Woodford Folk | FESTIVALPHOTO
| Woodford Folk The Woodford Folk Festival is an annual music festival held near the semi-rural town of Woodford, 72 km north of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It is one of the biggest annual cultural events of its type in Australia. The festival takes place over six days and nights from 27 December to 1 January each year. It features a wide range of performance styles, musical genres and nationalities, in many simultaneous venues across the site. About 130,000 patrons attend annually, camping on-site—some just overnight—many for the full festival experience. The final evening of the Woodford festival culminates in a spectacular New Year's Day closing ceremony, Fire Event. The Woodford Folk Festival developed from the Maleny Folk Festival which began in Maleny in 1987. In 1994, the festival was moved 20 km away to Woodford when it outgrew the Maleny Showgrounds site. Unlike many festivals which are held in or near urban centres, the Woodford Folk Festival takes place on a 200 ha (500 acre) rural property in a forest setting. In 2005–2006 a record aggregate attendance of over 130,000 visitors attended the festival, injecting $21 million into the Queensland economy. And in 2008 the festival won the FasterLouder Festival Award for the most Green Friendly festival. See more at www.woodfordfolkfestival.com |
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Covered festivals: Woodford Folk 2011 |
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The festival features concerts, dances, street theatre, writers’ panels, film festival, comedy sessions, acoustic jams, social dialogue and debate, folk medicine, an entire children’s festival, an environmental programme featuring talks, debates and films, art and craft workshops, circus performances and workshops, late night cabarets, parades and special events including a spectacular fire event.
The festival is a place you can escape from ‘reality’ and immerse yourself in cultures from near and far.
For more info visit www.woodfordfolkfestival.com
The festival programme features concerts, dances, street theatre, writers’ panels, film festival, comedy sessions, acoustic jams, social dialogue and debate, folk medicine, an entire children’s festival, an environmental programme featuring talks, debates and films, art and craft workshops, circus performances and workshops, late night cabarets, parades and special events including a spectacular fire event.
This year’s line up includes: Andrew Clermont
Andy Brown
Angus Stone
Band of Frequencies
Ben Sollee
Brian Hungerford
Browndog
Capcha
Chapelier Fou
Chris Gillespie & The Wandering Hands
Cub Scouts
Darren Percival and Band
Dave Gunning
DAWN
Elkano Browning Cream
Emma Louise
Festival Friends FolkRockPopJazz
Flap!
Folk Uke
fRETfEST Singer Songwriter Showcase
Geamala
Georgia Potter
Green Man Theory
Gregory Page & His Imaginary Orchestra
Hailey Calvert
HALF MOON RUN
Hawksley Workman
Hermitude
Hugo & Treats
Jeff Martin
Julia Stone
Kate Miller-Heidke
Los Coronas
Mal Webb
Mia Wray
Mikelangelo and the Tin Star
Penelope Swales
Playwrite
Potato Potato
Rapskallion
Shane Howard
Sticky Fingers
Sunshine Brothers
The Floating Bridges
The Saints
The Transformers Choir
Tim Chaisson
Tim Hart
Urthboy
Vince Jones
Wagons
Will & The People
Young Magic
Within the festival village you can find 35 performance venues, of which 18 are all weather. The festival streets are lined with restaurants, cafes, stalls, bars, street theatre and parades. Tree-filled campgrounds, butterfly walks, ponds and wildlife complete the picturesque site.
The festival appeals to a diverse audience with all ages and many nationalities attracted each year. The event is powered by an army of volunteers whose numbers are now in excess of 2300.
Volunteering is a great way to get involved and experience the spirit of the Woodford Folk Festival.
The festival is a place you can escape from ‘reality’ and immerse yourself in cultures from near and far. It is a place where artists inspire, community spirit engulfs and life memories are made. We hope you will join us.
Camping on-site for the full six days of the Woodford Folk Festival is by far the best way to immerse yourself in all the festival has to offer. Shower and toilet facilities are available in all camping grounds and there is the General Store for basic supplies.
