See you at the folkie!
During Easter weekend, Exhibition Park in Canberra once again becomes home to the National Folk Festival. This year the National not only celebrates its fortieth birthday, but also introduces a brand new youth venue: AXIS.
Following forums with young festival goers invited to discuss what they would like to see in a dedicated youth venue, festival director Jenny Simpson took some suggestions on board to bring a new twenty-four hour acoustic youth venue to the festivities. AXIS is an alcohol-free venue run and programmed by young people, available as a space for young performers to meet, chat and jam. AXIS will also offer up daily blackboard workshops, such as Body Percussion; Songwriting; and Ballads, Beatbox and Beyond.
The National hosts plenty of young performers this year who can be caught at the various festival stages. Canberra favourites One Night Jam and Quagmire will be serenading audiences with their lovely songs, as well as Dahahoo, whose vibrant musical mix has been known to get everyone dancing
‘The Italians in Australia’ is the festival’s 2006 theme and brings traditional Sicilian puppetry to the festival, as well as The Black Nonnas and Kavisha Mazzella. In addition to great music, the National offers dance workshops and displays, instrument and singing workshops, street parades, shops and an atmosphere full of fairy wings and busking.
If, as I do, you already count the National as one of the highlights of your year, I am sure you are looking forward to the new opportunities for merry-making and participation AXIS will bring to young performers and their audiences. If spending five days listening to a variety of great acoustic bands and songwriters, dancing with friends, making music and celebrating into the evening with steel drum fires and steamy beverages sounds like just the way you want to spend your holiday, then check out the National Folk Festival, on from 13 to 17 April.
See www.folkfestival.asn.au for ticketing and other information.
Hope to see you there!
Rachel
