Welcome
At the heart of the festival are our stalls, creating a warm and welcoming space. We acknowledge that stalls are a creative expression and we love partnering with Stallholders that share the same desire to exceed expectations and produce products, food, information or experiences of divine quality. We share an understanding that every interaction counts.
There is a direct link between the aesthetic, offerings and created atmosphere of a stall and that stall’s turnover. Based on feedback, we know the stalls that exceeded their financial expectations were those that took a lot of pride in their presentation. Woodford Folk Festival is a place to get creative and have fun. This is one of the key aspects of our stalls selection process when assessing your application. Please ensure that the photos of your stall are a good representation of who you are. Select these photos well and please remember that this is an important element of your application.
The last time we hosted the Woodford Folk Festival, our volunteers, stallholders, performers, staff and organizers were rewarded with the National Live Music Awards – ‘Australian Live Music Event of The Year’. We intend to blow minds again and thank you in advance for your incredible contribution.
STALLS THAT ARE NOT APPROPRIATE FOR WFF
- Stallholders who are just in it for the financial benefits and have little attachment to what they sell/trade/provide
- Stallholders who do not want to put creative energy into the presentation of their stalls and are more inclined to sit at the back of their stall checking their Facebook page and waiting for a customer
- Stallholders and their crew who do not understand that it takes patience, manners and good will to create relationships and have no respect for other people’s choices.
- Stall decorations/tents/marquees that have trade logos/corporate sponsorships advertised
- Stalls that are made from camping tents/carports and are of domestic materials
- Stalls that rely on amplified music for atmosphere (see Amplified Music)
FOOD & BEVERAGE STALL HOLDERS
Please ensure you read and understand ‘Information for Food & Beverage Stallholders’ as this contains additional and critical information.
FESTIVAL DATES AND TRADING HOURS
Gates open at 7am 26 December to allow campers to set up in campgrounds. Only Lake Gkula precinct and General Store will be open prior to Festival precinct opening at 2pm 26 December.
Stallholders are expected to operate for the duration of the festival from the 26th December until the 2nd January.
We ask that all Stallholders trade per our minimum required trading hours (below). Please note that most seasoned Stallholders operate well beyond the minimum trading hours and we encourage them to do so.
Festival precinct opens on the 26th December at 2pm and we welcome our patrons into the event precinct. This is the first opportunity for our guests to have a look around and to discover the stalls they want to visit during the festival. All stalls need to be open to create the atmosphere of Woodfordia from this time.
Festival precinct closes 4am on the 2nd January
Guests will not be able to enter the festival before or after these times.
On New Year‘s Eve and the 1st January, we recommend that you trade longer and consider working with your neighbors to create a scene within your precinct.
Organise a street party, sparkle up the roads and draw in the crowds. If retailers close earlier than 10pm, the whole atmosphere in the area changes, so please support your neighbors and create a late–night trade on these nights.
Minimum required trading hours for food stalls:
| Date | Latest Open | Earliest Close |
| 26th December | 5pm | 10pm |
| 27th-31st December | 9am (8am Food Stalls) | 10pm |
| 1st January | 7am | 10pm |
BUMPING-IN AND OUT
Stalls are to be on site bumping in from the 9th of December and must be fully set-up by the 19th December (or 22 December for non-food stalls).
| Bump-in | Bump-out | |
| External Contractors (eg Hired tents & cold rooms) | 3 December | From 4am 2 January |
| Food Stalls | 9 December | From 4am 2 January |
| Artisan Craft Stalls | 12 December | From 4am 2 January |
| Community Group and Information Stalls | 12 December | From 4am 2 January |
| Retail Stalls | 15 December | From 4am 2 January |
| Health and Wellbeing Stalls | 15 December | From 4am 2 January |
EXTERNAL CONTRACTORS
Contractors may enter the site from the 3rd of December. It is your responsibility to ensure that the contractors have your site plans and the location of your outside equipment, including that of cold rooms, freezers etc, with details regarding the door location.
WFF does not take responsibility for the placement of your equipment and recommends that you are on site when your stall’s infrastructure is being placed. At times, with notice and the exact plans of the location of the equipment, we may be able to support the placements.
