Celebrating family, friends and shared experiences for over 28 years, Fairbridge Festival returns in 2021 with three magical days of music, camping, art, and good all-round entertainment from Friday, April 9 until Sunday, April 11, just one hour south of Perth at Fairbridge Village, Pinjarra.
Featuring the best in contemporary, folk, roots and music influenced by cultures from around the world – this year’s event will deliver the biggest showcase of local artists the Festival has ever seen. From Indigenous artists to emerging folk musicians and dance bands, and even some jazz, pop and classical, the music sits alongside an inspiring range of children’s activities and family workshops, theatre, comedy, dance, and more.
“On behalf of myself and my truly wonderful team, let me say how proud we are to offer this rich and layered experience of music, dance and youth events, which focuses on Western Australian artists who deliver original and inspiring works,” said Artistic Director Rod Vervest. “Fairbridge Festival radiates this visceral and immensely important reminder of the satisfaction and restoration of spirit that simply comes from sharing experiences on common ground.”
The popular music and camping festival will feature some exclusive and spine-tingling performances, including Gina Williams and Guy Ghouse who will be performing with the brilliant jazz pianist Russell Holmes and Dolce Quartet, whereby ancient language and heartfelt stories entwine with strings and ethereal piano; and Richard Walley’s Six Seasons with Junkadelic Brass Band featuring Noongar singers celebrating tens of thousands of years of cultural knowledge through song and story.
The Peacock Sessions in the Festival’s newest venue will showcase Celtic, old-time and bluegrass sessions featuring the state’s hottest players, and the World Music Café is a social enterprise concept whereby audiences can meet a migrant and refugee team for a fusion of stories, food and music.
Fairbridge Festival 2021 will also feature some east coast acts including Blackeyed Susans’ vocalist and one-time guest singer in The Triffids, Rob Snarski, who will bring along his velvet-voice and superb guitarist and producer Shane O’Mara; and Taasha Coates across the piano, guitar and ukulele will play songs from her solo album, as well as the odd cover and a dose of The Audreys hits.
There will also be some surprise international guests with Germany’s The Beez returning to the Festival after warming the hearts of audiences with their oompah take on classic pop tunes with a show titled Look What We’ve Done to Your Song.
Fairbridge Festival takes place in the middle of the April school holidays and Children’s Programmer and actor/comedian Sam Longley has put together a fun and funky family program full of laughs and good music for all ages.
Patrons are invited to spend their day in the Kaleidoscope tent listening to the bouncing good tunes of Ninth Time Lucky, the classic bush music of The Mucky Duck Bush Band, and the rollicking strings of Diggin the Jig. And if that’s not enough music, then this year there will also be a new late-night kid’s disco (in bed by 9pm).
Storyteller and songster Glenn Swift will perform Bed Time Stories and encourage young performers to get up on stage for Sunday morning’s Kidz Kaperz. The smash hit comedy show The Little HOO-HAA! will have adults and kids calling out suggestions and laughing out loud. Greg Hastings & Linda Gillan will take guests on a tour through the countryside with their interactive show Wandering Through The Bush, and Circus WA will be swinging through the air in beautiful and heart stopping circus madness.
There will be guided art sessions including Clay Play, Mapping Fairbridge, Unique Corn Crafts, Magic seeds and some unicorn costume making; and Bindi Bindi Dreaming joins the Festival for the first-time where kids can learn to cook bush tucker and about the land we are on.
Dance teacher, performer and director extraordinaire, Paige Gordon, has programmed dance events in the Mandja Tent to get folks movin’ and groovin’ with dance performances from Selendang Sutra, Dancing Dhevas, Morris Dance groups, Soukouss Internationale, and Sambanistas.
There are workshops and dance learnings galore with family folk dancing, Flamenco with Lyn Martlew, Hip Hop with Jesse Teichelman, Ceili dancing and more. For daily restoration and rejuvenation, campers can start the day with some Morning Yoga with Genevieve Stynes, Pilates with Liz Cornish, Awareness-Through-Movement (Feldenkrais-based practice) with Philippa Clarke, and Seated Dance Classes presented by Lifespan Dance.
And for the first time ever, there will now be an all-ages and all-abilities Flashmob choreographed by award-winning dancer and Fairbridge Festival Dance Artist-in-Residence for 2021, Claudia Alessi. Patrons are invited to attend up to three rehearsals and be part of the performances on the final day, so don’t forget to pack your dancewear!
