News October 16, 2016

Amanda Palmer, Half Moon Run lead mammoth Woodford Folk Festival programme

Former Editor

The Woodford Folk Festival in Queensland is set to celebrate its 31^st year with Amanda Palmer, Half Moon Run and Lake Street Drive among the acts announced in the festival’s mammoth programme.

Released overnight, the 2016/2017 programme also features five local, ARIA-nominated acts; they are Fanny Lumsden, Gang of Youths, Kev Carmody, Paul Kelly and Urthboy. Scroll down for the full list of headline acts.

:: VIEW THE FULL WOODFORD FOLK FESTIVAL PROGRAMME HERE

Set to host 400 acts across 25 venues over the six nights from December 27 to January 1, the Woodford Folk Festival has become Australia’s largest and most iconic annual not-for-profit arts and music festival.

Festival General Manager Amanda Jackes told TMN: “We would hope that Woodford Folk Festival stands out for its sense of community and belonging, its mass celebrations and rituals, its creativity and innovation and finally, its commitment to the exploration of artistic excellence.

“The pursuit of authenticity in all that we do has become part of our lore and inspires us daily in our actions.”

Less than 2% of Woodford Folk’s income comes from government funding. The festival is owned and run by non-for-profit incorporated association Woodfordia Inc. It has a core staff who work with 180 department heads but enlists over 2,600 volunteers each year to deliver the festival.

Its over 120,000 patrons each year have contributed more than $30million towards the Queensland economy since the festival’s inception.

A visitor survey into the 2015/2016 event’s demographic found that 79.3% were repeat visitors. Of the 126,996 attendees, 93.1% of those surveyed were visiting the area specifically to attend the festival, 59% were from other parts of Queensland whilst nearly 36% were from interstate. The festival also attracted an additional 3.2% of patrons coming from overseas (predominantly the UK, Germany, New Zealand, Canada and USA).

Jackes told TMN: “The Woodford Folk Festival attracts a broad demographic from the youngest in our communities coming with their mums and dads, through to our wiser citizens.

“The largest age group at the festival is the 18 – 29 age groups which represents 30% of our audience. The fact that WFF audiences reflect a cross section of our communities is one of the festival’s strengths we believe.”

WOODFORD FOLK FAST FACTS

⦁Programmed events, run end to end, would fill 80 x 24hour days with entertainment (that’s 240 working days or 48 working weeks)

⦁Uses 50,368 recycled toilet rolls (that’s more than 1000kms) in 466 toilets

⦁Bars serve more than 21,385 pints and 65,760 cans of beer over the course of the festival, but adult patrons on average drinks less than two drinks per day.

Has planted more than 120,000 trees and 600 species on the festival site since 1994

⦁Has a closed loop water system – all water for the festival is collected on site and treated in a revolutionary wastewater treatment plant, the recycled water is used for irrigation

WOODFORD HEADLINE ACTS

Buffy Sainte-Marie (CAN)

Paul Kelly & Charlie Owen

Half Moon Run (CAN)

Wallis Bird (IRE)

The Bamboos

Dr Karl

Urthboy

Amanda Palmer (USA)

Meow Meow

Lake Street Dive (USA)

Thelma Plum