WFF Service personnel will connect your stall to power and plumbing and ensure your gas equipment complies with the Queensland Gas Authority.
It is important that we know when you will arrive on site and when you will be ready and prepared for our crew to connect your stall into our electrical, water and sewage infrastructure.
We will attempt to book in a time that suits all parties. Stallholders, or a representative of theirs, must be onsite for this to occur to make it smooth for all parties.
SINGLE USE PLASTIC WATER BOTTLE BAN
The sale of single use plastic water bottles under 750ml are now banned at Woodfordia. 450ml reusable aluminium water bottles will be available at wholesale rates through our Supplies Department. These can be refilled at Mt Beerwah Natural Spring Water refill stations around site.
SUPPLIES
Our Supplies Department has been upgraded for WFF 22-23 to include many items you may require. A link to our ordering website will be provided and you’ll find items such as soft drinks, milk, ice, coffee cups, cable ties, rope, gaffer tape and the like. Our intent is to save you a trip to town and to reduce vehicle movements on site.
INSURANCE
$20,000,000 Public Liability Insurance is compulsory for all stallholders.
$20,000,000 Product Liability Insurance is highly recommended
All stallholders must cover their workers with a policy from WorkCover Queensland, Workers’ Compensation and Rehabilitation Act 2003.
CANCELLING YOUR STALL AT WFF
If you wish to cancel your stall more than 60 days prior to the festival, the WFF may retain 50% of the total site fee (before the 26th October). Any cancellations after this date will not be refunded.
ENVIRONMENTAL LORE
At WFF we endorse an Environmental Lore regarding packaging. We are committed to reducing the amount of waste taken off site and into landfill. We sort all the rubbish, compost and recycle wherever possible. We recommend fully compostable coffee cups from our preferred supplier BCS (Biodegradable Coffee Supplies). You will be able purchase top-ups of these cups from our Supplies service.
GARBAGE & RECYCLING – NO PLASTIC BAGS
Over the last four years we have been working towards making this a plastic bag free and plastic straw free festival and are encouraging everyone to use reusable bags and baskets. Let’s hope we never see a plastic bag or plastic straw on site again!
A general waste fee is charged on top of your stall fee to help ensure we meet our waste targets. The systems in place involve dozens of people who make up our garbology team. Contractors are engaged to remove waste and the cost associated with maintaining these standards is high.
STALL ALLOCATION
Stall placement and overall layout of the site is at the discretion of the Organisers and Stalls Manager. Fitting everyone into a tight area is tricky and sometimes we must consider factors outside of anyone’s control. Last minute challenges occur that result in sites being moved. We do our best to make it smooth for all, however at times we have made big changes right up until the last day. The Stalls Manager is approachable and willing to discuss your needs and accommodate them if a stall change is possible.
Once you have been allocated your stall, stallholders must be mindful of not encroaching too far out onto the walkways with their racks, information boards or displayed goods for access and safety reasons. The stall management team will work closely with you to ensure there are no trip or potential head hazards.
When deciding what stall site size you require, please include all ropes and awnings. If you arrive at the festival and your stall is bigger than you have indicated, this will have a flow on effect for those around you and will disrupt our carefully laid out site plans.
AMPLIFIED MUSIC IN STALLS IS NOT PERMITTED
The use of amplified music is prohibited as WFF is a fully curated live music event. WFF also intentionally creates spaces for guests to be able to rest and find quiet on site.
PAYMENT SYSTEMS
We highly recommend that you have a point of sale system that allows an easy and simple transaction with either cash or EFTPOS. Most Woodfordia outlets (excluding bars) accept cards and cash.
RIGHT OF VETO
The organisers of the festival retain the right to enter your stall at anytime and remove any article, sign, picture or printed matter which, in our opinion, is either not eligible for display or is considered offensive.
SUBLETTING
Stallholders can share part of their site with consent from the Stalls Manager but stallholders are not allowed to sublet the stall.
STALL FEES AND OTHER FEES
Please see Stall Fees Page.
When calculating your budget, please ensure you have accounted for Stall fee as well as other fees applicable (waste levy, electrical, gas etc.)
PAYMENT OF FEES
Upon being accepted to WFF, an invoice will be generated and emailed to successful applicants via the email address provided on your application form.