Fairbridge Festival have made Festival patron’s safety their highest priority and their approved COVID Event Plan follows all Health Department guidelines to ensure the event is COVID-safe for everyone.
Check out the full line up below (in alphabetical order):
Adrian Dzvuke | Alchemy Art Quartet | Alter Boy | Anninora | Ashlea Reale and The Outlaws | Axel Carrington | B R Dalton | Baba Yaga’s Dream Yurt | Baka Gaijin | Ballpoint Penguins | Barrelhouse Blues | Bernard Carney | Bluegrass Parkway | Bluegrass Slow Jam w/ Tom and The Lost Cores | Body Painting w/ Ruby Spinning Arts | Bookbinding w/ Mae | Brassika | Bustamento | Carla Geneve | Cecilia Brandolini | Céilí Dancing w/ Torc Céilí Club | Chordial Tones | Ciaran O’Sullivan | Collaborative Leaf Artwork | Contour Drawing w/ Open Hands Creative | Craig Sinclair and The Southern Lights | David and Liz Rivett | Diggin the Jig | Dilip n the Davs | DIY Paper Beads | Dyeing with natural materials | Eastwinds | Fairbridge Classics in the Chapel | Fool Nelson | Fo’c’s’le Firkins | Fraeya | Frank’s Fish Tank + Eloise Gougoux | Gina Williams & Guy Ghouse | Gina Williams & Guy Ghouse with Russell Holmes and the Dolce Quartet | Glenn Swift | Golden Whistler | Grand Remedy | Hardey McMurrick Kind | Hot Toddy presents The Bushfire Suite & The Tay Bridge Disaster | Iris | Jessie Gordon and Mark Turner | Jill Turner | Joan & The Giants | John Barrett | John Bennett w/ David Hyams | John Ralph | Jones of ARK | Junkamento | Kat Wilson | Khin Myint | Kids Cooking with Bindi Bindi Dreaming | Kohesia Ensemble | Lachy John | Land Art w/ Elaine Clocherty | Lemon Mrytle | Mad Tatters Morris | Magic Unicorn Art w/ Marie Jacquier | Major Swing | MALi JO$E | Marlee Morris | Meditation and Movement w/ Phillippa Clarke | Morning Ecstatic Dance w/ Dancing Dhevas | Mucky Duck Bush Band | Mythical Creature Crowns | Natalie D-Napoleon | Natasha Vearing | Natural Wings | Nine Mile Hill | Ninth Time Lucky | No Nomad | Noah Dillon | Palo Alto | Perth Morris Men | Phil Gray’s Poets Breakfast | Pilates w/ Liz Cornish | Pinch Pottery | Providence Gospel Choir | Recycled Rope Bracelets | Red Sea Pedestrians | Richard Walley’s Six Seasons with Junkadelic | Rob Snarski & Shane O’Mara | Ross Vegas | Ryley | Sara Salt | Scottish Stramash Community Group | Sea Swallow | Seated Dance w/ Lifespan Dance | Selendang Sutra Dance Troupe | Selfless Orchestra | Singing the Spirit | Skating Sweepers | Smartphone Videography w/ John Reed | Smol Fish | Soukouss Internationale | Spirit of Alba | Steve Hensby Band | StringyBach | Sue Espie | SUPEREGO | Taasha Coates | The Albany Shantymen | The Bambuseae Rhythm Section | The Beez | The Black Chooks | The Fair Maids of Perth | The Happy Girls | The Justin Walshe Folk Machine | The Liquid Project | The Little HOO-HAA! | The Men of the West | The Rogues | The Rose Parker Trio | The Wayward Earls | The Witchy Djypsies | Trio Fáilte | Ukulele Song Sessions w/ Elderberries | Ungrounded Circus | Wandering In The Bush Show | Wasamba!! Carnival Drummers | Weaving Magic w/ Sheila McNeil | Welcome to Country | West Australian Mandolin Orchestra | Will The Circle Be Unbroken | World Music Café | Yoga w/ Genevieve Stynes | Youth Yoga w/ Molly
Fairbridge Festival goes down at Fairbridge Village, Pinjarra from Friday, April 9 until Sunday, April 11. The event program, timetable and site map will be released on the Fairbridge Festival website soon. For more info and to buy tickets head to fairbridgefestival.com.au
