Fun (and arts) by the beach promised as festival's extended line-up drops

Twenty-four more artists and performers are heading to the Far South Coast when a festival returns for its second year.

The initial 2023 line-up dropped earlier this year and featured a range of Australian and international acts.

It has now been expanded, with more than 20 musicians, theatre and circus performers, comedians and other artists joining.

Artistic director Ian Pidd said Wanderer Festival’s schedule had been deliberately designed to involve more than just music.

“There is an incredibly extensive arts program at Wanderer.

“It’s a really integral part of the experience,” he said.

The newly added acts cover a range of genres and performance types, he said.

“The reason there is such a broad range of artists [at Wanderer Festival] is that there are amazing artists in this country.

“We’d like to put them in front of an audience and have a blissful time together,” Mr Pidd said.

Among the new additions are Sampa The Great, BATTS, Claire Hooper, Lonnie Hollie, Cash Savage and the Last Drinks, Riverbend Choir and many others.

“You might come for Thelma Plum, for Lonnie Holley, for Sampa the Great, for those artists you know and love,” Mr Pidd said.

“But you might discover that it’s another artist – who may not even be a musician – that is your favourite thing of the weekend.”

Wanderer’s size as a larger festival also gives local artists a chance to be featured alongside other Australian or international acts that have come to the coast, he said.

“There are not that many opportunities for local artists in the south and southeast [of New South Wales] to play in front of a few thousand people.

“We program them because they’re cool and really great performers, but we also want to show the local artists off to as big of an audience as we possibly can,” Mr Pidd said.

Mr Pidd said he was excited to see Wanderer Festival establish itself among the Sapphire Coast’s art and culture scene.

“The festival has really grown out of what’s going on on the South Coast, out of the people on the South Coast.

“One thing we’re trying to build on each year is to make it a uniquely South Coast kind of experience,” Mr Pidd said.

Wanderer Festival was founded by Falls Festival founder Simon Daly and is returning for its second year after its debut in 2022.

“Pambula Beach is not super busy in a touristy sense, but it’s got amazing things to see and do,” Mr Pidd said.

“The area also has got some of the best beaches in the country, amazing food and it’s easy to get around.”

As the time for the first performance of Wanderer Festival approaches, he hopes the festival brings some joy to attendees.

“It is very easy to get kind of glum; there’s a lot of reasons not to be cheerful.

“We don’t want to be one, so we want people to leave regenerated and feeling optimistic about the state of humanity,” Mr Pidd said.

There will also be food available during Wanderer Festival.

Wanderer Festival will be held from 29 September to 1 October at Pambula Beach.

Tickets are on sale, with tickets with camping or glamping options available for purchase.