Dear Friends of Woodfordia,

The time has come for us to formally announce that Woodford Folk Festival will not be going ahead this Summer. It feels so surreal to be writing those words. We have been hinting at this for weeks now, however we wanted to be able to share some good news at the same time.

We are really happy to announce a new five day/night inspired camping holiday at Woodfordia, now called Bushtime. What is it? It’s a campground, at Woodfordia, our parkland which has never looked more beautiful. Everyone’s Bushtime experience will be different. We’ll be hosting an evening concert at The Pond, some citizen science talks and demonstrations and a few other delights.

We hope you’ll be immersing in nature with swims in Lake Gkula, bush walking, biking, picnics in secluded spots and experiencing evenings under the stars. There will also be options to book workshops (yoga, music, visual arts, circus, humanities) throughout the day for an hour or an intensive multi-day learning.

Bushtime will be held over the September holidays on the below dates:

Saturday 19th – Wednesday 23rd September

Saturday 26th – Wednesday 30th September

In October, all being well, we intend to launch another series of Bushtime which will run over the 7 weeks of the Summer holidays.

The safety and health of our community will be our number one priority in delivering Bushtime. Bookings will be limited to a much smaller group than any of our other events. From feedback on our recent survey, we anticipate that it may book out quite quickly.

Bookings will open for September’s Bushtime on Tuesday 25th August. We will be giving priority for bookings to Woodfordia Citizens by making them available a couple of days before this date. Information, ticket conditions, FAQ’s, performance and workshops details will all be available online when bookings open.

Bushtime is new to our organisation and there will be much for us to learn in getting this right –WFF is 35 years old and we are still practising. Thank you to all who completed our Bushtime survey in July, the responses have been so helpful in our planning.

Sadly, Bushtime won’t be for everyone – It’s not an event for day visitors or short term campers – for now, it’s a five day and night offer only. We hope that you might join us at Woodfordia in September. And, whilst Summer holidays are going to look a bit different for all of us this year, we look forward to gathering again as a community, to connect to our beautiful environment, to be enriched by talented artists and to collectively nourish our souls.

We know many Woodfordians living outside Queensland – and some within – may be dealing with significant challenges due to Covid-19. We want to wish our Victorian compatriots all strength and good fortitude. We know you will overcome. We wish you well and hope that your days are touched by kindness.

On behalf of all of us here at Woodfordia