Entertainment
27 October, 2023
Folk festival to focus on youth
AS the Tablelands Folk Festival celebrates its 42nd birthday from today until Sunday at Yungaburra, festivalgoers will be treated to a smorgasbord of new entertainment by 200 exciting and diverse performers from across the county.
Program director Bronwyn Hodgkins said visitors would be impressed with the quality, talent and live music across numerous genres, including world music, jazz, blues, traditional and contemporary folk music, reggae and country.
“There’s so much variety,” she said. “It’s a totally different festival each year. It’s always a completely different line-up of performers.
“A fantastic South African acappella group will perform and also teach rhythms and dance, a Latin band will have you dancing the night away, a stand-up comedian will split your sides and the great ‘big sing’ in the middle of the street will restore your sense of community.
“That’s just a taster of what this festival has to offer.”
More than 3000 visitors are expected to attend the festival, held at a variety of venues throughout Yungaburra.
Among the three-day events are concerts, workshops, buskers, poets, comedy, market stalls, a songwriter competition and children’s fair and parade.
“All our venues are undercover – all the stages, sound systems and sound engineers are all professionals,” Ms Hodgkins said.
“I think our festival is a springboard for our young performers. We’ve had bands performing at our festivals who are now on the world stage.”
Children are not only included throughout the three-day event but are given a special place of honour during the parade on Saturday.
“At 6pm Saturday night every year, the whole festival stops, music in venues, until 7pm,” Ms Hodgkins said.
She said the children’s parade took place along the main street as children displayed their crafts and music.
This year the parade will start off with a ‘big sing’ where the children will sing a song specifically written for the festival by Jane Younghusband, who has been holding workshops throughout the region to teach students and choirs the song that is designed to encourage audience participation.
Ms Hodgkins paid tribute to the hardworking volunteers.
For more information visit tablelandsfolkfestival.org.au
