Programme Dump

1140 are a fun and funky street band. Made up of 15 teenagers who grew up with Con Artists and HONK! Oz and now part of the Community music making scene in Wollongong.

Concerts

• Sunday 1PM 1140 Street Band @ Session Tent

Melbourne based folk-pop-punk-poet Alana Wilkinson continues to emerge as one of the most loved new artists on the Australian scene. Since 2017 Alana has turned heads with a string of triumphant (and much talked-about) major festival appearances (Woodford, Queenscliff, Blue Mountains, Nannup, Bello and Mullum) showcasing her wit, humour and insightful social commentary. Backed up with wonderfully received support spots for the likes of Tim Freedman, Bob Evans, Clare Bowditch, the Pierce Brothers, The Maes, Kav Temperley, Kate Ceberano and the Northern Folk, Alana has enchanted diverse audiences across Australia. Alana Wilkinson has guitar, will travel.

Concerts

• Friday 8.30PM Alana Wilkinson @ Slacky Flat Bar
• Saturday 3.30PM Alana Wilkinson @ Restaurant
• Sunday 5PM Alana Wilkinson @ Global Green

The band's name, Amaidí, means nonsense in Irish Gaelic, reflecting the band's playful, yet respectful approach to their music. They draw inspiration from the rich history of Irish music and infuse it with contemporary elements to create a unique sound that appeals to both traditional and modern audiences.

Concerts

• Friday 8.15PM Amaidi @ Tivoli on Track
• Friday 11.30PM Festival Club Trisco! - Hosted by Sam De Santi @ Restaurant
• Saturday 6PM Amaidi @ Restaurant
• Saturday 8.15PM Irish Session with Amaidi @ Session Tent
• Sunday 11AM Celtic Session @ Session Tent
• Sunday 4.30PM Amaidi @ Slacky Flat Bar

Standing at 4ft11 and half, with steel lungs and an infectious smile, largely self-taught musician 'andie' delivers an intoxicating live performance that is not to be missed.  Hailing from Dharug & Gundungurra land (the Blue Mountains), andie sheds a fresh perspective on heartbreak and intimacy with her whimsical cynicism.\n

Concerts

• Friday 4.30PM Andie @ Tivoli on Track
• Saturday 11.30AM Andie @ Folk Grand
• Sunday 4.30PM Andie @ Grandstand Bar

ANDY IRVINE is one of the great Irish singers, his voice one of a handful of truly great ones that gets to the very soul of Ireland. He has been hailed as a tradition in himself. As a soloist, Andy fills the role of the archetypal troubadour with a show and a travelling lifestyle that reflect his lifelong influence, Woody Guthrie. To quote the Irish Times, Often copied, never equaled, his repertoire consists of Irish traditional songs, dexterous Balkan dance tunes and a compelling canon of his own self-penned songs.

Concerts

• Friday 7.30PM Andy Irvine @ Global Green
• Saturday 1.30PM Andy Irvine @ Slacky Flat Bar
• Sunday 3.15PM Andy Irvine @ Restaurant

Apolline is a lively group of young folkies, equipped with alluring voices, innumerable instruments and an extensive collection of colourful socks. The group views folk music through fresh eyes with foot-stomping sets, original songs and a dash of sisterly bickering in order to bring a unique experience of genre-bending folk.\n

Concerts

• Friday 12PM Introduction to Chopping @ Folk School - Chillout Room
• Saturday 1.45PM Folk Fiddle Frenzy - Hosted by Sam De Santi @ Restaurant
• Saturday 10.30PM Apolline @ Grandstand Bar
• Sunday 9AM Apolline @ Restaurant
• Sunday 11AM Celtic Session @ Session Tent

In the dark days of 2004, the Australian Morris dancing scene was capering t’ward a doleful grave. When Lo! Black Joak Morris was born. A wailing infant crying for a small beer, come to revive the old dances and imbue them with vigour and youthfulness. With their distinctive bells and ribbons, they perform at festivals far and wide, drinking beer and spreading cheer.

Concerts

• Friday 8.30PM Black Joak Morris @ Piazza (roving performers)
• Saturday 9.30AM Black Joak Morris @ Piazza (roving performers)
• Saturday 12PM Black Joak Morris @ Tivoli on Track
• Saturday 3.30PM Black Joak Morris @ Tivoli on Track
• Sunday 10.45AM Black Joak morris @ Piazza (roving performers)
• Sunday 3PM Black Joak Morris @ Piazza (roving performers)

Karma County front man and ARIA award winner Brendan Gallagher casts a long shadow in Australian music - over forty records in as many years, more than half as an artist.\n\nProducer of indigenous luminaries like Jimmy Little, LJ Hill, Emma Donovan, Kutcha Edwards and Oz music icons Doc Neeson, Jeremy Oxley, Jesse Younan, Dave Mason & more, prolific songwriter, author of The Open Tuning Chord Book For Guitar, one off session guitarist for David Bowie.

Concerts

• Friday 1PM Open Tune/ Slide Guitar @ Folk School - New Hall
• Saturday 11AM Brendan Gallagher @ Global Green
• Sunday 1.15PM Brendan Gallagher @ Restaurant

The Bush Music Club was founded in 1954 to promote and popularise traditional folk songs, dances, music and folklore. Come along and join in celebrating their 70th year of keeping the tradition alive by playing and learning some new tunes from yesteryear. Music notation will be available.

Concerts

• Friday 9AM Bush Music @ Folk School - Old Hall
• Friday 8.15PM Bush Music Club @ Session Tent
• Saturday 9AM Australian Songs and Tunes @ Session Tent
• Sunday 9.30AM Australian Songs and Tunes @ Session Tent
• Sunday 1.15PM Bush Dance @ Tivoli on Track

Carefree Road Band presents the early songs of Simon and Garfunkel.\n\nSing a long to the folk songs which have become part of our musical DNA.

