John Butler, Kate Miller-Heidke, Husky, Montaigne, Holy Holy, The Beautiful Girls, Timberwolf, Vaudeville Smash, Mama Kin Spender and Sampa the Great lead an all-star cast announced to perform at the 2017/18 Woodford Folk Festival on the Sunshine Coast 27 Dec until 1 Jan.
The 500-acre festival site known as Woodfordia will this year play host to 300+ artists, with a record number of performers making their first appearance at the festival.
Canadian trad trio The East Pointers lead an array of folk favourites including another wonderful Irish representation in Martin Hayes and Dennis Cahill, Breaking Trad and Eleanor McEvoy.
There are a slew of local acts too many to name here, but you can expect healthy servings from: Afro Dizzi Act, Bearfoot, Blues Arcadia, Cheap Fakes, Dubmarine, Golden Sound, Kooii, Robbie Miller, The Babe Rainbow, The New Buzz and many, many more.
The 2017/18 line-up also includes rising rappers Baker Boy and Birdz, Apakatjah, Alysha Brilla, pop duo My Bubba (SWE/ICE), Charm Of Finches, Jeff Lang, the Northern Folk, Joanna Wallfisch, AMISTAT, POW! Negro, Lior & Paul Grabowsky, Tinpan Orange.
Long established as a leader in arts programming, this year the festival welcomes 102-year-old dance sensation Eileen Kramer to the stage as well as the world’s best bounce juggler Odette Robbins and comedians Dave Thornton, Randy and Demi Lardner to name but a very few.
These and many other performers join a recently released speakers programme featuring Dr Karl, UNESCO’s Dr Fanny Douvere (FRA), Climate Foundation’s Dr Brian Von Herzen (USA), Noel Pearson, Bob Hawke, Tracey Spicer and Arne Rubinstein.
'Over 2,000 individual performers will play across 35 venues ranging from the 25,000-seat amphitheatre to smaller, more intimate venues like Bill’s Bar.'
Woodford Folk Festival Head of Programming Chloe Goodyear says this year’s programme, more than ever, rewards the trust patrons place in organisers to bring wonderful artists to them.
“While Woodford has always featured recognisable names, these artists are more than outnumbered by terrifically talented artists either on the rise or making their first appearances in Australia,” Chloe says.
“There might be a tipping point on what someone is comfortable with in the mix of known versus unknown and this year we're asking audiences to step into the 'unknown unknown'."
The opportunity to get involved with components of the programme also continues to be a key feature of the long-running festival with ticket holders encouraged to participate in a packed workshop programme, daily yoga practices, the always Singing Space, lantern making and immersive street theatre spectacle The Game.
Click here to read last year's event review.
Festival Director Bill Hauritz says the festival, now in its 32nd year, is a partnership between festival organisers and ticket holders. “The lovely part of our festival is our patrons are our fellow organisers,” he says.
“They have a hand in helping us create the wonderful atmosphere in this organic community. We all work at creating something special.”
'When the 6-day festival opens on 27 December, the purpose-built festival site, one hours drive from both Brisbane and the Sunshine Coast, becomes Australia’s 67th largest town.'
2017 Woodford Folk Festival Line-up
19-TwentyAfro Dizzi Act
Agustinus Jogiono
Albi and The Wolves
Alex Procopis and Velvet
Alison Ferrier
All Strings Attached
Alysha Brilla
AMISTAT
Andrew Clermont's Supper Club
Andrew Pattison
Apakatjah
Ashu Babu Memorial Tabla School
Baker Boy
Band of Dawn
Barleyshakes
Barry Charles and Peter Wells
Bearfoot
Birdz
Blues Arcadia
Bonnie Love
Breaking Trad
Bush Gothic
Caravãna Sun
Cass Eager & The Velvet Rope
Cave In The Sky
Chaika
Charm of Finches
Cheap Fakes
Chenda Melam Brisbane
Chloe & Jason Roweth
Diamond Duck
Digging Roots
Dubmarine
Edgelarks
Eleanor McEvoy
Emma Anglesey
Estampa
Ethnotik Gamelan Orkestra
Folkaphonic Youth Folk Orchestra
Forté
Galata Express
Golden Sound
Good Tunes
Harry Jakamarra
Hollow Coves
Holy Holy
Husky
Inspiration Choir
Izack Hunt
Jane McArthur
Jed Rowe
Jeff Lang
Joanna Wallfisch
Jodi Martin Band
Joe Filisko and Eric Noden
John Butler
John John Festival
Jonathan Molina Hernández
Kate Miller-Heidke
Kay Proudlove
Kenta Hayashi
Kim Kirkman and Brian Martin with the Seraphim Baroque Ensemble
Kizuna GC Japanese Taiko Drumming Team
Kooii
Kristina Olsen
Kučibaba
Leah Flanagan
Lior & Paul Grabowsky
Little Georgia
Liz Stringer
Lloyd Spiegel
Lucy Gallant
Luke R Davies
Lyra Harp Duo
Maia & the Big Sky
Mama Kin Spender
Marcia Howard
Martin Hayes & Dennis Cahill
Matiu Te Huki
Michael Askill
Mike McClellan
Miramar
Molsky’s Mountain Drifters
Monique Clare
Monks of Tibet
Montaigne
Mr. Percival
My Bubba
Namita Mehta
Natalie Gillespie
Nathan Camilleri Trio
Nawres Al Freh
OI DIPNOI
Paul Bulanyi & Jem Dunlop
POW! Negro
Queensland Tibetan Community
Ramy Essam
Rhythm Hunters
Rising Appalachia
Robbie Miller
Roger Knox
Rukun Warga Bali
Saikat Bhattacharya
Sampa the Great
San Lazaro
Sarah Howells
Sebastian Flynn
Shanasheel Arabic Music Ensemble
Shen Flindell
Soriee Sevdah
Sue Ray
Sun Salute
Tania Balil
Taro Terahara
Tenzin Choegyal
Teresa Doyle
thando
The Albert Wiggan Trio
The Babe Rainbow
The Beautiful Girls
The BlueSkillet Rovers
The Darren Jack Band
The Demon Drink
The East Pointers
The Good Girl Song Project
The Hi-Boys
The Morrisons
The New Buzz
The Northern Folk
The Railsplitters
The Rover (Blueskillet Rover’s Caravan)
The Scrims
The Small Glories
The Steven Hart Band
Tichawona Mashawa
Timberwolf
Tinpan Orange
Tom Richardson
Tonga! Group
Trad
Turner Brown Band (feat. Nikki D Brown & Dom Turner)
Vance Gilbert
Vaudeville Smash
Wil Thomas
Wild Marmalade
William Crighton
Yenenesh Nigusse
Yirrmal and the Miliyawutj
Zumpa
Click here for photos from 2016/17 Woodford.
