisters, Victims of the sensless War on Drugs. are the dates of Captain Cooks stayed at Botany Bay, from 29th April to May 7th 1770when he raised the flag. There will also be a minute's silence for all Victims of Prohibition and speakers, followed by the Pickers Ball. 6:00pm  Nimbin Hall/School of Arts: * Picker's Ball Entry: Show a Weekend Pass, otherwise $15. (Concession $10) - Tune in, Turn on and Lighten Up: Volunteer? Other Roadside Attractions: HEMP Party Election Fundraiser. Throughout MardiGrass the political focus will be on September 14, the upcoming Federal Election. Increasingly it has been made very difficult and expensive for small political parties to run candidates at the Federal level. This election they have doubled the price! We have to raise at least $5000 for each State to run Senate candidates. Please donate into the bright green HEMP Party Election DRUM at the Town Hall info booth or in the Embassy. If we can fill the drum over the weekend we should be on the way! HEMP Party Members meet 6:00 pm each evening on the Embassy rear verandah. The Hemp Bar and Polite Bureau serving hempseed food and coffee with the Pot Art Exhibition on all weekend. Armband Entry. 4.20 pm  Web Cam Broadcast begins at HEMP Party Bar : NimbinHempBar.com includes Church of the Holy Smoke MardiGrass Blessing with the sacrificial $US100 note lighting the joint on the very moment of 4:20. 6:00 pm   GREY POWER A gathering of grandparents, parents and children outside the HEMP Embassy. The POLITE SERVICE will capture evidence in images, that prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that there is multi generational support for Cannabis Law Reform. If you're a Grandparent (or look like one) please join this very POLITE Photo and youtube movie gathering. Max Stone www.BigJoint.org   Street Drumming * Please leave the street open for traffic! Bush Theatre * From Friday afternoon through to Sunday evening, we have live music by the river. Artists include Andrea Soler, Cellistino, Dillion James, Los Amigos, and Eli Wolfe, amongst many, many others. It's going to be FANTASTIC! If you don't have an armband, please donate $5 at the gate for the musicians, many of whom have travelled very far to entertain you at their own cost. Don't forget we are fully licensed, so no BYO. We'll have food and drink available all weekend. We're open from Friday afternoon (music starting around 5pm-ish) until 11pm, Saturday 10am-11pm, and Sunday 10am-8pm. Thanks to David Hyett for his effort and dedication, supplying sound and lights. VOLUNTEERS are needed for general tasks. Get a feed for four hours' work. Give us a call at the BT - 6689 1111. And I, Belinda, am here this weekend. I'm making a few cakes, so come and get them before they are all sold out! And come say hello - hugs are always welcome. IT'S TIME TO PARTY! Let's make this weekend fabulous fun. Nimbin Hotel * Music * The Nimbin Aboriginal Arts and Culture Centre, in Sibley Street on the way to Peace Park, will be open throughout the MardiGrass weekend with Bush Tucker, an Art Exhibition and a chance to talk with Local Elders.   SATURDAY May 4th Plantem Park....enter beside the Town hall  4:20am to Dawn ....Mahawana Sunrise Meditation 11am * Legal advice with Jim Moylan and Steve Bolt...volunteers needed for demonstrations on how to and how not to get arrested, if it ever happens to you!   11:30 * Hemp Olympix registration in Sativa Stadium 12.00 * Tug O' Drug War between Police and Polite with the Big Hemp Rope followed by the Hemp Olympix First Heats of the Bong Throw and Yell  and then the Growers Ironperson Event. The Hemp Rope Tug-O-Drug War is on again this year so get your team of 5 (five) together. All five team members have to have something in common! Hosted by S Sorrensen and Alan Glover.   2.00 pm MardiGrass Marriage Ceremony....a special request. 3.00 pm Sat in Plantem Park: Pot Tattoo Expo at the Stage...there is no competition, everyones a winner at the MardiGrass Pot Tattoo Expo! Followed by the Beard Expo.....cannabeards and marijuana moustaches...all beards welcome.   Then the Fringe Hemp Olympix with Nic the Hippy, Bigbong and Gary the Plumber. Includes the first ever �Mullers and Packers Bong Relay�, as well as the fiercely contested �Correct Weight� where contestants attempt to fill a baggie with as close to an ounce as possible. 28.349 grams, a very important art.   4:20 pm * Kombi Konvoy turning up in main street for the Million Marijuana March and mass light up.   