September 30, 2014
Maidenwell is gearing up for an influx of acoustic folk music fans on the October long weekend when it stages one of its biggest annual events of the year: the Maidenwell Folk Gathering.
This all-acoustic folk festival has been running for more than a decade, and it always attracts several hundred keen followers who use the long weekend for relaxed outdoor camping, music and fun.
Thursday is usually an informal time set aside for arriving at Maidenwell, pitching camp in the free camping areas near the historic Maidenwell Hotel and meeting fellow festival-goers. But informal Thursday night jam sessions and performances aren’t uncommon and the hotel is usually packed by evening.
Then on Friday, things kick up a notch with jam sessions and workshops that will run all day and late into the evening.
The action then moves up several gears again on Saturday when the Folk Gathering gets underway in earnest.
The Jemalong walk-up stage, usually set up under a fig tree at the back of the hotel, will operate all day and feature a large range of walk-up artists.
This will be followed on Saturday night with a chalkboard concert inside the hotel, which always attracts a large crowd.
But on Sunday, things will ease back again with chilled-out jams before the Gathering finally winds down on Monday with some farewell jams in the morning, followed around lunchtime by actual farewells as guests begin to make their way back home.
But it isn’t all just about music.
During the course of the Festival’s five days there’ll also be practical workshops for musicians, bush poetry and a smattering of stalls … and, of course, a whole lot of fun.
The best news of all, though, is that the entire Festival is free.
There is only one rule: no BYO. If you want supplies, you should buy them from the Maidenwell Hotel.
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