Counting the minutes now till this year’s Welly fest
We can’t wait to see all of these amazing events in action in just a couple of weeks!!
**programme is subject to change
Programme 2026
Author: wellingtonfolkfestival
Meet and greet with Wellyfest 2026 committee
Whether you’re a long-time festival regular, a musician, a volunteer, or just folk-curious, come along to our Meet & Greet and share a drink with the crew behind the Wellington Folk Festival.
When: Saturday 27 June, 4pm–6pm (and onwards for those keen to stay)
Where: Welsh Dragon Bar, Wellington
It’s a relaxed, no-pressure catch-up — a chance to put faces to names, hear what’s brewing for the festival, and connect with others who love folk music as much as we do. We would also love to hear from you about what you want your 2026 WellyFest to look like.
Bring your instrument, bring your stories, and we’ll bring the good company. Bar snacks will be provided. The Welsh Dragon is a dog friendly pub and children are welcome if accompanied by a parent or legal guardian.
We can’t wait to see you there!
Ngā mihi nui,
The WellyFest Committee
Invitation also at this link on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/347362439094076
Wellyfest – notice of 2026 AGM
Wellyfest – AGM Sunday 1 March 2026 2 pm
Upstairs at The Office Bar, 124 Riddiford Street, Newtown
The AGM will be held on Sunday 1st March.
Location: Upstairs at The Office Bar, 124 Riddiford Street, Newtown.
Kicking off at 2 pm.
Calling Nominees
Would you like to share your voice and mahi on our Committee this year, or to nominate someone to do so?
Several current members are intending to retire so there is plenty of room for new people to bring new ideas.
Nominations can be made (and accepted) at the meeting, or you can drop us a message to secretarywff@gmail.com either indicating your interest or nominating someone.
Nominees for Committee need to agree to accept a nomination. If the nominee cannot attend the AGM, we will need their agreement to be nominated in writing and in advance. This can be done by the nominated person emailing to the Secretary.
To vote at the meeting you need to have paid the annual membership subscription ($1). Subs can be paid on the day at the meeting – preferably in cash. If you are not able to physically attend the meeting but wish to be, or remain, a member you can pay by electronic transfer to 03-1537-0013906-00 with your name in the “particulars”, and “sub2026” as the reference.
Collaboration
Would you like to help out, but the idea of formal committee commitment doesn’t work for you?
We are also looking for folk who are willing to help out with planning, publicity, organisational or administrative tasks on the working groups during the year. There are many areas where you might offer your skills, special talent and magic powers!
Do you have an interest in areas such as, communication and marketing, managing and organising people tasks and rosters, project co-ordination, graphic design, music management, Website and IT skills, or are you an admin junkie? Would you like to help on the Youth Gathering? Drop us a line to secretarywff@gmail.com.
Notice of Annual General Meeting – Wellington Regional Folk Foundation Inc
Date: Sunday,1 March 2026
Time: 2pm
Where: Upstairs at The Office Bar, 124 Riddiford Street, Newtown.
AGENDA
1. Present
2. Apologies
3. Minutes of the 2025 AGM
4. Matters Arising (not covered elsewhere in the agenda)
5. President’s report
6. 2025 Performance Report including Annual Financial Statements
7. Election of the committee:
a. President
b. Treasurer
c. Secretary
d. Committee members (up to 7)
8. Appointment of the Reviewer
9. Setting of the subscription
10. General business
Please note that if you wish to nominate someone for a committee role who is NOT able to be present at the meeting, you will need to bring with you written confirmation (an email will do) of their willingness to stand, or to have let us know in advance.
Seeking guest applications for Wellyfest 2026
Calling all folk musicians! Help us to shape the start of the 7th decade of folk music festivals in Wellington. We need great talent to perform, host workshops and lead our dance programme for the 2026 Wellington Folk Festival.
Experienced or just starting out? Check it out! You could be just what we are looking for! The range of musical genres gets wider every year. All ages welcome. If you’d like to be in the programme in any of these capacities (or know people who might), here is a link to our online application form:
Guest application form for the 2026 Festival (23 -26 October 2026)
Applications close at midnight on Saturday 28th February 2026.
Feel free to forward this link to your friends or anyone you’d like to see on our guest list. Applications are encouraged in any of these areas:
- Concerts or other performance
- Dance in a variety of traditional and modern styles
- Workshops on dance, musicianship, performance, specific instruments, cultural and historic influences and evolution of folk music and dance
- Learning (and fun) activities for kids
The application form has specific guidance on how to put together your application. It’s important to complete the form in full so we have a consistent basis for comparing potential guests and preparing a rough programme.
Have look under the “Our history” tab if you want to find out about the guest artists we’ve had in the past.
We expect to be in contact with shortlisted guests by the end of April.
Post Festival Survey
Another Festival is done and dusted and already we are starting to think about the next one.