When all that is over there will be music on the stage and if the weather is fine the HARVEST BALL will be here in the amphitheatre, otherwise in the Town Hall.   8:00pm *Silent Doof in the Ganja Dome (Earphones!) ALL NIGHT DANCE PARTY "WikiDoof"     Nimbin Hall/School of Arts:   Chill Zone, Medical Cannabis meeting place, Forums, Food, Peace & Quiet in the Garden. The MardiGrass Family Cafe in the Town Hall open all weekend.   11.00 am Prohibition and legalisation talk with Brooke Bell.   12.30 pm MIND CANDY FORUM: Enlightened Activism in Drug Law Reform.   2.30 pm MIND CANDY COMMUNITY BRAINSTORM: Imagining Nimbin after weed is legal!   4:20 pm * Kombi Konvoy turning up outside and 4.20 smoke in.   5:00 pm * Hemp Olympix Joint Rolling First Heats...Speed, Artistic and Adverse Conditions. (Due to the popularity of this event, you will probably need a Golden Bud full weekend pass for entry.)   6.00 pm MIND CANDY FORUM: Why is it called Jesus weed? Cannabis as an Entheogen. 8 till 9:30 pm Stand Up Comedy Show ......Saturday night only... The MardiGrass Comedy night will feature those Guardians of the High Way of Sport, Glover & Sorrensen, plus the Queen of Comedy, Mandy Nolan. Other guests may be named shortly. (Due to the popularity of this event, you will probably need a Golden Bud full weekend pass for entry.) Council say 300 audience limit. If there's space and you have no pass: $15.00 Whodesigns Hemp Fashion Show Jaz and Judy Who create unique Hemp garments for MardiGrass! Raw Designs A local collaboration of Mother and Daughter work versatile hemp to showcase viewers with amazing designs Harvest Ball � 9.30 pm Concert for Cannabis Law Reform Nimbin Hall/School of Arts: Garden Medical Cannabis Tent 10.00 am in the Town Hall Garden* Gardeners Breakfast with Mullaway and friends. All gardeners and wanna-be green thumbs welcome. Sharing knowledge is a wonderful thing!   11.00 am Growers Exchange ...a continuing wonderful thing! Includes Kog's Grower's Workshop  Sharing Knowledge and Practical Tips in the Tent where he will sign copies of his Golden Book on growing. All users and growers welcome!   Also in the Town Hall Garden all weekend is MULLAWAY MEDICAL CANNABIS - Register for Tony Bower's Medical Cannabis Clinic, the first in the country. MS, HIV, cancer and chronic pain sufferers are invited to be part of Australia's first medical cannabis dispensary trial. Bring medical documentation to confirm your condition if you are a new applicant. 12.30 pm MIND CANDY FORUM: How to medicate with cannabis and what works.   1.30 pm Workshop on how to make your own Tincture.   3.00 pm Workshop on how to make your own Hash. Vaporizer demonstrations throughout the weekend and Bubblebag demonstrations (using Lavendar!) on Saturday and Sunday in the Medical Cannabis Tent.   6.00 pm. Canna cooking.   7.00 pm Official HEMP Party meeting in the Medical Cannabis Tent to discuss the next Federal election campaign and more. Anyone interested in being a HEMP Party candidate should attend.   FARMERS HEMP TENT Members of the Northern Rivers Hemp Association are keen to meet any potential farmers, product processors or anyone interested in the NSW hemp industry. There will be hempcrete building over the weekend, talks on the wonder of hempseed and stalls displaying and selling hemp products. Other Roadside Attractions: Global Marijuana March * 4:20pm * meet the Kombi Konvoy for a world record attempt at the most joints ever lit at once in the one place.......Everyone is encouraged to roll something that looks like a joint, so that when the Konvoy has passed, we can, at the call, light up simultaneously, and please blow as much smoke as possible for the cameras.......whatever sort of joint you feel comfortable with?! Nimbin Museum Chess Champ* Register for the MWSCC (MardiGrass World Stoned Chess Championship) in the Museum by Midday Saturday. Winner decided by Sunday sunset. Drug testing will be compulsory, but not after every move! The Nimbin Aboriginal Arts and Culture Centre, in Sibley Street on the way to Peace Park and the Skatepark, will be open throughout the MardiGrass weekend with Bush Tucker, an Art Exhibition and a chance to talk with Local Elders to discuss the impact of prohibition on their culture and people. HEMP Party Bar and POLITE BUREAU - Fair Dinkum stand up voters can register here to join the HEMP Party! "Demonstrating" a wide selection of highly delicious and nutritious (zero THC) Hemp Foods during the MardiGrass. Hemp Burgers, Hemp Cakes, Hemp Cookies and Chocolate Hemp Truffles. We will also be offering all varieties of hot and cold coffee, tea and chai as well as local Love cordial. 