Concerts

• Saturday 9.30AM Carefree Road Band (Simon & Garfunkel Tribute) @ Global Green

Melbourne sisters Charm of Finches deliver seamless blood harmonies - intricate folk-pop that is simultaneously graceful and darkly bewitching. The 2021 Music Victoria Best Folk Act toured UK/ Europe & Canada throughout 22/23, recording their fourth album by an icy lake in wintry Nova Scotia, coming out in 2024 through Spunk! Records.\n

Concerts

• Friday 11PM Charm of Finches @ Grandstand Bar
• Saturday 5PM Charm of Finches @ Global Green
• Sunday 11.15AM Charm of Finches @ Folk Grand

Join Cigány Weaver as they celebrate the release of their second album, 'Still Water' with a multi-date Australian tour. The band's debut self-titled album (2019) premiered the first original 'Cigány Weaver' compositions and was received with great acclaim, finding airplay on ABC, Triple J, Double J, and community radio across Australia. But this year marks the release of their long-awaited follow-up, recorded by legendary producer Paulie B at Yama-Nui studios, within which the band showcases an exceptional and intimate realisation of their extraordinary individual talents. Off the back of two National Live Music Award 2023 nominations, it’s easy to see why the group continue to garner rave reviews for every show they play.

Concerts

• Sunday 3PM Cigany Weaver @ Slacky Flat Bar

Circus WOW is our local community circus here to delight you with their dazzling circus skills and creative characters. Operating for over 20 years and run by volunteers, WOW is a creative community supporting women and non-binary folk to do the extraordinary.

Concerts

• Saturday 1.30PM Circus WOW! @ Piazza (roving performers)
• Sunday 12PM Circus WOW! @ Piazza (roving performers)
• Sunday 6PM Parade to Finale @ Bush Tipi

The Combined Unions Choir Concert is comprised of members from Illawarra, Sydney, and Newcastle choirs. The Union Choirs engage in protest through music, from peace and anti-nuclear protests to May Day celebrations. Individually they all shine, however, together they bring an even stronger united front to share the union's values!

Concerts

• Sunday 3.15PM Combined Union Choir @ Grandstand Bar

COOMBA ALL-STARS bring the old world sonic architecture and movement of Near East thought and Aryavarta musical philosophies into the stylings of modern culture.\n\nCreating sonic landscapes, rich in texture and design the COOMBA ALL-STARS speak with a unique and complex language through the medium of (Persian) Santur, Violin, Saxophone(s), and Flute while the Bass and Drums hold it down in the engine room.

Concerts

• Saturday 8.30PM Coomba All-stars @ Tivoli on Track
• Sunday 5.15PM Coomba All-Stars @ Restaurant

The Curious Rendition Orchestra or CROW is an inclusive adult ensemble, playing a variety of repertoire from around the world. CROW has appeared at Coledale Markets, Red Point Artists ‘Art on The Grass’, Jam n Bread, The Illawarra Folk Festival, Viva La Gong, HONK! Oz Festival of Street Music and the Perisher Peak Music Festival.

Concerts

• Saturday 11.30AM Curious Rendition Orchestra @ Session Tent
• Sunday 6PM Parade to Finale @ Bush Tipi

Forged in Scotland and Ireland's traditional music scene but drawing on the music of the Balkans and North America, Dallahan take their listeners on a journey. Traversing styles and countries of the world, they create their own unique brand of World-folk delivered with stunning virtuosity.

Concerts

• Friday 10AM Fiddle - Roo Geddes @ Folk School - Old Hall
• Friday 12PM DADGAD @ Folk School - New Hall
• Friday 2PM Banjo @ Folk School - Chillout Room
• Friday 3PM Accordion @ Folk School - Chillout Room
• Friday 10.15PM Dallahan @ Restaurant
• Saturday 1.45PM Folk Fiddle Frenzy - Hosted by Sam De Santi @ Restaurant
• Saturday 6PM Dallahan @ Slacky Flat Bar
• Sunday 1.30PM Dallahan @ Slacky Flat Bar

After years of touring the far flung corners of the world, Darren Hanlon has earned a sacred place in the hearts of many who cross his path with his idiosyncratic narrative songs and candid storytelling. He has released six studio albums, carving out a scattershot career on his own terms.

Concerts

• Saturday 4.30PM Darren Hanlon @ Slacky Flat Bar
• Sunday 12PM Darren Hanlon @ Slacky Flat Bar

Enda Kenny is an Irish-born songwriter who has made his home in Australia since the late 1980's. His thoughtful, descriptive stories of his adopted homeland have struck a chord with festival audiences here and beyond. His songs are always memorable and spiced with plenty of humour.

Concerts

• Friday 4.30PM Enda Kenny @ Folk Grand
• Saturday 12.15PM Enda Kenny @ Slacky Flat Bar

Enough Said Poetry Slam is the South Coast's only monthly medley of spoken word poetry, serving up finger-snap-worthy poetry on Dharawal land since 2012, hosting the best poets from around the country, and running showcases at the South Coast Writers Festival, Viva La Gong and more. Hosted by poet and slam-runner Adara Enthaler, the Enough Said Late Night Poetry showcase will feature talented local emerging poets confiding their intimate, amusing, tragic, sultry secrets through spoken word.

Concerts

• Saturday 8.30PM Enough Said - Late Night Poetry @ Restaurant

Fiddledance is an Illawarra-based band, performing various genres of music, which ranges from bush songs through to Irish/ Celtic and Bluegrass. Essentially, a fun band that loves to involve the audience. There could even be a bush dance called !

Concerts

• Saturday 11AM Fiddle Dance Band @ Tivoli on Track

Tradition bearer Fiona Ross is a highly gifted interpreter of Scots song. She was Finalist for Scots Singer of the Year in Scotland’s prestigious Trad Music Awards and winner of Music Victoria's Best Folk Album award. Her honest, earthy singing style and extensive repertoire showcase the richness of the Scots song tradition.

Concerts

• Friday 9.45PM Fiona Ross @ Grandstand Bar
• Saturday 8AM Alchemy Crystal Sound Journey @ Bush Tipi
• Saturday 6.45PM Fiona Ross @ Folk Grand
• Sunday 8AM Hello Sunday Morning @ Bush Tipi
• Sunday 11AM Fiona Ross @ Tivoli on Track

Poet, muso, actor, comic....You might see four different performers OR you could grab one of Geoffrey's acts and see all 4 genres at once. Geoffrey from Eaglehawk in Victoria, country bred, brings you authenticity in the form of Dinkum Oz Entertainment. His emphasis is on the audience which he regards as super special.