And part of this is collecting feedback about this year’s edition.
We are not only interested in responses from those of you who attended the 2025 Festival, but also from those of you who are interested in the Festival, but for whatever reason did not attend this year.
So here is the link – https://wellingtonfolkfestival.us5.list-manage.com/…
Please take 5 minutes to give us your thoughts.
Festival site update
The wind is starting to abate here in Wellington (although still a bit gusty) and the sun is shining! It does augur well for the weekend which is expected to be “mainly fine” from Friday onwards.
Three important things to note:
- The region is under a complete outdoor fire ban, so no camp fires this year.
- There will still be wind, so campers make sure you have the necessary kit to anchor your tents to the ground effectively.
- AND our hot fashion tip – there has been some rain today so the site may be a bit soggy. So “wellies rather than jandals” if you want to be one of the cool kids with dry feet.
The weather has disrupted preparations, through delaying the arrival of materials and people, and the Wainuiomata Hill Road has been closed today (Thursday), so there will still be things to do tomorrow. If you are arriving early on Friday and happy to help, grab a passing Committee member (identifiable by their green jackets) and ask if there is anything you can do to help.
Please note the Wainuiomata Hill Road was reopened today at 3:55pm. The Hutt City Council website said, ” Conditions are marginal – extreme care must be taken while driving over the hill.”
60th festival celebrations
There’s been a ton of work going on behind the scenes to make sure we mark the 60th festival in style!
On Saturday at 4:00pm on the Main Stage there’s a 60th Anniversary Showcase concert featuring invited guests Chris Penman, Mike Moroney, the Madillionaires, Davy Stuart, Butter wouldn’t Melt, Mike Harding and the Wooden Box band.
In the evening that day, there’s a “60 Years Young” Invitation Concert in the Maire Hall, from 8pm till late, hosted by Mary Livingston and Vanessa McLellan.
A magnificent slideshow has been prepared by Gerard Hudson, and poster boards featuring photos of past performers and events has been set up by Sue Ikin.
Almost all 60 programmes from last festivals have been scanned and added to the website – feel free to have a browse and relive past times! And if you have any of the missing ones, do dig them out and bring them to the festival. We’ll scan them and return them to you as soon as possible.
As well as the historical outline in your printed programme, we are collating a more in-depth history to go up on the website. For this we’d like your help – if you have some memories you’d like to share, please look out for Janette Munneke on site – she’ll have an audio tape recorder to collect them. And/or send reminiscences to WFFmemories@gmail.com for inclusion in the ‘bigger picture’ history.
Online ticket purchase closes 23 October
Despite multiple setbacks (hire company liquidation and this week’s stormy weather), Wellyfest 2025 kicks off as scheduled tomorrow, Friday 24 October. There’s a great line-up of guests on the main stage and in the Balladeer tent, along with a vibrant Village Green, a popping programme for younger folk, buzzing Blackboard concerts, wonderful workshops, a dazzling dance programme, and plenty of other opportunities to join in.
You can still purchase tickets online from Humanitix until later tonight (23 October), which will save some time at the desk. Tickets are available for the whole weekend or for single days or evenings.
Registrations for children aged 12 or under are free and the youth programme (for children and youth aged 5 – 18) is included in the Festival registration.
You will be able to buy tickets at the gate from 3pm on Friday 24 October. (Bunks usually sell out in advance of the Festival.)
For a full breakdown of ticket prices, please see the ticket page. Or go straight to the Humanitix page to book now.
Online ticket purchase extended to 23 October
Update: you can now purchase tickets online from Humanitix until 23 October for the 2025 60th Wellington Folk Festival.
Registrations for children aged 12 or under are free as we celebrate being “60 years young”, and there’s another great youth programme running this year, included in the Festival registration for children and youth aged 5 – 18.
You will be able to buy tickets at the gate from 3pm on Friday 24 October. If you want a bunk, it’s best to book as soon as possible as they usually sell out in advance of the Festival.
For a full breakdown of ticket prices, please see the ticket page. Or go straight to the Humanitix page to book now.
Gathering Wellyfest history
60 Festivals in 61 years!
What an amazing feat! How many have you attended? What are your highlights and favourite memories?
We’re planning to continue the tradition of writing up history of the festival every ten years, and we’d love to include your reminiscences. Janette Munneke will be out at the festival with a voice recorder – please think about some recollections you’d like to share and come and chat with her during the Festival, or you can email them to this address: wffmemories@gmail.com
To jog your memory, you can view many of the past programmes on the Wellyfest website at this link: https://wellingtonfolkfestival.org.nz/past-programmes/ (but beware, you might get lost for a while!). There will also be a slideshow and some poster boards at the Festival.
For more info about the history project, go to this page website: Gathering Wellyfest history | Wellington Folk Festival.