8.30 pm till late * The HEMP Bar and Polite Bureau on the Embassy verandah will be hosting a W.A.N party, where the focus is to be on uploading images and other information to youtubes, facebooks and other networks, bring your laptop, mobile phone and camera..... 4:20pm KOMBI KONVOY arrives in Nimbin, having wended its way from Byron Bay, via Lismore. Sponsored by Rvbyesque - Could people in the crowd please refrain from jumping on the back bumpers of Kombis as they pass through town, as it can damage the vehicles. Pliz sho' respekt bro'. 4:20 pm * The Global Marijuana March Where well over 1 million cannabis law reform activists in nearly 300 cities around the globe will be protesting. In Nimbin we will once again aim to break the world record for the most joints ever lit at once in the same place at the same time. Be smart and bring a "joint"! After the last Kombi has passed, wait for the call and we will light up, and produce as much smoke as possible for the cameras recording the event. Viva la Fume!   Nimbin Community Centre * MardiGrass Market Stage * Family Friendly * Cranking music all weekend: Pot Art Trail in shop windows and the Hemp Bar and Embassy all weekend.  Nimbin Hotel * Food, drink, and live entertainment Bush Theatre - From Friday afternoon through to Sunday evening, we have live music by the river. Artists include Andrea Soler, Cellistino, Dillion James, Los Amigos, and Eli Wolfe, amongst many, many others. It's going to be FANTASTIC! If you don't have an armband, please donate $5 at the gate for the musicians, many of whom have travelled very far to entertain you at their own cost. Don't forget we are fully licensed, so no BYO. We'll have food and drink available all weekend. We're open from Friday afternoon (music starting around 5pm-ish) until 11pm, Saturday 10am-11pm, and Sunday 10am-8pm. Thanks to David Hyett for his effort and dedication, supplying sound and lights. VOLUNTEERS are needed for general tasks. Get a feed for four hours' work. Give us a call at the BT - 6689 1111. And I, Belinda, am here this weekend. I'm making a few cakes, so come and get them before they are all sold out! And come say hello - hugs are always welcome. IT'S TIME TO PARTY! Let's make this weekend fabulous fun. Mingle Park * DRY CAMP * Behind the Museum Music throughout the weekend including Paranoia Club, Louis Burdett, Manu, Kaliba and Chris Fisher. MC Robert Corowa says."Freedom is for all plants and animals as well as humans. No one has the right to tell me what I can or cannot eat." The BOWLO....Open all weekend* Great food * Legal Drug (alcohol) Saturday - MardiGrass Bowls from noon - triples comp, uniforms, prizes. Play the cerebral sport. Giant Pot Trivia - 6.30pm start, with the Bowlo's quizmaster Marty. How much do you know about pot in agriculture, science, art, literature and music? For more info, contact Nimbin Bowlo 6689-1250. 9 Sibley Street Nimbin, next to Peace Park. Sk8 Park: Open all weekend. Saturday 2 pm: Open Bowl Jam...1st, 2nd, 3rd prizes plus cash. Nimbin Neighbourhood Centre: 71 Cullen St....next to Allsop Park: For all your technology needs at Mardi Grass, drop in anytime. Mobile phone charging, Internet, PCs and Printing/Copying (B+W, Colour). Plus HOT SOUP all weekend Green Bank: Healing and massage all weekend. Quiet peaceful spot serving revitalising herb teas.   SUNDAY May 5th  Plantem Park....enter beside the Nimbin Hall/School of Arts: 4:20am to Dawn ....Mahawana Sunrise Meditation 10.00 am  Music 11:00 am * The Pot Poets Breakfast......MC David Hallet .......A potted pot-pourri of some of the region's top performance poets will be poeting their infamous pot poems....visiting pot poets welcome. 11:00 am * Seed Swap 11:30 am Hemp Olympix registration. 12:00 till 2:00 pm * Hemp Olympix in Sativa Stadium* Last Heats and Finals Growers Iron Person, Hemp Rope Tug O' Drug War & Bong Throw and Yell.   Nimbin Hall/School of Arts:   Chill Zone, Medical Cannabis meeting place, Forums, Food, Peace & Quiet in the Garden. The MardiGrass Family Cafe in the Town Hall open all weekend.   11.00 am Legal advice with Steve Bolt and Jim Moylan.   11.30 am �How many cones? How many pills? How many lines of coke?� A report by John Jiggens.   12.30 pm MIND CANDY FORUM: Is it Medication Time? Cannabis medicine in Australia 2013.   1.30 pm  Cannabis offers a wide range of therapeutic benefits...Dr Andrew Katelaris. 2:30 pm * The Rally is on, starting at the Western Car Park exit (By Oasis) and heading south through the village turning left at the Green Bank to head down to Plantem Park for speeches and presentations. A delegation including Big Joint and the Ganja Faeries will march on past the old bank to the Police Station to ensure we are heard before joining the rest for the Rally and speeches in Sativa Stadium. Anyone wanting to join the delegation, which we have promised will not block the road for long, needs to be just behind the Big Joint. Everyone else goes with the floats. 