What is Yackandandah Folk Festival?

A Celebration of Music and community!

We wish to give you a warm welcome to our regional community which is centred on a small town of 1,000 people placed in the heart of the North East valleys community. We are characterised by pride in our past and commitment to our future.

Our festival offers you space to be; time to sit in the warm intimacy of the courthouse having a personal encounter with your favourite performer, gathering with friends in the sun out the back of the top pub, sharing Saturday dinner (made with love and local produce) in the rotunda in the gardens, or being part of the enthusiastic audience in the public hall cheering on our community choir. As a festival ticket holder you can experience stunning concert performances by outstanding international and national acts and have the opportunity to celebrate some vibrant performers in the marquee with late night dancing. There will also be a variety of participative workshops and blackboard opportunities on offer for all abilities.

Families are our strength and you will find people of all ages mixing freely. Our local young people can roam our town in safety. We have developed a dedicated venue for the nourishing and showcasing of local young talent (and many top up their income through busking!). You may be entertained by colourful performances in the streets at any time. Children will receive a warm welcome with kid’s performances and workshops. If you are looking for some time to connect with the important things in life, come join us.

Yackandandah Folk Festival presents a great diversity of musical styles that encompasses the flavours of the traditional folk genre and stretches the boundaries of what people traditionally regard as folk music that is interspersed with blues, rock, country and jazz; all making for some wonderful musical storytelling and reasons to dance.

The weekend gets underway with a community street parade followed by opening performances at the town hall, grand marquee and hotel. Festival goers will have the opportunity to take part in a variety of workshops run over the weekend. There is plenty of activities for children and music-loving young people.

The toughest part of the weekend is choosing between being serenaded and entertained at a large or small concert, dancing the night away to funky folk grooves or socialising and jamming with the folkies at the pub or a host of other choices besides. A number of venues throughout the town cater for everything from intimate solo performances through to the annual Yackandandah Choirs performance. The choir project sees about 100 singers who have been rehearsing for 6 weeks under the direction of Fiona Dyball perform in the free town hall concert on Sunday at lunch time.

The Saturday evening family gourmet meal held in the towns Memorial Park gives participants and performers the chance to mingle and take in the ambience of the celebration of good music in a relaxed atmosphere. And on the morning of Sunday, March 18 a monster market organised by the Yackandandah Primary School attracts more than 100 stall holders from across the region. The free concert stage in the main street all day includes the busking competition finalists. Great atmosphere, great music and some of the best produce and products from the region combine to offer something for everyone.

Background to the Yackandandah Folk Festival

The first Yackandandah Folk Festival was held in March 1998 and was a one day event. Since then the Festival has been run over three days including many different events and activities for all ages and attracting artists of national and international standing.

The Festival is organised by a dedicated team of Yackandandah residents who felt the need to conduct an activity within the township that would give an outlet to the many creative people living in the town as well as attract artists that would not normally come to a town the size of Yackandandah.

The Festival has grown over the years and now enjoys broad based support from the community with groups as diverse as the Kindergarten to the Fire Brigade offering assistance in conducting the event.