Cobargo Folk Festival receives $100,000 grant, adds new free fringe festival

Cobargo Folk Festival will receive $100,000 from the Australian Government’s Revive Live program which supports live music in regional, remote and metropolitan areas across the country.

The program is helping live music venues and festivals, spanning a diverse range of genres, organisations and audiences, to operate under tough conditions.

In a submission to a parliamentary inquiry into the challenges and opportunities in Australia’s live music industry, the Cobargo Folk Festival organisers said the difficulties they faced included cost increases of 30 per cent and a shift to last-minute ticket purchases due to the COVID pandemic.

The parliamentary committee considered the industry-wide issues facing the live music sector amid numerous venues closing and cancellations of some of Australia’s established music festivals in recent years.

Festival director Zena Armstrong and president of the Yuin Folk Club (which organises the festival) Peter Logue said some of the increased costs were cost-of-living increases while others related to increasing costs of compliance.

They said COVID had led audiences to last-minute ticket purchases, another challenge for festivals which were dependent on strong, early sales.

Ms Armstrong told Region that the 2024 Cobargo Folk Festival had broke even, “which in the current climate we are really happy about”.

“The volunteer contribution is really what’s keeping us afloat. We’ve got a really loyal family of volunteers,” she said.

Minister for the Arts Tony Burke said the Revive Live program was alleviating some of the additional costs the industry was currently facing and would help it to be more sustainable.

Member for Eden-Monaro Kristy McBain said the funding was a win for locals and the industry.

“It’s a win for the entire community – more opportunities for local talent to be in the spotlight and a boost for the Bega Valley towns that rely on the festival’s economic impact.

“This investment brings long-lasting benefits to our community, creating a ripple effect that supports local artists, businesses and tourism in the region,” Ms McBain said.

The 28th Cobargo Folk Festival will be held at the Cobargo Showground from Friday 28 February, to Sunday 2 March.

For the first time it will hold a festival fringe event “It Takes A Village” on Thursday 27 February.

The new free fringe event will see Cobargo’s main street transformed with vibrant decorations crafted by local artists to create a festive atmosphere.

Ms Armstrong said the festival started in the village in 1996 but had to move to the showground when the visitor numbers outgrew the village venues.

“We’ve always wanted to have more festival activity in the village and were trying to put that in place years back but the fires and COVID disrupted our plans,” she said. “We’ve spent the past three years getting the festival back up and running. Now the festival is back at full strength, it’s a good time time to do more in the village.”

Everyone is welcome to stroll through the village, soak in the art, support local businesses and enjoy intimate performances in village venues before the main festival events kick off on Friday. It will be bonus entertainment for those campers who arrive at the showground on Thursday.

“This year, thanks to grant funding from Destination NSW, we’re thrilled to bring performance back to the village where it all started nearly 30 years ago,” Ms Armstrong said. “The rebuild of our main street after the destruction of the fires in underway at last, and we’re ready to celebrate.”

Headlining the international acts in the three-day festival is the Scottish six-piece band Skerryvore, returning by popular demand after their show-stopping performance in 2019.

Skerryvore will be joined by legendary Australian singer-songwriter Eric Bogle, famous for The Band Played Waltzing Matilda, along with a stellar line-up including Radical Son, Stiff Gins, Austral, Kevin Welch and Heath Cullen, The Inadequates, The Pigs and the Spooky Men’s Chorale.

Ms Armstrong said the line-up promised a rich blend of folk, roots, country, global and traditional music.

“2025 is a special year for us, marking the fifth anniversary of the devastating 2019/2020 fires. We’re celebrating the resilience and spirit of our community.

“We’re excited to see Skerryvore returning to our stages, and we welcome back the legendary Eric Bogle, for what he says will be his final tour,” Ms Armstrong said.

“Eric will be performing special concerts of his favourite songs, telling the stories behind the songwriting.”

Early bird tickets are on sale here now and are limited so don’t miss out.