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Illawarra Folk Festival goers praise ‘beautiful’ family-friendly event

The 38th Illawarra Folk Festival returned to Bulli Showground last weekend with another fantastic line-up of bands, market stalls and a family-friend vibe.

Festival goers shared their thoughts with the Flame on Saturday, January 18.

Sharon

Sharon from Fairy Meadow

"I came to meet new friends. I'm looking forward to seeing The Tuck Shop Ladies, they're funny!"

The Con Artists

Performers The Con Artists

Jasper, Mark, Sue, David, Lonnie, Jenn: “We loved the festival this year! The Folk Festival audience is so warm and giving, so it's a pleasure to play for them. They really give back.”

Grania

Grania from the Southern Highlands

“We just got here and saw Con Artists, they were awesome to start off with. We’re excited to see Austral, The Water Runners and Gobsmacked! The weather doesn't bother us, We've got gumboots in the car and Crocs are good to wear, they’re easy to wash off.”

Kath, Kit, Paul & Jedda

Kath, Kit, Paul & Jedda

“It's awesome here. We got perfect weather – not too hot. We saw the Tuck Shop Ladies, they're hilarious and fun. There's delicious food and the best people here. It's a beautiful weekend. It's good to see all the amazing volunteers who came out to bring it all together. And it's good to see young performers getting into the festival scene.”

Toni's stall at the Folk Festival

Toni

“Most of my stuff comes from my mum and sisters in England, and I have to send koala backpacks and ugg boots and things over there in return. The musical instruments are popular today because we’re at a music festival. We only do about four festivals a year, and this one’s not too far to drive. I don’t bring things here to make a lot of money, I bring them because I’ve collected more than I can fit in my house. Being a musician myself, I want other people to play and join in with other folks, so I’ll sell them a $10 guitar rather than a $100. I’m just here to have a nice time.”

Kyarna and Alara

Koori Voices: Kyarna Rose and Alara Livingstone

Kyarna: "It’s been nice to be on Country and playing music, and also having other people here playing their music. You hear the cicada and the wind and all of those things, it’s all music mixed in. I especially love the brass instruments starting to play and how it just blends into this sort of place. Folk festivals like this are beautiful, it's got that sort of family vibe, people want to chit chat. It’s right up my alley."

Alara: "I’ve never played a festival before. People are so welcoming here, I wasn’t expecting the crowd to be so reactive, it’s lovely. I would come back again if they wanted me to. My record is being released with Silhouette label, hopefully on Spotify on January 30th, we get to release it as a vinyl as well. So that’s pretty cool."