Port Fairy Folk Festival returns for 2019

Get ready to immerse yourself in the glorious seaside village of Port Fairy for the 43rd Port Fairy Folk Festival in March next year.
Thousands of music lovers will be flocking to this scenic coastal town to dive into the unmissable line-up of artists from all around the globe representing folk music, which will also see a special celebration of the 50th anniversary of Woodstock.
At next year’s festival, Port Fairy will be putting their own spin on Woodstock, by paying homage to the mother of all festivals, when three days of peace and music reigned supreme and artists and songs being re-imagined and reinterpreted by a mind-blowing line up including Melisande, Marcia Howard, Tiffany Eckhardt, Tomato/Tomato, Nick Barker, Front Country, Les Chauffeur a Pieds, The Naked Waiters and more.
From Jefferson Airplane’s ‘White Rabbit’ to ‘God Bless the Child’ and ‘Joe Hill’, the roof will be lifted on Saturday night in this epic celebration narrated by radio personality and Festival Ambassador Derek Guille. The festival itself kicks off with a special opening night event on International Women’s Day with performances from the leading ladies of folk, including Mary Coughlan, Sharon Shannon, Marcia Howard, Wallis Bird, Basia Bulat, Leanne Tennant, Z Star among many other music greats.

There will also be a special performance from The Vandemonian Lags who will put on a historical musical journey that weaves a live concert performance together with the dramatic, true stories from Australia’s rum, sodomy and lash-filled convict past. Featuring an outstanding group of musicians including Ben Salter, Van Walker and Liz Stringer, narrators Brian Nankervis and Tim Rogers, and music composed by roots music icon Mick Thomas, this will be a ‘must-see’.
Program Director Caroline Moore said this year’s festival draws from the roots of folk music. “Folk music from all cultures is steeped in history, and this year our signature special and collaborative events draw on traditional and contemporary histories, from the Vandemonian Lags’ cry for freedom, and Woodstock’s call for peace … folk music has the ability to connect us all. From our own diverse Australian stories to the rich folk traditions of Canada, the USA, England, Ireland, Wales, Scotland, South Africa, Greece and Italy, we celebrate the music and the icons of folk, acknowledge our historical past and welcome the musicians making their festival debut,” she says.
Performing for the first time in Australia will be Daoiri Farrell (Ireland), Front Country (USA), Gaby Moreno (USA), Jamie Smith’s Mabon (Wales), The Moulettes (England), Resonant Rogues (USA), Skerryvore (Scotland) and Tami Neilson (Canada/NZ).
You won’t want to miss this epic long weekend.
Port Fairy Folk Festival will be going down from Friday March 8 until Monday March 11, 2019. Buy your tickets via portfairyfolkfestival.com
Port Fairy Folk Festival 2019 Lineup
19 Twenty
Basia Bulat (Canada)
Blue Shaddy
Blackeyed Susans with Strings
Bongeziwe Mabandla (South Africa)
Broderick Smith
The Currency
Daniel Champagne
Daoiri Farrell Trio
Front Country (USA)
Gaby Moreno (USA)
Greta Stanley
Jamie Smith’s Mabon (Wales)
Junkadelic Brass Band
Leanne Tennant Les Chauffeurs a Pieds (Canada)
The Little Quirks
Liz Stringer
Luca Ciarla (Italy)
Marcia Howard Band
Mark Lang
Mary Coughlan (Ireland)
Melisande (Canada)
Mick Thomas & The Roving Commission
Mission Songs Project
Mojo Juju
The Moulettes (England)
The Naked Waiters (USA)
Old Married Couple
The Oxo Cubans
Paul Carey & Julian Scheffer (Aus)
Rebetien (Greece)
Red Tail Ring (USA)
Renee Geyer
Resonant Rogues (USA)
Sal Kimber & The Rollin’ Wheel
The Settlement
Sharon Shannon Band (Ireland)
Skerryvore (Scotland)
Stars
Stav
Stephen Pigram
Tami Neilson (Canada/NZ)
Tiffany Eckhardt
Tim Rogers
Tomato/Tomato (Canada)
Van Walker
Wallis Bird (Ireland)
The Weeping Willows
Z Star (UK)
Written by Chloe Cicero