More guest announcements to come!

The Wellington Folk Festival is held every Labour Weekend at Brookfield Outdoor Education Centre – a beautiful site owned by the Scouts at 562 Moores Valley, Wainuiomata, Lower Hutt, New Zealand. The location is a nature reserve, so please no pets!

Every year, the Festival runs over New Zealand’s Labour Weekend, celebrated on the fourth Monday of October. The Festival gate is open from 3pm on the Friday, with events running over Friday evening, all day Saturday through to Sunday evening. You can come for the weekend, for a day, half day or an evening.

Weekend passes entitle the holders to camp onsite and there are a limited number of bunks available for sale as well.

To read our latest news click here, click the Latest News tab in the menu above, or check out our facebook page here www.facebook.com/Wellyfest/.

If you would like to be added to our email list, contact us at info@wellingtonfolkfestival.org.nz 

Darren Watson
Darren Watson gained New Zealand-wide fame in the late eighties as the principal songwriter and front-man for rhythm n’ blues outfit Chicago Smoke Shop. The group of blues-mad Hutt Valley teenagers shared stages on NZ tours with international artists like Koko Taylor, The Robert Cray Band, George Thorogood, and The Fabulous Thunderbirds.

Since leaving Smoke Shop in the early 90's Darren has cemented his reputation as the nation's most original, contemporary blues voice. He's released six blues-based albums and his latest album, 2018's Too Many Millionaires  debuted at number three on the Official NZ Top 20 Album Chart and stayed in the charts for five weeks. The songs broaden the blues base and we are excited that these songs are totally relevant to the modern folk scene. Darren is currently working on a new all-acoustic album titled Getting Sober For The End Of The World. Release is planned for mid-2020.

Entrada
From Christchurch, Entrada are Tessa White (violin and mandolin) and Jonathan Le Cocq (guitar), playing a unique blend of music for violin, guitar and mandolin, rooted in the Celtic tradition but finding its own pathway through it. Jonathan's background in early music – performing with national groups like NZBarok on historical instruments  – informs his approach to playing traditional music, and combines with Tessa's youthful, virtuosic tune-playing for original and dynamic music making.

Mehana
A Wellington based band who draw inspiration from traditional music from the Balkan region including gypsy and their own original music. They infuse new life into traditional folk songs and rebuild them in their own Mehana style. You will take a musical journey from melancholy of Roma violin laments to storming beats of Gypsy rumba, mixing with traditional Balkan rhythms as a blend of influences through time and space.

Barry and the Crumpets
A foot-stomping, barn-romping country dance extravagance. Playing old-time classics, breakneck bluegrass and swampy blues. All played toe-tapping fast and knee-slapping rowdy.
It all started in Wellington when three friends started jamming together with banjo, mandolin and cajon on a dark midwinter night in 2017. As the night wore on, the tunes got stompier, their friends danced faster and before they knew it a band was born. After 18 months of gigging around markets, bars and house parties in Wellington, a fiddler joined the fray. The band have since been honing their particular flavour of upbeat, old-fashioned mountain music and three-part harmonies with a smattering of celtic roots. Fresh from stomping performances at Acoustic Routes and the Wellington Bluegrass Society, the Crumpets will add local life and fun.

Grawlixes
As you may or may not know, a Grawlix is a ‘a spiral-shaped graphic used to indicate swearing in comic strips', whereas Grawlixes is a Wellington-by-way-of-Dunedin indie-folk band intent on inserting themselves into your brain with their intelligent, infectious songs about relationships, death and not being invited to parties. Continuing the great lineage of artists who bring sadness to their sprightly melodies, Grawlixes’s music often deals in the melancholy with self-deprecating honesty and beautiful boy-girl harmonies, sung by co-founders Robin Cederman and Penelope Esplin.

Following an extensive European tour supporting label-mates French for Rabbits, Grawlixes released their debut album ‘Set Free’ reaching #1 on the NZ weekly music album charts. They are now preparing to release their follow up album 'Love you to death' in Sept this year.

Moroney
From Dunedin, Bernadette, Mike and Siobhan take time out from their many individual pursuits to come together to sing and play as a family. The result is an eclectic repertoire from the solidly traditional to the obscurely modern, all based around those close harmonies that only a family seem to be able to produce.

Mike is perhaps best known for his work with The Chaps, Catgut Steel and, for many years, the Pioneer Pog 'n' Scroggin Bush Band.

Bernadette and Siobhan were enduring members of the fondly-remembered and occasionally reprised Rhonda and the Ravers, a group based on harmonies, dance moves and bling.

Sadie & Jay
Sadie & Jay met and formed a creative contemporary folk and roots duo in Australia seven years back. They've recently returned to live in New Zealand and look forward to the next chapter in their musical journey. Sadie & Jay's music features historical Australian stories, bursting with colour, texture and spirited characters. Their latest album 'A Passing of Seasons' has been awarded Australian Celtic Album of the Year.

Three original studio albums have included multiple first place winners and finalists in APRA AMCOS awards, The Australian Celtic Awards and Blues & Roots Radio, songs from all three albums have made the Top 10 in The Australian Songwriters Association Awards. 

Sadie & Jay have been performing as a duo in and beyond the Brisbane folk and festival scene. They've completed two UK tours and it's great that they are now locals - adding Wellyfest to their appearances as overseas guests at the Hamilton Folk Festival last year.

The Flukes
The Flukes are a group of Wellington women who started playing ukulele together about 10 years ago. Since then they've played at community events, markets and parties, and developed a varied repertoire of cover songs and medleys.  You'll be delighted and surprised at the range of styles - all performed with a mixture of humour, sensitivity, pathos and joy. They play largely un-amplified so expect to get close.

Other workshops and concerts still to be announced.  See our website for the current information.

Don't forget that the festival is not just about listening to great music all weekend.  Its principal feature is its participatory nature, with opportunities for musicians and dancers at all levels of skill to perform, jam and to meet the guest artists. Loads of workshops and a full programme for our younger attendees means there is something for everyone. 

And all the while you get the opportunity to get out of town and relax in beautiful Moore’s Valley. Experience a blissful blend of many styles of music and dance. Slow down – chat, eat, drink and be merry, with old friends and new, good food and beer.

 

IMPORTANT: Attendee Information:
Please make sure you fill in the attendee information with your booking.  We use this information to prepare your entry packs, bunks, etc.

 Please ensure you specify a name for all attendees.  Email address for attendees is optional and will be used only (a) to send out urgent updates if we need to do so and (b) to forward WRFF information to those who request membership.  This information is only used for the purposes stated here.
 

Minors (18 and under, on a teen or child ticket) attending must nominate a responsible adult who is also attending the festival.  You will need to tell us who that will be if you are booking tickets for minors.