The Woodford Folk Festival is held annually over six days and six nights from Dec 27th through to January 1st. More than 2,000 local, national and international, artists, musicians and presenters put on over 438 acts to an audience of an estimated 132,000 people. The festival begins each year with the iconic Opening Ceremony and closes with the spectacular showcase, the Fire Event on New Year’s Day. This year will be the 33rd Woodford Folk Festival and the 24th held at Woodfordia. It is the largest gathering of artists and musicians in Australia.
The Woodford festival experience is deep, rich and colourful. It is based on a vision of inclusive and creative community, culture and tradition passed through generations, expressed through story and ceremony. The site, a former barren dairy farm, has been lovingly regenerated with over 120,000 subtropical rain forest trees, orchids, ferns and sedges planted to create habitat for butterflies and wildlife.
Woodfordia is transformed into a village that hosts over 25,000 daily patrons, performers, stallholders, volunteers and organisers. As many as 2,680 volunteers across 162 departments are at the heart of the organisation and contribute to the setup and day-to-day running of the festival. During the event the festival is actually the 67th largest town in Australia.
Each year construction begins in early December and continues up until Christmas Day. Over 450 contractors and volunteers build the village. Many come from around the world to be part of the festival build and then stay for a week after to pull the event down.
The festival build includes:
- Installation of over 20,000 square metres of canvas for 35 venues, 15 bars and over 200 food, craft and merchandise stalls
- Erection of over 5,500 signs
- Installation of over 13ks of fencing
- Placement of over 60 temporary offices and hired amenity blocks
- Filtration of 14 million litres of water
- Cleaning of over 500 toilets and 341 showers
- Distribution of 15ks electrical and communication cabling
- Construction of 25 stages
- Placement of 16,000 chairs
- Installation of 600 lanterns
The team are powered by over 24,000 meals and unlimited goodwill.
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 the spectacular fire event.
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. It’s a magical experience and one not to be missed.
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Are you ready to be inspired? The full programme of artists and presenters, activities and events for Bushtime: An Inspired Camping Holiday, is now available.
Please check the link in our bio for information on what to see, register, book, or warm up for! We can't wait to gather on Jinibara country with you, our volunteers, stallies, artists and presenters for all of the magic of a Summer at Woodfordia, when Bushtime kicks off on December 27th!
#jinibara #programme #launch #bushtime #woodfordia #thisisqueensland #holidaydreaming
BUSHTIME VOLUNTEERS WANTED! #Summer is just around the corner which means less than a month until the #Bushtime build begins! Volunteer positions are almost filled but we still need some fine folk to join the build crew and help us create the Woodfordia magic. We need art and decor assistants, general store stockers, site crew members, children's area setup crew, kitchen assistants, costume and set designers, and more.
Apply via the Get Involved link in our bio, get your friends involved and spread the word. We’d be ever so grateful to have you on the team #volunteeringisfun #welovevollies #bushtime2021 #woodfordia
Only one week to go until we let you know the totality of what we've planned for December's Bushtime on Jinibara Country! While the focus of Bushtime is very much on the camping experience, we know that in a week long holiday, you're going to want to see some great music, enjoy yourself at some great variety shows, maybe dabble in some art or music workshops, learn more about Woodfordia's environment - and there are wonderful artists and presenters gathering to make sure you can do just that! #oneweek #programme #launch #bushtime #woodfordia #thisisqueensland
Did you start Sunday with a song? Would you like to? The wonderful Nicole Murray, of Cloudstreet fame, joins us to create a daily choir from a rag-tag bunch of plucky misfits (that's where you come in). Join Nicole and your fellow warblers at Bushtime on Jinibara Country! #bushtime #woodfordia #thisisqueensland