Successful applicants will be provided payment instructions and procedure via email.
Stallholders have 21 days to pay the amount in full in order to secure the site.
Your application will not be secured if payment has not been received within the 21 days.
STALLS BOND
Each Stall is required to pay a bond (amount is nominated on the Stalls Fee page). The bond will be included in the invoice.
REFUND OF BOND
You must leave your site the way you found it and be mindful of our goal ‘to leave no trace’.
This bond will be refunded at the end of January if you leave your site in its initial pristine state.
The bond will be refunded into the nominated bank account supplied in the online application once Stalls Management staff have inspected your site. It is important that your site is checked thoroughly prior to leaving site; this includes screws, nails & cable ties.
Leaving ‘no trace’ requires each Stallholder to remove all building materials, bamboo and any other infrastructure from the site and place recycling and waste material in skips provided at the end of the festival. It is the responsibility of the Stallholder to ensure that the site is clear of this debris and that all rubbish is sorted appropriately.
TICKETING
Included in your stall fee are complimentary Season Tickets which include camping in our designated Stallholder camping areas. These tickets are non-transferable. You and your entire crew must camp in the camping areas designated for Stallholders. The amount of included complimentary tickets you receive will depend on your stall size. They are for you and your crew to use.
Additional stallholder staff Season Tickets can be purchased at a discounted rate once stall fee is paid in full. Discounted tickets are available up until 26th December 2022. After this date, stallholders can purchase tickets at the nominal gate rate.
It may be more convenient for you to purchase Day Tickets for your staff if they are only attending one day or certain days. Please go to our website and check what is the most affordable way for you to buy tickets for staff. Please note that there is no discount on day tickets. They are available until the 24th December 2022.
Ticket purchases are in accordance with the terms and agreements.
HEALTH REQUIREMENTS
IMPORTANT UPDATE
Hot water systems – Gas hot water systems designed for camping or personal use are not permitted in The Woodford Folk Festival event precinct. Consider either quick recovery 50L electric systems or fully compliant instant gas hot water systems.
Sullage/wastewater – Under new QBCC (Queensland Building & Construction Commission) regulations we are now required to lodge plumbing plans with council for approval by councils plumbing department.
If your stall includes a sink/sullage or water and/or hot water system, you must include the location of these on submitted plans. Plans can be hand sketched. The easiest way is to draw your plan on paper and send us a photo of the plan.
Food Stalls – Please see Information for Food and Beverage Stalls for additional information
CREED OF COMMON DECENCY – CODE OF CONDUCT
“It is difficult to bring people to goodness with lessons, but it is easy to do so by example.”
The words of Roman Stoic philosopher Seneca ring as true today as they did when he wrote them more than 2000 years ago.
At Woodfordia we too feel that lessons, such as those laid out so prescriptively in formal codes of conduct, are not the best way to foster “goodness” in our community.
We place our trust in the moral code that already lives in all our hearts and minds. We believe it’s this code of personal responsibility that best guides the manner in which we conduct ourselves in company, how we relate to others and – perhaps most instructively – how we ourselves would like to be treated.
We say the answer is with Common Decency.
But what makes Woodfordia different from other places?
Our people are united in their desire to contribute to an extraordinarily life-affirming event such as the Woodford Folk Festival – but we are also an eclectic bunch. Our community ranges from elders, the keepers of our traditions, to the young who inject energy, innovation and new ways of thinking about how we relate to each other and the world.
So whether you are a Woodfordia elder, member, citizen, employee, contractor, artist, presenter, stallholder, volunteer or guest, all we expect is that we always treat each other with Common Decency.
Common decency thrives on reciprocation – what is given is returned. Common Decency needs nurturing but it is also resilient. In those rare times when it is not immediately returned it may not be lost – just held in the heart and quietly liberated some time later.
Our identities have many veils. We are born with them, brought up with them – sometimes we are saddled with them. Others we wear to express, discover, or perhaps obscure the person we feel we truly are inside. In short, we are complicated beings.
Wherever we come from – how we look, how we sound, who we are, who we think we are, who we seem to be to others, who we want to be seen to be – let us suspend our judgements. Let us allow the veils of identity the chance to loosen and reveal our deep commonality that truly brings us together as one to build our festivals.
