news, latest-news, Good Folk, National Folk Festival, Easter, Queanbeyan
Queanbeyan has jumped at a chance to help revive the National Folk Festival, the council teaming up with organisers to host a scaled-down event across the border. The new “Good Folk” will replace the traditional Folk Festival format, which in recent years has had more than 100 acts and 40,000 attendees at Exhibition Park. The Queanbeyan version will be smaller with 22 concerts at three different venues in two days in April, but it’s a glimmer of hope for festival officials after being forced to cancel the events in 2020 and in 2021. Canberra’s events industry is still trying to rebuild in a COVID-19 world. Summernats, the Multicultural Festival and the Canberra Show have all been cancelled. But micro events are on the rise and Folk Festival organisers reached out to the Queanbeyan-Palerang Council with a new concept. The members of Queanbeyan-Palerang Council voted unanimously to become the major partner of Good Folk. The event will take place over the Easter weekend. All concerts will be ticketed and restrictions will be in place to ensure the event is COVID safe, but festival managing director Helen Roben was confident it would be a success. She said the concerts “really do cover a broad range of folk – it’s folk for all ages”. Queanbeyan-Palerang Council mayor Tim Overall said the festival was going to “make Queanbeyan a very exciting place” and draw people to the town. “People can enjoy the festival and enjoy the wonderful pubs, clubs, restaurants and cafes, and the wonderful river – all within walking distance,” he said. The headline act will be the 2021 Golden Guitar Awards female artist of the year, country-folk artist Fanny Lumsden. “There are old time Folk Festival favourites like Scroggin, Den Hanrahan and the Rum Runners and Mikelangelo and the Black Sea Gentlemen,” Ms Roben said. Canberra folk-pop-blues artist Kim Yang and Queanbeyan rap poet Omar Musa will also be featured. While rap poetry might seem incongruous, Roben said: “Folk is about quality storytelling. Rap is Omar’s medium – he’s still telling stories”. They and other artists will be performing at the Queanbeyan Performing Arts Centre, the Royal Hotel and the Queanbeyan Bicentennial Hall, within walking distance of each other. There will also be a free two-day session venue held at Queanbeyan social club Campbell & George, open to any performer. Ms Roben said that although times have been tough for the festival. “We’ve been very fortunate in terms of government support with JobKeeper,” she said. Over the past couple of months, the three festival staff worked with the Queanbeyan-Palerang Regional Council to put together Good Folk, providing work and income for artists and suppliers. There will also be the pleasure of experiencing live performance again. “We’re hoping to have some fun,” Ms Roben said.
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Queanbeyan has jumped at a chance to help revive the National Folk Festival, the council teaming up with organisers to host a scaled-down event across the border.
The new “Good Folk” will replace the traditional Folk Festival format, which in recent years has had more than 100 acts and 40,000 attendees at Exhibition Park.
The Queanbeyan version will be smaller with 22 concerts at three different venues in two days in April, but it’s a glimmer of hope for festival officials after being forced to cancel the events in 2020 and in 2021.
Canberra’s events industry is still trying to rebuild in a COVID-19 world. Summernats, the Multicultural Festival and the Canberra Show have all been cancelled.
The members of Queanbeyan-Palerang Council voted unanimously to become the major partner of Good Folk. The event will take place over the Easter weekend.
All concerts will be ticketed and restrictions will be in place to ensure the event is COVID safe, but festival managing director Helen Roben was confident it would be a success.
She said the concerts “really do cover a broad range of folk – it’s folk for all ages”.
Queanbeyan-Palerang Council mayor Tim Overall said the festival was going to “make Queanbeyan a very exciting place” and draw people to the town.
“People can enjoy the festival and enjoy the wonderful pubs, clubs, restaurants and cafes, and the wonderful river – all within walking distance,” he said.
The headline act will be the 2021 Golden Guitar Awards female artist of the year, country-folk artist Fanny Lumsden.
“There are old time Folk Festival favourites like Scroggin, Den Hanrahan and the Rum Runners and Mikelangelo and the Black Sea Gentlemen,” Ms Roben said.
Canberra folk-pop-blues artist Kim Yang and Queanbeyan rap poet Omar Musa will also be featured.
While rap poetry might seem incongruous, Roben said: “Folk is about quality storytelling. Rap is Omar’s medium – he’s still telling stories”.
They and other artists will be performing at the Queanbeyan Performing Arts Centre, the Royal Hotel and the Queanbeyan Bicentennial Hall, within walking distance of each other. There will also be a free two-day session venue held at Queanbeyan social club Campbell & George, open to any performer.
Ms Roben said that although times have been tough for the festival. “We’ve been very fortunate in terms of government support with JobKeeper,” she said.
Over the past couple of months, the three festival staff worked with the Queanbeyan-Palerang Regional Council to put together Good Folk, providing work and income for artists and suppliers.
There will also be the pleasure of experiencing live performance again.
“We’re hoping to have some fun,” Ms Roben said.
