Maldon Folk Festival | Folk Music Dance & Theatre, Maldon Victoria

Welcome to the Maldon Folk Festival

Maldon Folk Festival, located in Central Victoria, has been held annually for more than three decades. Each year we provide a long weekend of quality entertainment at affordable prices, to suit all age groups.

Join us in Maldon October 30th to 2nd November 2009
Experience the legendary festival atmosphere, showcasing an
abundance of music, dance and theatre in the historic,
National Trust Classified Maldon township.

At the 2009 Maldon Folk Festival you can enjoy four days of folk music and
dance, musical theatre and interactive workshops, complemented
by various activities around the Maldon township.

Children's Entertainment in our dedicated kids marquee
Festival Market (Stall bookings 03 5475 1484)
Dancing - Irish Ceilidh, Family Bush Dance, Colonial Old Time Bush Dance
Instrument Makers Exhibition
Workshops - Dance, Song, Instruments
The Spoken Word - Vintage Verse, Poet's Breakfast, Swagman's Breakfast & The Yarn Event
Songwriting Competitions - Roddy Read Memorial Songwriting Competition & Maldon Minstrel Award
Musical Theatre Presentations
Sessions, Busking & Chalkboard Venues
Dedicated Blues Venue
Traditional Gospel Concert & "Soul Music"

View Events Programme | Purchase Tickets

We offer a natural setting and a relaxed atmosphere.
The historic Maldon township has an ambience dating from the Goldrush
with a wood-fired bakery, good food, local wines, pubs, churches, gardens
and the world famous Maldon Steam Train.

View a glimpse of the festival, and hear what festival-goers say about it

Visit our Photo Gallery to see pictures of previous Maldon Folk Festivals.

PERFORMERS, SONGWRITERS, BUSKERS, RECITERS, YARN SPINNERS, INSTRUMENT MAKERS

Performers are invited to apply from February 1st each year for a March 31st deadline. Visit the Performer Applications page for details. There are also ample Busking, Session and Chalkboard opportunities for performers – particularly those who are not programmed.

Walk-up performances are also welcome from reciters and yarn-spinners at the Spoken Word events.

Songwriting Competitions are open to both registered and non-registered performers. See Maldon Minstrel Award and Roddy Read Song Writing Award for more details.

Instrument Makers can display their hand-crafted musical instrumentsand to share their knowledge and skills. See Instrument Makers Display for more info.

Tell your friends about the Maldon Folk Festival

See you at the 2009 Maldon Folk Festival
RELAX, JOIN IN, HAVE FUN!

"I can think of no other music festival in Australia that is more worthy of support. In my opinion, the Maldon Festival is the premier "Grass Roots" type of festival in Australia today.

The trend in Australia these days seems to be for music festivals that grow larger and more crowded every year, with crowds, costs, and admission charges spiralling forever upwards. While this has obvious economic advantages for the musicians involved, the sheer size of these festivals tends to make them fairly passive experiences, with the audience and performers acting out their allotted roles without too much inter-mingling.

In stubborn defiance of trends, Maldon Festival continues to try and present an informal, interactive family-based festival. It is also very much a community-based festival, with the local towns-people playing an active and supportive role in the festival. Whilst this is not unique within music festivals in Australia, I believe the high level of that support is. Musicians generally hold the Maldon Folk Festival, and it's philosophy, in high regard, and that regard is evidenced by the fact that many of them provide their services to the festival free of charge, or at most, for travel expenses or a nominal fee.

I myself have performed at the festival on three occasions over the years, and will no doubt be cajoled, cozened, or blackmailed into appearing again in the future! And will do so gladly."

~ Eric Bogle AM