5:00 pm (Back in the Ninbin Hall/School of Arts)* Joint Rolling Finals, followed by the Plantathlon Award for the best Hemp Olympix All-rounder, in memory of Chicken George, the legendary Plantem of previous MardiGrass. (Due to the popularity of this event, you will probably need a Golden Bud full weekend pass for entry.) 6.00 pm HEMP Party Meeting and gathering of anybody who wants to �Walk the Big Joint to Canberra�!   Nimbin Hall/School of Arts Garden and Medical Cannabis Tent All Day * Nimbin Hall Garden* MULLAWAY MEDICAL CANNABIS MEETING - Register for Tony Bower's Medical Cannabis Clinic, the first in the country. MS, HIV, cancer and chronic pain sufferers are invited to be part of Australias first medical cannabis dispensary trial. Bring medical documentation to confirm your condition if you are a new applicant. 10.00 am Gardeners brekkie gathering with Mullaway and friends. Get a flying start to the day.   11.00 am*Kog's Grower's Workshop * Sharing Knowledge and Practical Tips in the Tent where he will sign copies of his Golden Book on growing. All users and growers welcome!   12.00 am Workshop on how to make your own Tincture.   1.00 pm Workshop on how to make your own Hash. * Bubble Bag demonstration - Come see and learn how to use official Bubble Bag brand water filtration bags so that you can produce the highest quality resin extract from your plants. This will be a demonstration using lavender. Vaporizer demonstrations throughout the weekend and Bubblebag demonstrations (using Lavendar!) on Saturday and Sunday in the Medical Cannabis Tent.   Farmers Hemp Tent    Members of the Northern Rivers Hemp Association are keen to meet any potential farmers, product processors or anyone interested in the NSW hemp industry. There will be hempcrete building over the weekend, talks on the wonder of hempseed and stalls displaying and selling hemp products.     CANNABIS LAW REFORM RALLY AND PARADE * Prohibition is an incitement, not a control! 2:00pm * Gather and get ready for the MardiGrass Parade. If you want to be in it join us inside the exit of the western car park, across the road from the Community Market. The march is the main event, so please come. Dreamy Time.. bliss out! A tasty blend of prime smoking herbs intended to promote a tranquil, dreamy space. Rich, well rounded flavour. Blends well with tobacco or other herbs. Mugwort, Californian Poppy, Mullein, Calendula, Passion Flower and Calea. Yum! Flower Power.. feels really mellow, man! A base of Raspberry leaves gives this blend a creamy base, topped with sweet, uplifting Rose and Red Clover petals and succulently combined with three varieties of Lotus Flowers. The result is a smooth, silky smoke that relaxes body and mind, leaving you open to feel deeply into every blissful moment. Smoke alone or with other herbs. Pot Luck... cheep and cheerful! Well cured herbal blend containing Catnip, Lionstail and other herbs. Mixes well with Pot as a tobacco alternative. Puff! Premium Pot like high Happy High Herbs unique and potent pot alternative. 100% legal and 100% effective. Great taste, happy feelings, enjoy!   HAPPY HIGH HERB SHOP Pot Prohibition Protest Art Competition A first prize of $1000 cash and two smaller prizes of $250 and $100 worth of HHH gift vouchers.... CONDITIONS: Height � Floats must not exceed 3.2 metres from �the road�. Width � Must not exceed 2.4 metres wide. Length � Should not exceed 4.2 metres long, however this is a bit flexible. Floats must be peopled or green powered. You will be given a competitor number at the beginning of the Protest/Parade. Floats may feature a single person or group, or may be a centrepiece of a larger on foot display. These floats are our opportunity to present a powerful message to the outside world of both celebration and/or protest. Your float can express whatever you feel or want to share. We need floats and displays that reflect our area, our people, our pride and desires for the future, our fun and festivity. Drug Law Reform is a major focus of this festival and we encourage all to have their say. JUDGING: Judges will remain unknown until the day of the event. They will be women and men, and mostly not part of the Happy Herb Company. A 1-10 point score method will be adopted. 