Concerts

• Friday 4PM Arvo Poets @ Grandstand Bar
• Saturday 9.15AM Geoffrey W Graham - On the Edge with Henry Lawson @ Grandstand Bar
• Sunday 8AM Morning Poets @ Grandstand Bar
• Sunday 12.30PM Poets Brawl @ Grandstand Bar
• Sunday 4.30PM Geoffrey W Graham - It Rocks, It's Cool, it's P-P-Poetry @ Bush Tipi

George & Georgia are a smooth sounding duo from Phoenix, Arizona, USA. Their music covers a broad range of styles including country, folk, blues, jazz, rock, pop. And they enjoy giving the music a personal stamp with their arrangements and harmony. And yes, those are their real names!

Concerts

• Friday 8.30PM Americana Showcase @ Restaurant
• Saturday 10.30AM Americana Showcase @ Slacky Flat Bar
• Saturday 12.45PM Gee'd Up! - Glen vs George & Georgia @ Folk Grand
• Sunday 1.30PM Americana Showcase - (2nd half Songs of Peace - w/ Maurie) @ Grandstand Bar
• Sunday 4.15PM Americana Final Session @ Session Tent

Glen Gardner is an award-winning singer/songwriter based in Phoenix, Arizona in the USA. Glen performs originals and original arrangements of classic folk-rock songs. Although Glen performs acoustic material these days, he received Gold and Platinum records for his support work on albums with Sevendust, Mudvayne, White Zombie and others.

Concerts

• Friday 8.30PM Americana Showcase @ Restaurant
• Saturday 10.30AM Americana Showcase @ Slacky Flat Bar
• Saturday 12.45PM Gee'd Up! - Glen vs George & Georgia @ Folk Grand
• Sunday 1.30PM Americana Showcase - (2nd half Songs of Peace - w/ Maurie) @ Grandstand Bar
• Sunday 4.15PM Americana Final Session @ Session Tent

With Gobsmacked! it's best to expect the unexpected. For kids young and old a Gobsmacked! show can range from soulful Celtic/Hungarian folk tales to Pogues styled songs about messy rooms or running away.

Concerts

• Saturday 9AM Gobsmacked @ Bush Tipi
• Sunday 1.30PM Gobsmacked @ Bush Tipi

David De Santi has been accumulating ‘good’ tunes for over 30 years and wants to share them! Be ready for a musical tour around Australia, Italy, Quebec, Scotland, Scandinavia, Spain, France, Ireland, England and beyond! Sheet music available or use your ear to join in.

Concerts

• Friday 2PM Italian Tunes @ Folk School - New Hall
• Saturday 10.15AM Good Tunes @ Session Tent
• Saturday 6.15PM Bush Dance - Hosted by Good Tunes @ Tivoli on Track
• Sunday 1.45PM Italian Tunes @ Session Tent

Finalists for the 2023 AFMA Artist of the Year, Gusto Gusto is West Preston's best dressed band, playing music to make you dance. A flamboyant seven-piece show with a hefty dose of audience participation and non-stop dance tunes, we play loud, happy music that's guaranteed to fill the dance floor.

Concerts

• Friday 4PM Clapping with Gusto @ Folk School - Old Hall
• Friday 9PM Gusto Gusto @ Global Green
• Saturday 9PM Gusto Gusto @ Slacky Flat Bar
• Sunday 4.15PM Gusto Gusto @ Restaurant

The Handsome Young Strangers are back with a whole new swag of original tunes to compliment their high energy take on Australian Folk Rock. Come along for a jumping, dancing, rocking set of Colonial Bush Punk Rock.

Concerts

• Saturday 10.30PM Handsome Young Strangers @ Slacky Flat Bar

Hannah is a member of the multi award-winning duo The Raglins. She performs traditional Australian folk songs with a modern twist, reinterpreting Australian ballads. Hannah is a classically trained vocalist and violinist and has performed with Victorian Opera, Delta Goodrem, and at nearly every folk festival across Australia.

Concerts

• Friday 11.30PM Festival Club Trisco! - Hosted by Sam De Santi @ Restaurant
• Sunday 8AM Hello Sunday Morning @ Bush Tipi

2023 Australian Folk Music Awards finalists Haystack Mountain Hermits transport you to an acoustic world of sensational blood harmonies, coupled with the band’s fine musicianship, leaving you spellbound as they weave traditional favourites and original songs into an unforgettable performance. This family can really sing, and they can really play.

Concerts

• Friday 10.30PM Haystack Mountain Hermits @ Global Green
• Saturday 9.30PM Haystack Mountain Hermits @ Global Green
• Sunday 10.30AM Haystack Mountain Hermits @ Slacky Flat Bar
• Sunday 3PM Old Time & Bluegrass Session @ Session Tent

Bringing 60s/70s folk rock and alt-country into 2023 with a modern twist, So Long is a gorgeous ode to close friends and family who have moved away, with Jack Kinder’s silvery vocals matched by Lewis Mosley’s soaring lead guitar.

Concerts

• Saturday 11PM Hot Apple Band @ Restaurant
• Sunday 2.30PM Hot Apple Band @ Tivoli on Track

Illawarra Nature Story Songs brings together Indigenous story tellers, a music therapist and biologist to create a unique platform for celebrating the local plants and animals. People of all ages can Connect to Country through interactive stories and songs celebrating the fascinating flora and fauna of the Illawarra.

Concerts

• Saturday 3PM Illawarra Nature Story Songs @ Bush Tipi
• Sunday 10.30AM Illawarra Nature Story Songs @ Bush Tipi

Concerts

• Friday 9AM Youth Traditions @ Folk School - Chillout Room
• Friday 4PM Youth Traditions @ Folk School - Chillout Room
• Saturday 9AM Youth Showcase @ Slacky Flat Bar

Mohamed Camara is a Guinean-born, Melbourne-based percussionist, songwriter and vocalist, writing and recording in both the Malinke and Susu languages of West Africa. Together with his wife Anna Camara, the pair stand at the helm of contemporary afro-jazz ensemble Jarabi Band, a group formed to act as a vehicle for exploring stories of contemporary African and Australian musical culture, and how these two identities intersect.

Concerts

• Saturday 8PM Jarabi Band @ Global Green
• Sunday 8PM Jarabi Band @ Slacky Flat Bar

Jessie Lloyd is an Australia Indigenous Songkeeper. A singer, social historian and cultural practitioner of Indigenous song, she is founder of the award-winning Mission Songs Project. An Australian Cultural Ambassador, Jessie takes audiences on a profoundly-moving musical journey into the depths and diversity of Australia’s Aboriginal culture, history and identity.

