Crowds were building at the National Folk Festival at Epic on Thursday afternoon as the clock slowly moved towards 7pm and the opening concert of this year’s 48th event.
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Organisers are already mooting the possibility of better-than-expected attendances thanks to superb autumn weather which is ideal for the many campers already on site, and very strong advance ticket sales.
''We are expecting well over 50,000 people (over the event),'' a festival spokeswoman said.
The opening concert dovetails with a welcome bush dance, featuring the Bush Capital Band, due to start at 8pm.
The concert was to be headlined by US blues performer, Woody Mann, Margret RoadKnight (who is expected to receive a lifetime achievement award), Chloe and Jason Roweth and Gina Williams and Guy Ghouse.
The Mae Trio are also going to be awarded the National Film & Sound Archive & National Folk Festival CD Of The Year Award at the opening concert.
estival regular, Parmita, 36, from Nimbin, said the event had an atmosphere all its own.
The clothing designer and importer, who has a fondness for spiral themes, has come to Canberra four times before.
In addition to selling apparel in the well supported festival market which has more than 100 stalls and pavilions, Parmita plans to catch as much of the music as she can.
''We’ve just done Woodford,'' she said. ''I’ve loved folk music my whole life; my father was a musician and I’ve grown up with it.''
Parmita said folk festivals were happy, friendly places that had a unique atmosphere.
She is looking forward to hearing music from Dubmarine, a Brisbane group, and No Hausfrau.
A gated event, the National Folk Festival makes maximum use of the many pavilions, performance and exhibition spaces at Exhibition Park.
Performances by Lindi Ortega, Pocket Fox, Round Mountain Girls and the Ellis Collective are also scheduled for Thursday evening across a range of venues.
The entertainment kicks off in earnest on Good Friday with wall-to-wall entertainment slated for the Budawang Pavilion from 10am (Eleanor McEvoy) to midnight (The Crooked Fiddle Band) with Archie Roach, Trouble In The Kitchen and a host of other local and international acts programmed for the spots in between.
The Marquee, Trocadero, Flute n’ Fiddle, Scrumpy, Majestic and the main carnival stage will also offer non stop entertainment.
Good Friday will be rounded off by a Friday Carnival, featuring four separate acts including Silkweed and The Squeezebox Trio from 8.30pm to 11.40pm.
People in search of a quick hit of performance poetry need look no further than the Poet’s Breakfast to be hosted by Geoffrey W. Graham and Robyn Sykes from 8.30am on Friday.
