What's On Tablelands October Issue | Page 5

Festival within a festival within a festival. . . That’s what the 2016 Tablelands Folk Festival has morphed into. Almost every shop, café, restaurant, park and street corner in Yungaburra is awash with music, dance, theatre, fire, poetry, parades, food and wine, Qui Gong, Tai Chi, workshops, circus performers and chalk art. The 2016 Festival, held over the weekend of October 21-23 is a grand celebration of Folk – a diverse people’s festival in all its guises. With over 200 Performers presented in 14 venues throughout the town in a non-stop roller coaster of fabulous folky fun. Music of the people, for the people, thought provoking and laugh till your sides ache poetry, fully programmed Health and Wellness Fair incorporating massage, stalls, talks, interactive discussion, a fully programmed Children’s festival featuring the superb skills of DreamState Circus and some of the best Children’s and Youth entertainment in the business brought to you by Ergon and TAFE North. On the Main Stages, dance till you drop bands, concert performers of the highest calibre from all around the Country. Solos, duos, choirs and more. Mic Conway of Captain Matchbox fame, Tori Forsyth and her band with that quirky Tamworth sound, the local and ever popular Montgomery Brothers and the dance your pants off Bonn Scotts. Multicultural music with Mzaza, Fresh Off the Boat, Los Caracoles and The Borderers. Superb up and coming stars including Tullara, Rosie Burgess Trio, songwriting legends Nigel Wearne and Mundy-Turner, Bush Dance favourites Bush Remedy and the infamous non-stop verandah jam session. Sibling harmonies to die for with the Acfields, we proudly welcome back to the North our very own local girl makes good, Sian Evans and welcome to the festival for the very first time from far off Sydney, The Elliotts with their ‘Hollies’ sound. At the other end of the scale we welcome through the 2016 ‘Shine a Light’ project performances from some of our more youthful performers. School bands, choirs, solos, duos and piano divas, we’re very proud to have them on board. The TFF McGinty’s Irish Bar Songwriting Competition has grown in stature over recent years and now offers various prizes worth over $1,500. Held on the Saturday morning of the festival in the acoustically magical St mark’s Church, the major prize includes a fully funded recording session with Buzz Music, Cairns. The Poet’s Breakfast on Sunday morning at Nick’s Restaurant, hosted by Mark Both is legendary. This year a brand new event, the Saturday morning BYO Poet’s breakfast on The Fringe Stage hosted by Charters Towers ‘Soap Box Poet’ is added to the mix. Bring your brekky and your poem and join in the fray. The festival runs from 6 pm Friday until 5 pm Sunday and is a jam packed family friendly event with true Community Spirit. Early Bird weekend ticks are now available for $90. At the gate $120. Tickets and info at www.tablelandsfolkfestival.org. Tickets also available over the counter at Buzz Music Cairns, The Closet Hippy Malanda, Uptown Music Atherton or Curtain Fig Motel and Quincan Café Yungaburra. fri sat sun t h u r s d a y t i c k e t s see inside OCT 21-23 OCT 20th early bird $90 for more YUNGABURRA H E R B E R TO N @ the gate $120 details...