Applications close at midnight on 20 May 2024.
Please read through the following information prior to applying.
We've provided quite a bit of information below to give you an idea of the festival, its aims, some remuneration guidelines and other considerations.
We will be looking at booking 90 acts to perform across our 7 stages over the three days.
We do not have any major grants or funding at this stage and will be relying on ticket sales to survive. The festival is presented by volunteers from the Illawarra Folk Club and friends.
We are anticipating a large volume of applications and are hoping to advise the status of applications at the End of June 2024.
Kay Proudlove and David De SantiCo-Artistic Directorsartists@illawarrafolkclubfestival.com.au
The 38th Illawarra Folk Festival is to be held at the Bulli Showground (10km north of Wollongong, NSW) from 4 pm Friday 17 January 2025 to Sunday evening, 19 January 2025. Click to see an overview of the festival.
The Illawarra Folk Festival is an event that exudes friendliness, participation and having a good time with new and old friends. Many of the artists camp on site and some limited accommodation may be provided with home host billets.
The festival is always looking for tutors for the Folk School that is held on the Friday of the festival. Selected tutors are provided $100 for each 1-hour session they present. You can indicate your interest in the application form.
Youth artists (U18) will be able to apply for a chance to play in the Youth Concerts. Youth performers will receive a free Day Pass. Youth performers under 18 need to be accompanied by a parent. One free parent pass will also be issued.
If selected to perform at the festival, discounted passes for partners and young children (U18) will be available as follows. These rates are less than 40% of the full rate.
You may want to take these costs into account when providing the fee request in the application form.
Please read and keep the following in mind when considering your fee request:
Fees are negotiable, but in general, the offered fee can range anywhere between $500 and $3000 and more depending on the number of artists in the act, suitability and appeal to the festival. The festival does not provide airfares. Artists are responsible for arranging their visas, insurance and transport to and from the festival. There are only a limited number of international acts we accept who generally are visiting Australia. We do provide accommodation either with a billet or an on-site artist tent.
A Day Pass will be provided to Youth Artists who perform in the Youth Showcase Concerts. A Day Pass will also be provided for one parent. Prices for additional parent and siblings will be as per the Partner Pass rates above.
We select acts mainly by the following criteria:
We prefer online audio and video support material such as Youtube, Spotify, Soundcloud, Act website, and Facebook Artist Page (not personal). Live performance footage is preferred so we can see you in action!
This is a traditional style folk festival with audience members of all ages, and many venues are close to each other. Therefore the sound systems provided are not large and powerful but more for clarity and reinforcement. The production team may intervene if stage volumes are high and are interfering with other venues. Please consider before applying if you are a loud band.
Please enter the agency name, if applicable. Should your act be selected, we will collect primary contact details for them.DO NOT the complete the next entry if you are a self-managed artist applicant.
No more than 30 words. We are seeking a mix of genres, generally leaning towards original, acoustic, folk, world and traditional music.
This is your opportunity to pitch to the festival selectors why we should book your act. Describe your live performance, musical style, experience, history, etc and you would suit playing for our folk festival.Should your act be accepted, we will ask for a 50-word bio for the program guide pitching to the festival patrons why they should see your performance.
Please select the appropriate option
Your requested fee should be for the entire festival, not per performance. Please quote your fee excluding GST. When considering your fee, please remember that the Illawarra Folk Festival is a small, self-funded, not-for-profit Festival run by volunteers. Please read the information at the beginning of this form for more details on fee suggestions.
Enter your requested fee as numbers only, or use the up and down arrows to dial in the amount. This field will not accept text nor the $ symbol. If you are offering a free performance, enter 0 as the requested fee.
Select as applicable.
Are you willing to offer a Workshop at the Folk School and/or during the Festival?Indicate your preference and provide details in the Other Performances below.
Click on the + Add another to add additional types of performances on offer.
Please enter the name of the performance.
Please enter a brief description of the performance, including relevant details such as age group for children's shows, ability levels for workshops, callers for dances, etc
Please enter performance duration in minutes.
This information must be correct as it affects the terms and conditions of contracting, accommodation and logistics.
Artists are usually booked on the basis that they will be available for the whole weekend and be flexible enough to make anywhere from 2 - 3 appearances in concerts and workshops.
For local (Illawarra region acts) - would you like to be considered for a single performance spot (30 to 45 minutes)? Limited fees are applicable.
Applications will only be considered from acts that have nominated the number of performers in their line-up.
If you are applying as a solo performer, enter "1". The number entered here determines how many performer contacts can be added and weekend passes allocated.
We will collect the contact details of other performers after contracting.
Are any of the performers in this act also applying in another act(s)?
If Yes, please add the Act names in the following text box.
List performers who are in other Acts applying for the festival: one performer/act per line.
Should your act be booked to perform in 2024, please indicate your likely accommodation option.
We prefer auditioning by streaming sources such as Youtube, Spotify, Soundcloud, or Facebook Artist Pages etc – especially Youtube!
If your act is accepted, your website and Youtube channel will be included in the Festival website.
Please note that the image will not be displayed in your application form, but rest assured, it works reliably and we'll let you know if there are any issues.
If so, you will be required to provide current Registration to Work with Vulnerable People details after contracting.
It is a requirement of the Festival's public liability insurance that all members of a paid act must be covered by either an “act” policy that clearly states that all members of the act are covered or each individual member must have their own insurance cover.
If your act is selected, you will be required to forward proof of public liability insurance as part of the contract acceptance process. The minimum required level of indemnity for any one occurrence is AUD$20,000,000.
The Certificate of Public Liability Insurance MUST explicitly state the name of the act or performers covered and also that it covers public performance activities. If you are offering a workshop, it must state that it covers this activity also. A business policy that does not explicitly state that it covers performance will not be accepted.
If your current certificate expires before the 2025 Festival, we will still require a copy of this and a copy of the new certificate when you renew your policy.
If a performance fee is requested, I understand and accept that every member of the act will be required to have public liability insurance cover with a minimum level of indemnity for any one occurrence of AUD$20,000,000.
I am uninsured and would like to arrange $20 Million PLI coverage through the Illawarra Folk Festival at our cost (amount TBA)
I am responsible for supplying all act information.
I confirm that my act will be considered by the selection committee on the availability details and performer member numbers provided by me at this time and that any changes to these details may result in an offer to perform being revoked.
I have read and accept the terms & conditions as stated in the Performer Guidelines & Information, which can be viewed HERE
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