Woodford Folk Festival

The Woodford Folk Festival is held annually over six days and six nights, from Dec 27th to January 1st. More than 2,000 local, national and international artists, musicians and presenters grace the stages of Woodfordia.

The festival begins yearly with the iconic Opening Ceremony and closes with the spectacular New Year’s Day showcase. This year will be the 38th Woodford Folk Festival and the 31st held at Woodfordia.

The Woodford festival experience is deep, rich and colourful. It is based on a vision of inclusive and creative community, culture, and tradition passed through generations, expressed through story and ceremony. The site, a former barren dairy farm, has been lovingly regenerated with over 120,000 subtropical rainforest trees, orchids, ferns and sedges planted to create a habitat for butterflies and wildlife.

Woodfordia is transformed into a village that hosts over 25,000 daily patrons, performers, stallholders, volunteers and organisers. As many as 2,680 volunteers across 162 departments are at the heart of the organisation and contribute to the setup and day-to-day running of the festival. During the event, the festival is the 67th largest town in Australia.

Each year, construction begins in early December and continues until Christmas Day. Nearly 1,000 volunteers and contractors build the village. Many come from around the world to be part of the festival build, enjoy the festivities, and then stay for a week after to pull it all down.

The festival programme features concerts, dances, street theatre, writers’ panels, a film festival, comedy sessions, acoustic jams, social dialogue and debate, folk medicine, an entire children’s festival, an environmental programme featuring talks, debates, and films, art and craft workshops, circus performances and workshops, late-night cabarets, parades, and special events, including the spectacular fire event.

The festival streets have restaurants, cafes, stalls, bars, street theatre, and parades. Tree-filled campgrounds, butterfly walks, ponds, and wildlife complete the picturesque site. Each year, the festival appeals to a diverse audience of all ages and nationalities. It’s a magical experience and one not to be missed.

Camping for the Season

Camping on-site for the full six days of the Woodford Folk Festival is by far the best way to immerse yourself in its offerings.

Shower and toilet facilities are available on all camping grounds, and there is a General Store for basic supplies. For those arriving into Season Camping early, the General Store will open around 7 am, and the Festival Precinct will open at 5pm on the 26th of December.

Camping Overnight

Overnight Camping is on-site, with shower and toilet facilities and a General Store/Cafe for basic supplies. Tickets for overnight camping permit entry to the Festival Site from 8am on the day of the ticket only, and entry is not permitted back into the festival precinct the following morning. Overnight campers are required to depart the camping areas by 10 a.m. Tickets for additional days will be available from the Overnight Ticket Office at the Happy Campers tent.

General Store

There is a fully stocked General Store in the Season Camping area near the entrance to the Festival Village for those items you left behind. The store will be open 7am to 11pm 26 Dec to 1st Jan and 7am to 2pm on 2nd Jan.

Overnight Camping Cafe

There is a Cafe/Basic Store located in the Overnight Camping area. It is open from 7:30am to 11:30pm from the 27th Dec – 1st Jan.

On-site Tent Motel (Tent City)

Erected tents and beds are available for hire on-site at the festival. Purchase your Festival tickets with camping here first, and then purchase your tent hire by phoning 0408 151 565 or 0400 338 033 or visiting their website. A private company operates this service, so bookings cannot be made through our office. Please remember that you must purchase a Festival ticket with camping and vehicle passes in addition to booking into Tent City.

ATMS

ATMs, which accept most foreign cards and AMEX, are located throughout the precinct. See the map for locations. Traveller’s cheque facilities are not available on site.

Facilities

While we continue to improve the facilities, please remember that our camping grounds are used only a few times a year. The toilet and shower facilities are adequately basic. Peak times for shower queues are in the mornings and later afternoons, so please avoid these times if you don’t want to wait.

Weather

The festival is conducted in the full glory of summer. Our weather can range from very hot and dusty days to impressive summer thunderstorms, and it gets pretty chilly if you’re still wandering about enjoying The Pineapple Lounge at four in the morning. Campers should prepare for any eventuality.