Concerts

• Friday 9.15PM Jessie Lloyd @ Folk Grand
• Saturday 12PM Koori Voices - Hosted by Jodi Edwards @ Global Green
• Saturday 8.30PM Jessie Lloyd @ Grandstand Bar
• Sunday 11AM Jessie Lloyd @ Global Green

Dr. Jodi Edwards is from a Walbanja Woman, from the Yuin Nation with Dharawal Nation Kinship ties. Jodi has been in the field of Cultural Education for the past 28 years. She has been involved in many Indigenous research projects of which she has gained hands on and working Cultural Knowledges such as Story Sharing, fish netting, canoe making and possum skin cloaking. Some of which are on display in the Museum of Australia, Sydney.

Concerts

• Friday 6.45PM Welcome to Country - Hosted by Jodi Edwards @ Slacky Flat Bar
• Saturday 12PM Koori Voices - Hosted by Jodi Edwards @ Global Green

Jordan Lee Ireland is a multi-instrumentalist songwriter and composer who works and lives on the land of Wodi Wodi people of the Illawarra. He came to prominence with Far North Queensland indie-folk collective 'The Middle East' after which he released a rich body of solo material while being a regular fixture in both the Sydney and Illawarra music scenes. Musically, Jordan plays with the light and shade between the realms of experimental folk music and spiritual jazz, embracing the mystery of existence and singing from the heart.

Concerts

• Saturday 7.15PM Jordan Ireland & Purple Awekestra @ Tivoli on Track

Based locally in the beautiful Illawarra, Junkyard Rascals love to PLAY and love to create PLAY spaces where kids of all ages can have fun, explore, grow and discover themselves. Our loose-parts junkyard is an ever changing space made up of 100% recycled or 2nd hand items, natural materials & the environment in which we PLAY.

Kay is a Wollongong raised musician and songwriter with a remarkably agile, engaging, honest, soul-bearing voice and a wry, dry-ice sense of humour to her work. With a live performance style that is much like being invited into her lounge room, her songs are truly stories set to melody, by turns relatable, funny and heartbreaking. Creating an intimacy between audience and performer through vulnerability, Kay's live show is likely to leave you wondering whether all of her songs are about you. Continuing to tour throughout the indie-folk scene over the last 15 years, Kay has also begun to compose for theatre, writing and performing her original music in shows at Edinburgh Festival and beyond.\n

Concerts

• Friday 6PM Kay Proudlove & James Van Cooper @ Folk Grand
• Saturday 12.15PM Song Writers in the Round - Hosted by Kay @ Restaurant
• Saturday 6.30PM Kay Proudlove @ Global Green

The Hoot Band is a pick-up band led by Boston-based saxophonist/composer Ken Field, playing traditional New Orleans second line brass band music, surprising covers, and Ken's original compositions. It is open to all interested brass band musicians. Ken leads the Revolutionary Snake Ensemble. His music is heard on Sesame Street.

Concerts

• Friday 11AM New Orleans Brass Improvisation @ Folk School - New Hall
• Saturday 5.45PM Hoot Jam! @ Session Tent
• Sunday 9AM Ken Field's Hoot Jam @ Slacky Flat Bar
• Sunday 6PM Parade to Finale @ Bush Tipi

Kiama Sea Shanty Club was formed after Kiama Folk by the Sea Festival in 2022 by a group of local folksters who love to sing en masse. A rollicking repertoire of traditional and contemporary songs of the sea with maximum crowd participation. Lots of heaving and hauling references mixed with a generous servings of piracy.

Concerts

• Friday 9.30PM Kiama Shanty Club @ Session Tent

With a combination of lyrical honesty and charming melodies, Lizzie Flynn writes songs that blend a little satirical storytelling with a lot of joyful emotion. With The Runaway Trains they go off the tracks to play folk that all folk can relate to - from country to Celtic and a few other stations in-between.

Concerts

• Saturday 3.30PM Lizzie Flynn & The Runaway Trains @ Global Green
• Sunday 12.15PM Lizzie Flynn & The Runaway Trains @ Restaurant

Mally Moo presents an interactive show which is fun for all ages. A rock star to 3 -5 year olds, kids are having such a good time participating that they don't realise they are learning great stuff at the same time.

Concerts

• Saturday 1.30PM Mally Moo's Music 4 Minis @ Bush Tipi
• Sunday 9AM Mally Moo's Music 4 Minis @ Bush Tipi

After long-term involvement in folk, bluegrass and old-timey music performance, Mark and Russell recently came together to present a series of concerts celebrating the life and music of Gordon Lightfoot. Following the success of those presentations, they have been invited to perform Lightfoot’s beautifully-crafted songs once again at this Festival.

Concerts

• Friday 11AM Limberjack @ Folk School - Chillout Room
• Friday 7PM Bluegrass/Old Time Session @ Session Tent
• Saturday 4.30PM Gordon Lightfoot Tribute @ Grandstand Bar

Mark Bishop Evans grew up in Southern California where his major musical influences were Gordon Lightfoot, Peter, Paul & Mary, Bob Dylan and Paul Simon. \n\nHis music is an intriguing blend of Folk, folk rock, and ballads, lyrically rich in emotional content and melodically comfortable like a favorite jacket. \n\nAfter spending 30 years in the Boston area folk and songwriter community, he has settled in Phoenix and continues to create and perform.\n

Concerts

• Friday 8.30PM Americana Showcase @ Restaurant
• Saturday 10.30AM Americana Showcase @ Slacky Flat Bar
• Sunday 1.30PM Americana Showcase - (2nd half Songs of Peace - w/ Maurie) @ Grandstand Bar
• Sunday 4.15PM Americana Final Session @ Session Tent

With multiple awards to their names and thousands of miles between them, Matt Joe Gow & Kerryn Fields are bonafide masters of their craft, having discovered a natural chemistry as performers, the union of their songwriting enables them to explore new depths in their music. \n\nTheir ragged edge comes steeped in Alt-Country influences, building their sound around acoustic instruments and honest songwriting while devouring records from Bob Dylan, Gillian Welch, Tracy Chapman, Grant Lee Phillips, Dave Dobbyn and Neil Finn.

