Port Fairy Folk Festival

Port Fairy Folk Festival takes place at Port Fairy, Victoria

Port Fairy Folk Festival 2013 dates: 8th to 11th March

PORT FAIRY FOLK FESTIVAL  2013 – LINE UP
Coming soon

About Port Fairy Folk Festival

The Plot…The plot for a folk festival at Port Fairy was hatched around August 1977 in the Bush Inn hotel in Geelong by the small group who had restarted the Geelong Folk Music Club in May 1977. With successful club nights and bush dances – the unique ‘Bullockies Balls’ – there was just enough money and plenty of blind faith to have a go. Jamie McKew suggested looking at Port Fairy, his grandmothers home town, as it offered very good venues and amenities and had a very traditional and historic atmosphere. The flavour of folk music was more traditional Celtic and Australian. The
first festival was to be highlighted as presenting ‘Irish and Australian’ music.

The first festival was in December 1977, second one in December 1978, third one in December 1979 and the fourth in March 1980 continuing every March since then opting for the long weekend and the usually more reliable weather. Since 1977, just over 2000 acts and around 8000 artists have appeared at the festival.

The first Festival was to feature Irish and Australian Tradition. A weekend ticket cost $4 (yes, four dollars!) and entitled entry to both concert/workshop in the Community Centre Theatre at 3 p.m. on the Saturday and the Ceilidhe at the Drill Hall over the road that evening. Colonial dancing was popular and enjoyed by the participants in between various performances.

Port Fairy Folk Festival Line Up – 2012
Harry James Angus, Archie Roach, Eagle & The Worm, Jimi Hocking, The Borderers, Daniel Champagne, Judy Collins,  Eric Bibb & Staffan Astner, Frigg, Harry Manx, Beoga, Ben Sollee, Kristina Olsen, Nathan Rogers With Drybones, Madison Violet, Passenger, Peter Rowan Band, Pierre Bensusan, Pieta Brown, Sharon Shannon Big Band, The Lonesome Rangers, Noriana Kennedy, Abigail Washburn With Kai Welch, Ami Williamson, Mama Kin, The Bamboos, Clare Bowditch, Tripod, My Friend The Chocolate Cake, Jeff Lang, Lanie Lane, Stiff Gins, Kamerunga, Claymore, Davidson Brothers, Flap!, Marce Howard & Rose Bygrave, George Kamikawa & Noriko Tadano, Hat Fitz And Cara Robinson, The Junes, Tinpan Orange, Sweet Jean, Lost In Suburbia, The Pigs, Watussi and more