1. Judged pre-parade whilst assembling: Use of recycled materials Originality Punctuality 2. Judging During Parade: Function (Locomotion) Costumes Message power Overall effect Crowd response PRIZES will be presented to nominated heads of winning floats in Plantem Park after the Rally. Contact the HEMP Embassy for details on 66891842 For more details contact Happy High Herbs Nimbin at store.nimbin@happyhighherbs.com   2:30pm CANNABIS LAW REFORM RALLY The Parade this year will gather inside the western car park near the exit and led by the Widjibal Elders of the Bunjalung Nation, with children holding the Koori flag, make its way south along Cullen street to the Green Bank where it will turn left and head into Plantem Park and around to Sativa Stadium for the Cannabis Law Reform Rally, speeches and presentations. Sometimes the parade might stop while the Ganja Faeries up front do a brief performance. This keeps the parade from being too hasty and allows the crowd a better opportunity to take it all in. Everyone waits behind the BIG JOINT until the procession continues. No rush. Percussionists who have not been practicing with the Ganja Faerie troupe are asked to form a second Drumming Troupe, further back in the parade to provide a continuing accompaniment for the parade. People are asked not to occupy the space between the Ganja Faeries and the first group of Drummers. When we finish the march there will be short speeches by Bundjalung Elders, Dr Alex Wodak, Cate Faerhmann, Fiona Patten, Dr Andrew Katelaris, Neil Pike, Matt Walker, Michael Balderstone, Jim Moylan and not too many more! Parade Float prizes will be awarded before the busker who collects the most Tokes starts the final event:   The Beyond Prohibition Ball. Which will be in Plantem Park or the Town Hall depending on the weather. . "This is our twenty first consecutive annual Rally for Cannabis Law Reform. We vowed to Rally every year on the first Sunday in May until we are no longer criminals for using this herb. The recent Australia 21 Report says, "...we are making criminals of our kids". For over three decades they have been picking on the pot smokers in Nimbin with very expensive operations which have made little or no difference other than to create more young people with criminal records for life. Building more jails is a primitive approach to what is obviously a health and social issue." Other Roadside Attractions: Mingle Park * DRY CAMP * Behind the Museum ..Music all Sunday including Paranoia Club, Louis Burdett, Manu, and Chris Fisher. MC Robert Corowa says."Freedom is for all plants and animals as well as humans. No one has the right to tell me what I can or cannot eat." HEMP Party Bar - - Fair Dinkum stand up voters can register here to join the HEMP Party! Polite Bureau serving Hempseed food and coffee. Cannabis Cup * Somewhere, Sometime ... Nimbin Community Centre 10: 00 am to 6:00 pm* MardiGrass Market Stage * Family Friendly * Cranking music all weekend: Nimbin Hotel * Food, drink, and live entertainment. Bush Theatre - From Friday afternoon through to Sunday evening, we have live music by the river. Artists include Andrea Soler, Cellistino, Dillion James, Los Amigos, and Eli Wolfe, amongst many, many others. It's going to be FANTASTIC! If you don't have an armband, please donate $5 at the gate for the musicians, many of whom have travelled very far to entertain you at their own cost. Don't forget we are fully licensed, so no BYO. We'll have food and drink available all weekend. We're open from Friday afternoon (music starting around 5pm-ish) until 11pm, Saturday 10am-11pm, and Sunday 10am-8pm. Thanks to David Hyett for his effort and dedication, supplying sound and lights. VOLUNTEERS are needed for general tasks. Get a feed for four hours' work. Give us a call at the BT - 6689 1111. And I, Belinda, am here this weekend. I'm making a few cakes, so come and get them before they are all sold out! And come say hello - hugs are always welcome. IT'S TIME TO PARTY! Let's make this weekend fabulous fun. Bowlo* Legal drugs and music and bowling!Sunday - Rock & Roll Bowls from 9.30am - social matches, mufti or dress-ups, thongs OK. Come down and have a roll-up. For more info, contact Nimbin Bowlo 6689-1250. 9 Sibley Street Nimbin, next to Peace Park Sk8 Park: Open all weekend. Saturday 2 pm: Open Bowl Jam...1st, 2nd, 3rd prizes plus cash. Nimbin Neighbourhood Centre: 71 Cullen St....next to Allsop Park: For all your technology needs at Mardi Grass, drop in anytime. Mobile phone charging, Internet, PCs and Printing/Copying (B+W, Colour). Plus HOT SOUP all weekend Green Bank: Healing and massage all weekend. Quiet peaceful spot serving revitalising herb teas. Here's hoping! Let's make it happen here.   THANK YOU ONE AND ALL! Next up, MardiGrass XXII 2014