Concerts

• Friday 5.15PM Matt Joe Gow & Kerryn Fields @ Slacky Flat Bar
• Saturday 3.45PM Matt Joe Gow & Kerryn Fields @ Folk Grand
• Sunday 2PM Matt Joe Gow & Kerryn Fields @ Global Green

Maurie specialises in the songs of the ‘sixties folk revival, audience sing-alongs. He's written theatre and festival shows on Sis Cunningham, The Weavers, Phil Ochs, Pete Seeger and Bob Dylan. ” Maurie is presenting a concert for peace with fellow musicians from the USA who are performing at this year's festival.

Concerts

• Saturday 9AM Maurie Mulheron @ Restaurant
• Sunday 1.30PM Americana Showcase - (2nd half Songs of Peace - w/ Maurie) @ Grandstand Bar
• Sunday 9PM Club Acoustic-a @ Slacky Flat Bar

Maypole with Molly enjoy sharing music and dance with kids. Their interactive and energetic dance sessions encompass music from Mozart along with Austrian influences from accordionist Erika Cleaver (Molly). Adults are invited to join the kids to create intricate ribbon patterns around the maypole or play percussion. No experience needed!

Concerts

• Saturday 4.30PM Maypole with Molly @ Bush Tipi
• Sunday 12PM Maypole with Molly @ Bush Tipi

Descending from the mountains are harp and fiddle extravaganza Mickey & Michelle, whose energetic and virtuosic performances have captured hearts throughout Australia and New Zealand. Often described as the highlight of the festival, Mickey & Michelle weave a gorgeous ‘chamber-folk’ tapestry of original Celtic music infused with vocal harmony and fiery improvisations.

Concerts

• Friday 3PM Australian Tunes @ Folk School - New Hall
• Saturday 1.45PM Folk Fiddle Frenzy - Hosted by Sam De Santi @ Restaurant
• Saturday 3.30PM Mickey & Michelle @ Grandstand Bar
• Sunday 10AM Mickey & Michelle @ Restaurant
• Sunday 11AM Celtic Session @ Session Tent

Mumung means sisters - it is a program facilitated by Dr Jodi Edwards (language, story, connection to country and Karen Cummings (voice and song creation). Mumung meets fortnightly and is hosted by Women Illawarra.

Concerts

• Saturday 12PM Koori Voices - Hosted by Jodi Edwards @ Global Green

Satirist, poet, multi-instrumentalist and ABC Illawarra presenter, Nick is a stalwart of the IFF and performs a rare solo concert featuring his unusual mix of the hilarious and the heartbreaking. Keep an eye for him as part of Rheinberger and Wilson, who are also back by popular demand to host the finale.

Concerts

• Friday 4.30PM Nick Rheinberger @ Restaurant

Old folk play Appalachian style folk, mixed with their own home-grown interpretations with original songs and tunes. Raised out of the Sydney Bluegrass scene, Old folk bringing big bass, mandolin, fiddle, guitar. This year Old folk are Artist in residency with Blue Mountains City of the Arts.

Concerts

• Friday 7.15PM Old Folk @ Grandstand Bar
• Saturday 8.15PM Old Folk @ Folk Grand

Peter is a performance bush poet and writer who has entertained audiences at most of the country’s major festivals and poetry competitions including The Gympie Muster, Tamworth, Woodford, Port Fairy and The National Folk Festival.\nHe may have you laughing one minute and shedding a tear the next, but either way will be sure to entertain.\nPeter's second CD “Australian Made” was a finalist at Tamworth’s Bush Laureate Awards .\n\n

Concerts

• Friday 4PM Arvo Poets @ Grandstand Bar
• Saturday 8AM Morning Poets @ Grandstand Bar
• Saturday 5.15PM Arvo Poets @ Folk Grand
• Sunday 8AM Morning Poets @ Grandstand Bar
• Sunday 12.30PM Poets Brawl @ Grandstand Bar

Ngiyampaa man and First Nations singer-songwriter Pirritu’s music is gentle, honest and melodic, enticing you into the depths of his personal journey, to sing you a story of sadness, love and hope.

Concerts

• Friday 4.30PM Pirritu @ Global Green
• Saturday 12PM Koori Voices - Hosted by Jodi Edwards @ Global Green
• Saturday 6.30PM Pirritu @ Grandstand Bar
• Sunday 5PM Pirritu @ Tivoli on Track

A musical comedy duo combining razor-sharp songs about modern life and love with brooding accordion, gutsy guitar and sweet harmonies. Rheinberger and Wilson are a unique Australian cabaret and comedy act, going where other couples fear to tread.

Concerts

• Saturday 9.45PM Rheinberger & Wilson @ Restaurant
• Sunday 6.30PM Finale Concert @ Slacky Flat Bar

Rik is a very energetic performer who captivates audiences of all ages with his stories and songs. In a typical performance Rik will sing an old ballad with a fret less banjo, stomp out a Leadbelly style blues on the 12-string guitar, squeeze an exotic instrumental on the Polish bagpipes, spin out a wild and woolly story of his travels, pluck out a tune on the Ozark mouth bow, blow a mournful melody on the Native American flute and end the evening with an original Yodel-sing-a-long.

Concerts

• Friday 8.30PM Americana Showcase @ Restaurant
• Saturday 10.30AM Americana Showcase @ Slacky Flat Bar
• Saturday 2.30PM Rik Palleri @ Grandstand Bar
• Sunday 1.30PM Americana Showcase - (2nd half Songs of Peace - w/ Maurie) @ Grandstand Bar
• Sunday 4.15PM Americana Final Session @ Session Tent

Robyn Sykes is a multi-awarded spoken word artist who writes and performs original, folk-style poetry with a twist. Humour, pathos, activism: her shows have the lot.\nUsing an expressive delivery style and her inventive rhyming patterns, she ushers her audiences through a vibrant poetic journey that tackles 21st century themes.

Concerts

• Friday 1PM Poetry Writing @ Folk School - Chillout Room
• Friday 4PM Arvo Poets @ Grandstand Bar
• Saturday 8AM Morning Poets @ Grandstand Bar
• Saturday 5.15PM Arvo Poets @ Folk Grand
• Sunday 8AM Morning Poets @ Grandstand Bar
• Sunday 12.30PM Poets Brawl @ Grandstand Bar

A tormenter of accordion players and a lover of tripe, the cuddly president of the Illawarra Folk Club, aka Sir BigRuss will be spotted at spoken word gigs all over the place and potentially at the bar with Ted Egan.

