Wellyfest 2023 Announcement
We’re thrilled to unveil the much-anticipated guest lineup for the 2023 Wellington Folk Festival!
Mark your calendars for October 20th to 23rd, as we gather once again at the picturesque Brookfield Scout Camp for a celebration of folk music, culture, and community.
After a hiatus of several years, we’re excited to announce the return of overseas guests to our festival. Prepare to be enchanted by the fantastic assembly of international and local artists, all coming together to create an unforgettable experience for folk music enthusiasts of all ages.
The Guests are:
Himmerland ( Denmark)
New music from Scandinavia across styles, cultures and frontiers! Where ever Himmerland play, they bewitch and spread warmth and happiness amongst people, performing their unique blend of old Danish ballads, whirling fiddle tunes, equilibristic improvisations, and new fascinating music composed and arranged by the band members
Richard Grainger (UK)
Richard Grainger is a singer and songwriter, who captures the richness of the traditions of northern England, in particular his home county of North Yorkshire a region rich with maritime and industrial heritage such as the birth of the railways, James Cook, Shipbuilding, Fishing, Iron & Steel industry and much more.
From a working class and musical family, Richard sings for, and of, the working folk in that region. His songs range from the very serious to the hilarious, from climate change, shipwrecks and war to days out at the seaside, and he’s been described by a BBC presenter as ‘The Folk Singers folk singer’and,’a folk singer in the truest sense’
Turkey The Bird (Aotearoa)
New Zealand’s folk trio “Turkey The Bird” will remind you of the famous Margarita cocktail infused with a hint of “Simon & Garfunkel”, 2 ounces of “Mumford and Sons”, a splash of banjo and served on ice on a sunny day. Catchy folk songs with stunning rich melodies and effortless smooth lyrics. Songs that tell uplifting stories about love and life.
Adam McGrath (Aotearoa)
Adam McGrath is a folk singer and yarn spinner stationed wherever he can get a key! Described by RNZ as a “National Treasure” and the Herald as “NZ’s toughest minded songwriter”, Adam is more widely known as lead singer and songwriter with one of NZ’s most loved roots/country bands The Eastern.
His song Hope and Wire was the inspiration behind Gaylene Preston’s TV series of the same name and he is known for his service orientated approach to music in the years since. Described as “maybe part folk singer, part preacher, part boxer, and part rodeo clown he is however all heart”. Raucous, tender, roof and spirit raising a McGrath show goes straight for the spirit level in all of us, looking deep for the good parts and hoping to reach all the thoughtful bits that matter.
Triske (Aotearoa)
Triske are a Celtic group from Wellington. They came together in 2021 around an eclectic range of music. Their original songs are a uniquely Kiwi take on the Celtic sound; they mix these with delicate traditional songs and foot-stomping dance tunes from Ireland, Scotland and Brittany. In 2023 they released their debut EP Flightless, a collection of original and traditional songs.
Hot Diggity (Aotearoa)
Hot Diggity is New Zealand’s all-female bluegrass band. They put out a powerful, lively sound with hot instrumentation and tight harmonies. Hot Diggity was formed in 2014, but all five members are veteran musicians having played with numerous other bands in a variety of musical styles for years.
Beans Maries (Aotearoa)
UK born singer songwriter Beans, blends gentle indie folk sounds with a unique lyrical style. Their original songs are rich with humour, honesty and carefully crafted word play, borne of a love of language combined with a vibrant inner world. They gained international acclaim in 2021 as a finalist in the Liverpool International Song Contest, and have since performed at small venues and festivals around Queensland, Australia. A newcomer to Wellington scene, they are making gentle waves in acoustic folk circles.
Mehana (Aotearoa)
With a mix of East and West folk spiced up by Romani (gypsy), Mehana fuse the traditional and the modern. They will take you on a music journey from melancholy of Roma violin laments to storming beats of Gypsy rumba, mixing with traditional Balkan rhythms as a blend of influences through time and space. It does not matter that we sing in different languages – songs about love everybody understands.
But wait there is more !
We are in the process of developing the workshop and dance programme and will make further announcements over the coming weeks, including the opening of the early bird registration on Eventfinder.
There is also a brand new youth programme ! Heaps of exciting stuff coming so watch this space!
Call for Volunteers
As with previous years, the festival would not succeed without the invaluable input from volunteers.
If you’d like to get involved
We have a number of volunteer positions available. Dependent on the hours volunteers put in to assisting with festival housekeeping, set up and breakdown the festival will offer a hefty discount or free entry into the festival. The teams and skills we are needing are:
- First Aid – Two people with level 2 first aid skills – preferably with ATP
- Security and registration – checking and selling tickets, cash and EFTPOS handling, venue ticket checks
- Housekeeping and hygiene – rubbish bin clearance and cleaning the loos and showers
- Site setup and breakdown – general furniture shifting, venue and site setup and experienced people with construction site experience to help with stage, sound and lighting rig setup. Training certificates for Sitesafe and working at heights are highly desirable for a few people.
If you’d like more information about any of these opportunities, please send an email to
info@wellingtonfolkfestival.org.nz and we’ll forward to the relevant committee member.
