The history of the Woodford Folk Festival began in 1987 when the Maleny Folk Festival was held in the town of Maleny for the first time. When the festival outgrew the venue in Maleny, it moved to Woodford and received its current name. The move and the renaming happened in 1994. The Woodford Folks Festival lasts for six days and six nights and is always held on the same dates, from December 27 to January 1. In other words, its starts after Christmas and lasts until New Year’s Day.
The festival features over 400 events and 2,000 performers playing at 35 venues within the festival village. At least 18 venues are all weather, so the concerts take place rain or shine. Although the festival program focuses on music in a wide range of genres, it also includes other kinds of entertainment such as stand-up comedy, public speaking, street performing, a special children’s festival, acoustic jam sessions, parades, workshops and masterclasses, debates, circus performances, nighttime cabarets, and more.
One of the festival’s major traditions is the Three Minutes Silence. During the New Year’s Eve celebrations, all festival goers within the campgrounds gather together, light candles and welcome the new year with a three-minute silence. Early in the morning on New Year’s Day, the Sunrise Ceremony is held on the Woodfordia hilltop. The whole community participates in it. The patrons greet the sun as they listen to guest musicians and Tibetan chants.
The Woodford Folk Festival culminates in the Fire Event held on the final evening. The Fire Event was originally developed for the Maleny Festival and continued at Woodford. It is a truly spectacular New Year’s Day closing ceremony featuring fire, music, dance and theatricality. Every year a large wooden sculpture is ceremoniously burned during the Fire Event, symbolizing the end of the festival and the beginning of the new year.
Photo: woodfordfolkfestival.com