Concerts

• Friday 4PM Arvo Poets @ Grandstand Bar
• Friday 6.45PM Welcome to Country - Hosted by Jodi Edwards @ Slacky Flat Bar
• Saturday 8AM Morning Poets @ Grandstand Bar
• Saturday 12.15PM Poetic Politics with Big Russ @ Grandstand Bar
• Saturday 2PM Woolly Yarns @ Session Tent
• Saturday 5.15PM Arvo Poets @ Folk Grand
• Sunday 8AM Morning Poets @ Grandstand Bar
• Sunday 12.30PM Poets Brawl @ Grandstand Bar

Experience the soul-stirring magic of Scotland's traditional fiddle like never before, with Ryan Young, as he breathes new life into the rich tapestry of traditional Scottish music. Ryan's fiddle tunes will transport you on an evocative journey and elevate your soul.

Concerts

• Friday 7PM Ryan Young @ Tivoli on Track
• Saturday 1.45PM Folk Fiddle Frenzy - Hosted by Sam De Santi @ Restaurant
• Saturday 7.15PM Ryan Young @ Restaurant
• Sunday 12.30PM Ryan Young @ Global Green

Sam, throughout his 27 years on Earth, has been a devoted attendee of almost every Illawarra Folk Festival. Raised in an environment steeped in folk music, he has blossomed into a remarkable instrumentalist with a deep appreciation for a diverse array of stringed instruments, including the violin, guitar, banjo, mandolin, and bouzouki.

Concerts

• Friday 11.30PM Festival Club Trisco! - Hosted by Sam De Santi @ Restaurant
• Saturday 1.45PM Folk Fiddle Frenzy - Hosted by Sam De Santi @ Restaurant

The Saplings sessions provide young musicians with an opportunity to tap into and enjoy the rich resource of collected Australian music in a fun, informal setting. Music is provided in a way that musicians of all levels are able to join in and enjoy making music together.

Concerts

• Saturday 7PM Saplings @ Session Tent
• Sunday 12PM Saplings @ Session Tent

Shalani is a writer and performer who is passionate about sharing stories and experiences through song. She has a deep love of folk music delving into traditional repertoire as well as her original songs. Her music is for the lovers of dreamy folk dusted with nostaglia.

Concerts

• Saturday 1.30PM Shalani @ Grandstand Bar

If traditional Sea Shanties and Worksongs put the wind in your sails, then come aboard and join us on a rollicking voyage through seafaring history.\nHelp us haul in the bowline, and join us in song as we roll the old chariot along and drive her round the Horn.\n\n

Concerts

• Saturday 3.15PM Shanties & Worksongs @ Session Tent

Singongo give you a passport to listen to, and even join in on, songs of beauty, love, protest, commitment, togetherness, peace and respect. This year backed by Les Femmes Fatales, an a[narchic] Band[it] of women hellbent on touting and pouting about life's inequalities, literal and implied.

Concerts

• Friday 11AM Rounds @ Folk School - Old Hall
• Saturday 10AM Singongo @ Folk Grand

Soul Flamenco Illawarra are traditional Spanish Flamenco dancers who all live in the Illawarra. See us dance the Alegrias, the Fandangos, the fast Bulerias, the passionate and serious Seguiriya and the very macho Farruca!

Concerts

• Saturday 9.15AM Soul Flamenco @ Tivoli on Track

A troupe of local dancers and performing artists with backgrounds in belly dance, world fusion, theatre and circus. Their performances incorporate a fusion of steampunk, fantasy, theatre, dance and pantomime, with an old world vintage flair.

Concerts

• Sunday 10.15AM Steampunk Vagabonds @ Tivoli on Track
• Sunday 12.45PM Steampunk Vagabonds @ Tivoli on Track
• Sunday 6PM Parade to Finale @ Bush Tipi

Embarking on their twentieth year of performing together, Stiff Gins are now entering their most intriguing period of music making. Fresh off the stage of their epic visual theatre project entitled ‘Spirit of Things: Sound of Objects’ that toured Sydney and Melbourne, Stiff Gins a forging towards their twenty-first anniversary with a new recording and sound design project already in the works.

Concerts

• Friday 7PM Stiff Gins @ Slacky Flat Bar
• Saturday 12PM Koori Voices - Hosted by Jodi Edwards @ Global Green
• Saturday 7.30PM Stiff Gins @ Grandstand Bar
• Sunday 10AM Stiff Gins @ Folk Grand

Now Stonybroke is a poetry bloke \nOtherwise known as Stonybroke \nHe’ll make you laugh and make you cry \nOr spin you tales of pie in the sky\nSo come along, get on yer bike \nWhen Stonybroke is on the mike

Concerts

• Friday 4PM Arvo Poets @ Grandstand Bar
• Saturday 8AM Morning Poets @ Grandstand Bar
• Saturday 5.15PM Arvo Poets @ Folk Grand
• Sunday 8AM Morning Poets @ Grandstand Bar
• Sunday 12.30PM Poets Brawl @ Grandstand Bar

Acclaimed story-teller Lilli Rodreiguez-Pang teams up with percussionist Matt Bourne to engage and immerse children into the world of storytelling with an enchanting rhythmic twist. We provide engaging children's entertainment and both performers work across multiple applying acts.

Concerts

• Sunday 9.15AM Story Beats @ Tivoli on Track

2023 AFMA Finalist Sue Ferrers plays the hauntingly beautiful but rare Swedish nyckelharpa. Joined by guitarist, Evan Clarry and bassist Chris Miller, the trio will present an eclectic potpourri of European folk music, taking the audience on a magic carpet ride to exotic lands while speaking to your heart.

Concerts

• Friday 4PM Sue Ferrers Trio @ Slacky Flat Bar
• Saturday 2.15PM Sue Ferrers Trio @ Folk Grand
• Sunday 2.15PM Sue Ferrers Trio @ Restaurant

Super Kenny and Magnificent Manda are regulars in the kids tent at the Illawarra Folky. They are funny, entertaining and interactive and the festival just wouldn't be the same without them!.