Your campsite

Remember that you are creating a temporary home at your camp. It may be a day retreat from the festivities and a place to crash at the end of the day, so please make sure you are comfortable and consider your camping gear carefully.

Water

Water is always a precious commodity at Woodford as we are self-sufficient and take all our water from on-site tanks. We would appreciate it if all festivities would join us in conserving water in the following ways: restrict yourself to one shower a day, turn the water off when brushing your teeth, and please bring some water with you. Those are the basics. There will be information posted around the campground and the camp warden’s office will be open until late for any queries.

Getting There

Woodford Festival Express
Operated by Coast and Country, the long-term coach partner servicing the Woodford Folk Festival.  Season Campers and coaches conveniently transport you to and from the Festival.

Leave your car at home and jump on board one of the comfortable, air-conditioned coaches, which will take you directly to the Festival ticketing gate.

Operating routes from Brisbane CBD, Chermside and North Lakes. All fares are return journeys.

Train
The nearest train station to Woodfordia is Caboolture Train Station. You can reach Woodfordia by Shuttle bus or Taxi.

By Bike
The joys of cycling are many and varied, especially when the ride is along quiet roads through the scenic country and the destination is the Woodford Folk Festival. It’s a healthy, non-polluting, and relaxing way to get there.

The two-wheeled alternative becomes easier with a little help from Festival organisers. The Festival offers a free luggage service for Brisbane–based patrons with a Season ticket. You simply need to drop off luggage at the shop of partners, Epic Cycles, in the week before the Festival. We’ll have it ready and waiting at the Festival when you arrive, and you can return it, usually on 2nd January.

With luggage looked after, the ride to Woodfordia becomes easy for anyone with reasonable fitness levels, especially if using the train/bicycle combination. The train – bicycles are free – will get you to stations on the Nambour line north of Caboolture. Trains run about every two hours or less on Boxing Day when most cycling patrons reach the Festival.

Once at the festival, cyclists receive priority if there’s a queue in the ticketing area. Cycling patrons can camp at One Less Car Camping. It’s close to the Welcome Gate, is a dedicated camping space for non-motoring Festivilians, and has a marquee for secure bicycle parking, luggage storage and socialising.

By Car

Located in the Moreton Bay region, the Woodford Folk Festival takes place in a rural valley surrounded by natural bushland with plenty of native wildlife and a superb view of the Glass House Mountains from the hilltop above the festival grounds. The festival is about an hour and a half drive north of Brisbane, 40 minutes west of Caloundra or an hour south of Noosa.

Instead of loading yourself and a mate into the car, think how many extra seats you have in your car and if any of your friends need a lift. Take one car instead of two! Why increase the amount of cars on the road, parking congestion and pollution at the festival? Offer your friends a lift, split the petrol bill and head for the hills!

• Driving From South
  Drive along the Bruce Highway from Brisbane. Take Exit 152B to Kilcoy (NOT 152A towards Caboolture). Follow the D’Aguilar Highway for approx 21km. Travel straight through to Woodford. Four kilometres after Woodford, turn right onto Kilcoy-Beerwah Road. Travel one kilometre, then turn left into Woodrow Road.
• Driving From North
  Turn off the Bruce Highway at Highway 85 (Kilcoy), just short of the Caboolture turnoff, and follow the D’Aguilar Highway to Woodford. Travel four kilometres after Woodford and turn right towards Beerwah, travel one kilometre, then turn left into Woodrow Road.
• Private Transfer
  Private transfers are available and can be pre-booked. Up to 7 people plus luggage, with prices from around $2 per kilometre. That’s around $150 from Brisbane to Woodford, or Woodford to Sunshine Coast.

There is so much happening during the festival that it’s impossible to do it justice and mention it all here. Please check out the official program guide for full event details, times, and locations.