Multi-award winning circus company @casuscircus are visiting with 'Casus Tapas' - tasty bite-sized pieces of incredible skill and power to enjoy and share! Inclusion and diversity are at the forefront of all Casus' work, giving light and energy to stories that are often absent from our stages, or heavily stereotyped. Casus is one of the most diverse companies in Australia, with more than 70 per cent of the company non-Caucasian, and strong representation from the LGBTIQX community. Casus also subverts gender normative stereotypes, with women demonstrating strength and basing complex balances, and men exploring delicate styles and moving with intimacy and finesse. The suggested audience age is 12+ and there might be some adult themes. Welcome back to Woodfordia, Casus! We can't wait to have you along at Bushtime on Jinibara country! #bushtime #woodfordia #thisisqueensland
A point of difference in our Bushtime camps is that slowing down and means a chance to genuinely connect to the beautiful surroundings of Woodfordia - the environment, animals and sounds of silence that are so often eclipsed by our larger events. Our Bushtime workshop programme is designed with this in mind - and this December, artist @natalie_billing can show you how to create a beautiful scarf to remember your visit to Woodfordia using leaves gathered on site to print directly onto the fabric. It's totally eco – no inks or chemicals, only memories – you only need to bring your enthusiasm, everything needed is provided. The full programme and bookings will be online in the last week of November - we hope you'll find something to look forward to! #thisisqueensland #artsandcrafts #bushtime #woodfordia #makers
@tibet_effect has been at COP26 this week working to raise awareness of the climate crisis and its effects on Tibet. Always generous, always smiling - Tenzin returns to us with Nomadic song and stories at this year's Bushtime, and of course, his tradition of singing up the sun, January 1st. Perhaps we can ask Tenzin to deliver a talk about who he met and what he saw at COP26? #thisisqueensland #woodfordia #bushtime
Are you planning on bringing an instrument to Woodfordia for Bushtime? Whether it's playing around the camp, heading off to a workshop or two, or sitting in on the song and tune sessions, we're looking forward to Woodfordia the strums, songs and celebration of another year together in the slow surrounds of Bushtime. #bushtime #thisisqueensland #woodfordia
@katemillerheidke has always been a wonderful friend to Woodfordia and we are so delighted that she's choosing to spend time with us again this year at Bushtime! As well as hanging out with her family, Kate will be onstage on December 30th, hopefully bringing some old favourites along with new songs from her October release 'Child in Reverse' - holy cow, 'Deluded' is such a dreamy, fantastic catchy song. It's way more fun with Kate Miller Heidke at Bushtime! (And speaking of songs - Keir Nuttall is teaching a songwriting workshop too!) #bushtime #thisisqueensland #woodfordia
Last call for Stalls! How many villagers does it take to make a village? We lost count a long time ago but one thing's for sure...it just ain't a village without the village. Expressions of interest for Stall Holders close 7 November. Apply via the link in our bio today.
📸: Marek Knappe
@womenindocs are joining us at Bushtime! We can hear your cheers reverberating through the valley already! women in docs are an independent, folk pop act – with a little bit of country –, based in Brisbane. They have been compared to the Indigo Girls, the Chicks and The Waifs. With a reputation for stirring and humorous live performances and a vigourous touring schedule, women in docs have built a fiercely loyal following (and this is an understatement) throughout Australia, as well as touring internationally to win over audiences throughout the world. Welcome back Roz and Chanel! We can't wait to have you at Bushtime, NYE, on Jinibara Country!
#bushtime #thisisqueensland #woodfordia
Applications are now open to new volunteers for Bushtime 2021. We’re thrilled to present this inspired campground experience with exciting workshops and entertainment programming that’s sure to satisfy your Woodford Folk Festival cravings. There’s truly something for everyone with roles in art and decor, building and maintenance, looking after children, serving in bars, kitchens, and cafes, supervising the lake, and heaps more. As a non-profit organisation, we’re forever thankful for our volunteers who help ensure safe, special, and spectacular events every year. In return volunteers get a free ticket and free camping, plus the chance to work with team of fun, kind, and passionate people.
Apply via the link in the bio - we can't wait to have you on board.
#volunteeringisfun #bushtime #notafestival