Concerts

• Saturday 10.30AM Super Kenny & Magnificent Manda @ Bush Tipi
• Sunday 3PM Super Kenny & Magnificent Manda @ Bush Tipi

Originally from New Jersey, Sweet Tony Paiotti is a singer/songwriter based in Phoenix, AZ. Singer of acoustic rock, ballads, love songs, story songs, folk, Irish/ Celtic. Harmoniser extraordinaire. NY Yankees lover. He will weave stories of love and life.

Concerts

• Friday 8.30PM Americana Showcase @ Restaurant
• Saturday 10.30AM Americana Showcase @ Slacky Flat Bar
• Sunday 1.30PM Americana Showcase - (2nd half Songs of Peace - w/ Maurie) @ Grandstand Bar
• Sunday 4.15PM Americana Final Session @ Session Tent

Sydney Scottish Fiddlers are a community group playing fiddles of all sizes (violin, viola and cello), flute, whistle and keyboards. For over 25 years, they've been sharing tunes with each other, with listeners, and with dancers. They perform toe-tapping jigs and reels, sporran-shaking strathspeys, waltzes, and tear-jerking slow airs.

Concerts

• Friday 1PM Scottish Fiddle @ Folk School - Old Hall
• Saturday 12.45PM Sydney Scottish Fiddlers @ Tivoli on Track
• Saturday 1.45PM Folk Fiddle Frenzy - Hosted by Sam De Santi @ Restaurant
• Saturday 4.30PM Sydney Scottish Fiddlers @ Session Tent
• Sunday 5.30PM Sydney Scottish Fiddlers @ Session Tent

Ted is a gentle old chap, now gracefully aged 91 years. He travels with his Beloved Carer Nerys Evans. He has composed and sung songs for 31 albums with the focus on Australian history, its folklore and people he admires. He likes to sing and does so often.

Concerts

• Friday 6PM Ted Egan @ Global Green
• Saturday 10AM Ted Egan @ Restaurant
• Sunday 11AM Ted Egan @ Restaurant

Drawing inspiration from the rich string band culture of the Virginia-Carolina Blue Ridge region, The Alum Ridge Boys & Ashlee bring together old time mountain music, traditional bluegrass, and early country music to produce a uniquely authentic old time sound.

Concerts

• Friday 10PM Alum Ridge Boys & Ashlee @ Slacky Flat Bar
• Saturday 1.45PM Old Time Dance. Southwest Virginia Style @ Tivoli on Track
• Saturday 4.45PM Alum Ridge Boys & Ashlee @ Restaurant
• Sunday 12PM Alum Ridge Boys & Ashlee @ Tivoli on Track
• Sunday 3PM Old Time & Bluegrass Session @ Session Tent

The Wollongong Conservatorium’s all ages community band combines young up-and-coming WollCon students, adult community musicians,and some of the region’s most prominent folk musicians, playing dissident and celebratory folk music from around the world. Fun and irreverent, The Con Artists are a carnival of percussion, wind, brass, accordions, and fiddles.

Concerts

• Friday 5.45PM Con Artists @ Session Tent
• Sunday 6PM Parade to Finale @ Bush Tipi

The Dirty Stay Out Skifflers play a variety of music styles including jug band/skiffle, blues, folk, country and more! The band inlcudes Grammy Winner Rick Nestler on 12 string guitar and vocals and Donna Nestler on banjolele, concertina, kazoo, washboard and vocals. They will get you up and moving and singing along!

Concerts

• Friday 10AM Jug & Skiffle Band Session @ Folk School - New Hall
• Friday 8.30PM Americana Showcase @ Restaurant
• Saturday 10.30AM Americana Showcase @ Slacky Flat Bar
• Sunday 9.30AM The Dirty Stay Out Skifflers @ Global Green
• Sunday 1.30PM Americana Showcase - (2nd half Songs of Peace - w/ Maurie) @ Grandstand Bar
• Sunday 4.15PM Americana Final Session @ Session Tent

Americana via Corrimal. The Grandkids are an Australian folk/ Americana duo made up of Nick Blow and Lucy Mills. With a penchant for hats, heartbreaking songs and hillbilly stomp, they are the new breed of folk Illawarra.

Concerts

• Saturday 11.15AM The Grandkids @ Grandstand Bar

The Inadequates are an award-winning trio known for their unusual instrumentation and innovative acoustic sound. Growing rapidly within the Australian folk scene, They have been likened to bands such as Nickel Creek and Mumford & Sons. With a catalogue of boundary-pushing original music, The Inadequates are a must-see act.

Concerts

• Friday 7.45PM The Inadequates @ Folk Grand
• Saturday 4.15PM The Inadequates @ Tivoli on Track
• Sunday 3PM Old Time & Bluegrass Session @ Session Tent
• Sunday 5.30PM The Inadequates @ Grandstand Bar

Fun, multi genre, Aussie folk funk. The Midnight Feast make people smile and hit the dance floor. With a bag full of originals and a tasty cover or two there is always a good time to be had when the Midnight Feast perform.

Concerts

• Saturday 9.45PM The Midnight Feast @ Tivoli on Track

The Morning Star are an experimental folk-rock band formed by collaborative Illawarra based songwriters Ali Mollica and Cody Munro Moore. They adhere to this genre through both drawing upon and obscuring traditional song lines of the sonic past, while exploring experimental recording styles that meddle with our own notion of the present.

Concerts

• Saturday 5.15PM The Morning Star @ Tivoli on Track

The Other Noonans blend satire, parody, social justice and more with harmony and musicianship. Oh and their both blind so don't expect any dancing! What you can expect however is humour, banter, contemporary and trad folk combined with snarky originals covering everything from Guide Dogs to grand kids to wokeism!.

Concerts

• Saturday 10.15AM The Other Noonans @ Grandstand Bar

A Latvian cellist, a Saxon songbird, a mandolin-wielding Viking and a Celt with a whistle join forces to create The Shield Maidens & the Celt. Be swept away on a musical journey that will take you from icy folky fjords to lounge classics. Be prepared to sing along- possibly in an obscure Viking language or two.

Concerts

• Friday 5.45PM The Shield Maidens & The Celt @ Tivoli on Track
• Sunday 12.45PM The Shield Maidens & The Celt @ Folk Grand

The Swingaleles is a progressive ukulele group based in the Illawarra who like to introduce other instruments to the line up, such as saxophones, accordion, and cahon. They They pe4form cheery, upbeat, noisy songs, usually to a theme.