General Store
There is a fully stocked General Store located in the Season Camping area near the entrance to the Festival Village for those items you left behind. The store will be open 6.00am - 12 midnight from the 27th Dec - 1st Jan and also on the 26th Dec from 2pm - 12 midnight
Camping Overnight
Overnight camping on-site is on-site with shower and toilet facilities available along with Clancy's general store for basic supplies. Please note that overnight camping tickets do not allow entry to the festival precinct the following morning. Tickets for the following day will be available from Clancy's ticket office.
Clancy's Store
Clancy's is a general store located in the Overnight Camping area. It is open from 6.30am to 10.30pm from the 27th Dec - 1st Jan and also on the 26th Dec between 2pm and 10.30pm.
On-site Tent Motel
Erected tents and beds are available for hire on site at the festival. Purchase your Woodford Folk Festival camping ticket first and then book your tent site by phoning +61 (0)7 5482 6788, or visit their website. This service is operated by a separate company. The Festival office cannot make a booking on your behalf so please do not email booking requests to us. You will need to ensure your Festival registration includes camping in addition to a booking for a tent.
Things to consider when preparing to camp at the festival:
Facilities
While we continue to improve the facilities please remember that our camping grounds are used only a few times a year. Toilet and shower facilities are adequately basic. Peak times for shower queues are in the mornings and later afternoons so please avoid these times if you don’t want to wait.
Campgrounds
Because of limited use it is not possible for us to provide perfectly level camp sites with well manicured lawns. Several thousand trees have been planted in the camping grounds over the last five years but they are mostly too small to provide good shade just yet.
Weather
The festival is conducted in the full glory of summer. Our weather can range from very hot and dusty days through to impressive summer thunderstorms, and it gets pretty chilly if you’re still wandering about enjoying the Chai Tent at four in the morning. Campers should prepare for any eventuality.
Your campsite
Remember that you are creating a temporary home at your camp. It may be a day retreat from the festivities as well as a place to crash at the end of the day so please make sure you are comfortable and consider your camping gear carefully.
Water
Water is always a precious commodity at Woodford as we are self-sufficient and take all our water from on-site tanks. We would appreciate if all festivilians would join with us in conserving water in the following ways: restrict yourself to one shower a day, turn the water off when brushing your teeth and please bring some water with you. Those are the basics. There will be information posted around the campground and the camp warden’s office will be open until late for any queries.
Suggestions for a comfortable campsite:
Consider the water course. When choosing a campsite consider where the water will naturally flow in the event of rain, and pitch your tent accordingly.
Raise your bedding off the ground. A fold-up camp stretcher allows air circulation and protects your bedding from any water that may enter your tent. Keeping your personal belongings off the ground is also a good idea – a fold-up chair makes a great wardrobe or table.
Standing room. Be able to stand inside your tent if possible or have a tarp stretched somewhere for a comfortable covered area.
Bring your own water. All tap water on-site is potable but for conservation and your own convenience please bring all the water you’ll need for the duration.
No electricity available. There is no electricity available on-site for patron’s campsites unless they require it for life-support equipment (disabled camping area).
No generators permitted in the camp grounds. Please note that use of generators in the camp grounds is not permitted due to noise and pollution concerns.
Conserve space where possible. Our campgrounds need to accommodate a large number of people so please keep your campsites small and conserve space wherever possible.
One car per campsite. Please only keep one car per campsite in the campgrounds. Other cars should be parked in the front car park. Please do not drive around the campgrounds once you have set-up your campsite.
Keep your valuables safe. Theft can be a problem as at any large event, so please do not bring anything of value to the festival other than what is absolutely necessary. All valuables remain the responsibility of the camper.
No fires, glass or animals are allowed in the campgrounds or on the festival site.
Expect noise, bring earplugs. Campsites near the festival entrance and in other areas hear music from the festival precinct until the late hours of the night and fellow campers may be up and about all day and night. Please bring your ear plugs if you are a light sleeper.
We look forward to seeing you at Woodford this year for a fantastic festival experience.
Here is how to get there:
Located in between the Brisbane Valley and Queensland's beautiful Sunshine Coast Hinterland, the Woodford Folk Festival takes place in a rural valley surrounded by natural bushland with plenty of native wildlife and a superb view of the Glass House Mountains from the hill-top above the festival grounds. The festival is about an hour and a half drive north of Brisbane, or 40 minutes west of Caloundra or an hour south of Noosa.