International attractions from the US, Canada, Scotland and Ireland, iconic Australian acts and top local performers all feature in the first announcements for the 2019 Cobargo Folk Festival to be held from March 1–3 at the Cobargo Showground.
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Now in its 24th year, the festival has become one of the most successful annual events on the Far South Coast, attracting over 5000 people over the weekend and contributing more than $1.5million to the regional economy.
Headliners next year include Irish folk superstar Sharon Shannon and her band with special guest Susan O’Neill, former Goanna mainstay Shane Howard, exciting young Scottish band Skerryvore, two young Australian singer-songwriters both now based in Nashville Jordie Lane and festival regular Daniel Champagne, US guitar maestro Richard Gilewitz, the Western Flyers, Canberra satirists and entertainers Shortis and Simpson, the Black Mountain String Band, nine times Golden Guitar winner Luke O’Shea, musically exotic Sydney band Chaika, Aussie guitar hero Nick Charles and many more.
“Cobargo is now firmly on the Australian and international music map and we had our biggest ever number of applications - close to 400 - making it a tough job to whittle it down to just over 30 slots,” festival artistic director Dave Crowden said.
“Over the past few years we’ve increased the size of our venues to cater for bigger crowds but there are only so many hours over the three days for artists to appear.”
As well as an extensive concert program, Cobargo also runs regular teaching workshops on Saturday and Sunday, a spoken word program, dance workshops and exhibitions on site and regular dances at the Cobargo School of Arts hall that are open to locals and tourists free of charge.
Festival executive director Zena Armstrong paid tribute to the Cobargo Showground Trust, the Cobargo Show Society and the Bega Valley Shire Council for their continuing support of the festival.
The Yuin Folk Club, which produces the festival, has worked with the trust and the society to continue to improve the showground site, including the bar area and – for the second year – improving access to the camping area using fill supplied from the Dignams Creek road works.
“We work every year to make the festival site and venues more comfortable for campers and day ticket holders, while maintaining a friendly and relaxed environment,” Ms Armstrong said.
“We are not a festival that wants to become big and impersonal; we just want to ensure that people leave with a good impression of this lovely region and also spend some time looking at other attractions outside of the festival itself. There’s plenty to see and do.”
To visit the festival website click here.