Concerts

• Friday 9AM Beginner Ukulele @ Folk School - New Hall
• Friday 4.30PM Swingaleles @ Session Tent

Take one part bluegrass, one part trad folk and a dollop of country. Mix in great story-telling, catchy tunes, tight harmonies, strong musicianship and an engaging stage show and you have The Water Runners! Best Band in the 2020 National Busking Championships and finalists in 2021 Australian Folk Music People’s Choice award, their songs will take you on a musical journey. Come along for the ride.

Concerts

• Saturday 7.30PM The Water Runners @ Slacky Flat Bar
• Sunday 2.15PM The Water Runners @ Folk Grand

Tia WIlson is a comic singer/songwriter with a passion for quirky parody and bizarre love-songs. She performs regularly at Fringe and Folk Festivals in various guises, including musical comedy group 'Rheinberger & WIlson'. She also kept our spirits up during the dark days of Covid as our fearless leader, 'Gladys'.\n

Concerts

• Friday 5.45PM Tia Wilson @ Restaurant

One man band Tim Scanlan teams up with Japanese fiddler Mana Okubo, mixing ancient tunes and drones with modern beats and sounds. Over the last 5 years they've taken their music around the world from the streets of the Edinburgh Fringe to the live houses of Tokyo, where they recorded a live album of Quebecois, Irish and other tunes and songs.

Concerts

• Friday 3PM Foot Percussion @ Folk School - Old Hall
• Friday 7.15PM Tim Scanlan & Mana Okubo @ Restaurant
• Saturday 9.30PM Tim Scanlan & Mana Okubo @ Grandstand Bar
• Sunday 3.45PM Tim Scanlan & Mana Okubo @ Tivoli on Track

Renowned for composing many songs of the sea that have become folk standards; recorded and sung by more than fifty groups around the world; at the age of 80, Tom is still touring widely - taking his brand of wry humour, nautical knowledge, and his powerful voice to audiences everywhere.

Concerts

• Saturday 12.45PM Tom Lewis @ Session Tent
• Saturday 9.45PM Tom Lewis @ Folk Grand
• Sunday 10.30AM Tom Lewis @ Grandstand Bar

Tribal Jewels Dance Co members showcase multicultural style dancing in a lively colourful gypsy style bellydance. Their dance allows women of all backgrounds, sizes and ages to enjoy dance and be proud of who they are. Their mission is to broaden the appreciation of women celebrating dance and cultural diversity.

Concerts

• Saturday 10.15AM Tribal Jewels @ Tivoli on Track
• Saturday 3PM Tribal Jewels @ Tivoli on Track

The triceps ain’t what they used to be, but the funny bone has only gotten sharper. Armed with a pair of ukuleles, and the sharpest of wits, the Tuck Shop Ladies share an intimate selection of their hilarious, but always harmonious, songs.

Concerts

• Friday 8.30PM Tuck Shop Ladies @ Grandstand Bar
• Saturday 3PM Tuck Shop Ladies @ Slacky Flat Bar
• Sunday 3.45PM Tuck Shop Ladies @ Folk Grand

Opportunity for 15 minute performance. See the MC for a spot. 20 minutes before commencement time. No pre-bookings.

Concerts

• Friday 5.30PM Blackboard @ Bush Tipi
• Friday 7PM Blackboard @ Bush Tipi
• Friday 8.30PM Blackboard @ Bush Tipi
• Saturday 6PM Blackboard @ Bush Tipi
• Saturday 7.30PM Blackboard @ Bush Tipi
• Saturday 9PM Blackboard @ Bush Tipi

Driven by Alana's wild violin, chased by accordion and double bass, Vardos play folk and Romany music and have learnt from Rroma and folk musicians in Hungary and Romania during their Eastern European travels. Based in Naarm Melbourne, the band has toured internationally and appeared in film and television.

Concerts

• Friday 2PM Eastern European Fiddling @ Folk School - Old Hall
• Friday 9.30PM Vardos @ Tivoli on Track
• Saturday 1.45PM Folk Fiddle Frenzy - Hosted by Sam De Santi @ Restaurant
• Saturday 5.30PM Vardos @ Grandstand Bar
• Sunday 3.30PM Vardos @ Global Green

Masters in the art of connection, this troubadour duo interweave effortless strings, soulful lyrics and driving rhythms to form a singular, intense musical voice. The couple have been called contemporary folk, alt-country and acoustic pop, but words don’t capture their unbelievable musical kinship, or the deeply heartfelt way they relate to their audiences. \n

Concerts

• Saturday 2PM We Mavericks @ Global Green
• Sunday 5.15PM We Mavericks @ Folk Grand

Wendy's love for her grandmother's autoharp as a child, (one of the easiest instruments to play) is why she added chromatic and diatonic autoharps to her musical talents with lever harps, guitars and other folk instruments. Aussie folk, Americana, originals, pop, gospel, Celtic, and even sea shanties for your enjoyment!

Concerts

• Friday 10AM Auto Harp @ Folk School - Chillout Room
• Friday 8.30PM Americana Showcase @ Restaurant
• Saturday 10.30AM Americana Showcase @ Slacky Flat Bar
• Sunday 1.30PM Americana Showcase - (2nd half Songs of Peace - w/ Maurie) @ Grandstand Bar
• Sunday 4.15PM Americana Final Session @ Session Tent

Kip Winter & Dave Wilson are one of the UK's hardest working acts, performing often hard-hitting original songs in stunning harmony, interspersed with wicked, self-deprecating humour. Besides touring the UK, Europe, Australia, New Zealand and Canada they have released ten critically-acclaimed albums. Individually they are talented but together they are simply glorious.

Concerts

• Friday 12PM Song Writers Forum @ Folk School - Old Hall
• Friday 4PM Harmony Singing @ Folk School - New Hall
• Friday 5.45PM Winter Wilson @ Grandstand Bar
• Saturday 11.15AM Winter Wilson @ Restaurant
• Sunday 8.30AM Winter Wilson @ Folk Grand

Erika and Fiona have been teaching Dru yoga at the Illawarra Folk Festival since 2011! They bring the wisdom of yoga and a fun, safe and down-to-earth approach.

Concerts

• Saturday 8AM Dru Yoga @ Tivoli on Track
• Sunday 8AM Dru Yoga @ Tivoli on Track