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Dive verse-first into the siren’s call of slam, bush and performance poetry, debates, storytelling, comedy and the tongue twister that is the strange beast: Word. Bush bards take on the spoken word cats, folk tries to take down hip hop one deck at a time, new voices try to make the sky fall, or make you lose your breath in laughter. Immerse yourself in the Wordfood circus of the word, where performance poets and special guests stretch the form daily to breaking point. Nonsensical, whimsical, argumentative and poetical, you’ll love poetry, laughter, forum, debate and comedy from those with minds cracked to let in the light.

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Limber up and shimmy your way into dance of breathtaking cultural breadth and depth with an eclectic mix of styles that represent a cross section of world cultures. Dance at Woodfordia is a genuine and accessible cultural experience, so you can ‘dance the world’ at the festival. Concerts, displays and challenges, workshops in social dancing, circle dancing, solo dancing, and more from ritual dance to Swing, from the Cha Cha to English Vintage dance to a fully immersive dance/show experience – you can dance your way from venue to venue, light on your feet and light of heart.

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The world’s oldest living culture is celebrated in Songlines that run throughout the festival, from the welcome offered by the Jinibara nation to our artists, and then extended to all visitors entering Jinibara country, to our Opening and Closing ceremonies. Dancestry celebrates the stories of First Nation dreamings made manifest in dance stories from around the world. The foundation cultures of Indigenous nations near and far are welcomed in workshops, performances, traditional dance demonstrations, visual arts, music, comedy and discussion series held by respected elders.

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First there is knowledge and awareness; then a change in personal consciousness, followed by inspiration to action! The opportunities for exchange are brought to life by those individuals who are joining movements of change in health, social justice, environmental activism and much more, inspiring them to use their own skills and talents. Meet the honest and hopeful, respectful and resolute, the critical and concerned, awake and aware. Ask questions, network and share your knowledge and experience with farmers, scientists, futurists, green innovators, health practitioners, guides of various disciplines, performers and all manner of experts who willingly share their wisdom and experience to motivate and inform. Are you on your path?

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It’s been said that the distance between folk and rock is the distance between the instrument and the amplifier. Here, ‘between the Rock and a Heart Place’ we don’t concern ourselves too much with labels, instead taking great pleasure in annually creating a six-day community of artists we love. Though their styles are diverse, they share a commonality, a festivility, lighting a path with their words, their ways or their music. Whether sitting among an audience of 20,000 in a cathedral constructed of tall trees and wide sky, or discovering your newest favourite artist in a tiny venue for 35, you’ll bounce between a plethora of acoustic, electric, political, topical, beautiful, solo, big band, award-winning or least renowned, new, tide-riding or returning artists who worship with you under the broader banner of folk – the broadest of churches. “All music” says Louis Armstrong “is folk music. I ain’t never heard a horse sing a song.”

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At every moment in time, our actions illuminate our position as we step between past and present, remembering and embodying the lore passed down by our ancestors, and unravelling the golden thread by which this knowledge travels to our children. Our stories are made manifest in the tales we tell, the music we play, and the choices we make. Our musicians, artists, performers, and we, the Woodfordians, tailor the times, places and methods of the telling. Together we write the story of our shared humanity, with our bodies, bells and whistles. Traditional tunes and rhythms flourish and blossom into new songs and melodies. Spirited reels and jigs are traded with songs and stories of past heroes and feats, and those making their mark in our present as we invent new stories, new ways, new traditions.

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Roll up your cuffs and sleeves and wade hip-deep into a broad bayou of Blues – not to mention all the other colours that flood the festival village. Our artists are lightning rods, channelling the world’s electricity – the blues inspire the music. The music has deep roots. The music has soul. Referencing, recreating, responding – this is music that tells of a human experience in every breath, from the political to the personal, from the sensual to the sensational. On nylon, string and steel, skin and reed, horn and hammer, this music groans and grooves, moans and moves from the human heart.

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Through Ceremony, we reflect, remember and re-create our connection with the physical and non-physical environments and with each other. When ceremony meets tradition, our hearts erupt in silent fireworks. From dance and ritual on the Village Green through to the tiny flames we shelter together in the shared 3 Minutes of Silence on New Year’s Eve, to the great gathering in the Amphitheatre at the Fire Event. Rituals and traditions give us moments that make us laugh, make us gasp, make us hold our breath, and might make us take each other’s hands for the coming year.

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The festival streets are alive at any time of day, with the dressed up and dressed down Woodford community milling and seething mischief and magic overcome the streets of Woodfordia. When you add the highwalkers, sliders, crawlers and rollers with our street artists – things really get interesting. Surprises await you in our winding lanes, bursting from darkening shadows, always unexpected, disarmingly enchanting. Relax and let the streets cast their spell on you.

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Mahatma Ghandi was quoted to say “In a gentle way, you can shake the world”. Across the festival in a number of venues each day, there are multiple opportunities to participate in open sessions of Tai Chi, Yoga in many diverse and fascinating forms, and other health and meditation-based practices, rituals and ceremonies all alongside your fellow Woodfordians in an atmosphere of learning and exploration. Whether on a hilltop, in the cool Blue Lotus venue, the Dancehall or the fresh dew of the Village Green, you can find whatever you need – stillness, energy, relaxation, empowerment or perhaps a combination of them all.

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By daylight Artisania is a thriving village of artistic energies. With master artisans as their guides, Woodfordians are invited to try their hand at printing, sketching, costume making, pottery and more. All workshops involve in-depth skill development and result in a unique, hand-made, take-home artwork. Learn ancient traditions, fine tune your art skills, make your own couture item and create precious pretties. As nightfall arrives, be mesmerized as you witness master artisans in a spectacular display of skill. Visit Wardrobia to transform yourself from a regular Woodfordian into a living artwork with body painting, costume creation and mask-making, or share the contents of your heart with a reader at the Lettering House. In Artisania we believe everyone is an artist, joined by a common aspiration to live passionately and creatively. Be inspired. Be reinvigorated. Re-energise and re-connect.

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Light the lantern at stages celebrating and exploring traditional music, dance and theatre unique to the immigrant cultures arriving from beyond Australia’s shores since 1788. Here, we feature community groups and professional artists presenting rituals and traditions that have lasted through the millennia – some linked to the inherited traditions of the village, palace or trade routes, some inspired by divine revelation, many developing in their new homeland. These lines of tradition – Folklines – lie at the heart of so many folk, classical and mystic traditions. They contribute to the cultural forces and deeper folk roots of an already culturally and mythically rich Indigenous Australia.

Here is a selection of images from our archives.

Here is a selection of images from our archives.

Since the festival’s humble beginnings in Maleny, we have held true to the belief in presenting a programme for children…