The Maldon Folk Festival has been going for more than four decades, and it still offers festival goers a legendary folk experience across 12 venues over four days. With an abundance of music, dance and theatre, there’s no reason not to see what it’s all about.
Getting there
There are a few options to take on your travels to Maldon. Located in the centre of regional Victoria between Castlemaine and Bendigo, Maldon is basically a two hour drive from any direction for those keen on the idea of a road trip. And it’s quite the scenic country route so grab some friends and make a day of it. V/Line is another option, with train stations in both Castlemaine and Bendigo (as well as a bus service which runs through V/Line from various town centres).
Where to Stay
Luckily, there a number of accommodation option in Maldon ranging from boutique hotels, historic cottages, B&B’s and stylish motels. Camping and caravan spots are a simple and laid back option for festival goers, and are available at the Mt Tarrangower Reserve camping, Maldon Football Oval and the Maldon Caravan park.
What to See and Do
Along with great music, comes great dancing. There will be Old Time Bush Dance on Friday night with the Emu Creek Band, Wedderburn Charming Emus and the Gay Charmers Old Time Dance Band. On Saturday afternoon and take part in the Irish antics with Traditional Irish Ceili on Saturday night.
In true folk style, there will be a range of folk musicology, singing, song writing workshops and talks spread out over the four days, including a ‘Behind the Songs’ song writing workshop with Jodi Martin. There will also be a festival market on Saturday at the Primary School where you can pick up some crafty treats, as well as a Poets’ Breakfast to kick-start the festival mornings and a range of children’s workshops and activities.
The Music
Among the 50 artists (yes 50!) showcasing their talent over the weekend, there will be a festival choir, roaming street performers. Concerts will be performed by the like of Martyn Wyndham-Read, Joe Quinn, The Haywood Billy Goats, Danny Spooner, Fiona Ross, Graham Dodsworth, Hannah Schmidli and Sean Kenan, among many others.
Here’s two performers on the line-up:
Cat Canteri: Melbourne born multi-instrumentalist, Cat is a folk/country/indie-rock singer and songwriter. Best known as the singer-songwriter, drummer in alt-country group The Stillsons, she is now a true solo artist, releasing her debut solo album in 2014 which gained widespread critical acclaim. Catch her gentle vocal style as she bring her songs and stories to life.
The Mae Trio: This young, contemporary folk band from Melbourne made up of sisters Maggie, Elsie and friend Anita. Since the release of their critically acclaimed album Housewarming in 2013, they have made a vibrant splash in the international acoustic music scene across Australia, UK and America.
When & Where: Maldon Folk Festival, Maldon – October 28 – 31. Visit the website for more info.