Our History

The National Folk Festival started life as the Port Phillip District Folk Music Festival. It was held on the weekend of 11 & 12 February 1967 at the Teachers College, Melbourne University, and was relatively modest compared to the current event, being held over two days with an Official Opening on the Friday evening by Alan Marshall.

In the Program’s opening remarks Mick Counihan (committee member) wrote “Principally, (in Australia) there is no focal point, no meeting place for the exchange of songs, styles, ideas. Here, a serious Folk Music Festival can play an essential role and this is what the Port Phillip Festival, intended as an annual, national event, must aim to do.”

In the 1960s folk music in the United States was moving into the mainstream, with the highly successful Newport Folk Festival gaining wide publicity for the genre. Founded in 1959, Newport cultivated a broad range of folk music from the start and continues to stretch the boundaries of folk to this day. The National Folk Festival developed from the Port Phillip District Folk Festival, fueled by the idea that a similar type of festival in Australia might attract new ‘folk’ audiences here.
We pay tribute to those on the founding committee including Shirley Andrews (chair), Glen Tomasetti, Martyn Wyndham-Read and Mick Counihan.
From 1969 the Festival was held in a different state or territory each year, with a locally formed committee organising and delivering the event. By the late 1980s, the travelling version of the National Folk Festival had become difficult for each organising committee to manage. Between 1988 and 1992 heavy financial losses were sustained by organising groups, and the future of the Festival was in doubt. Change needed to be embraced to save the Festival by making the event financially viable. The Australian Folk Trust took a courageous step by taking over the running of the event.
In 1992 the AFT decided that the size and scope of the event had grown to a point where the Festival needed a permanent home and a professional management team. Several cities were considered and, eventually, Canberra was chosen. AFT chairperson Dale Dengate played a significant role in reaching this difficult decision.
In 1993 a not-for-profit, limited liability company, the National Folk Festival Ltd was formed to operate the event. A full-time Director was employed and an office was established in Gorman House, Braddon. The Festival settled into its permanent home at Exhibition Park In Canberra (EPIC) and has been held there every Easter long weekend since.
Over the years the Festival has continued to evolve and reshape itself and 2024 will be no exception. While the National Folk Festival adapts to the current challenges, it will always remain true to its beginnings, and be a meeting place for the exchange of songs, styles and ideas. We can’t wait to see you all again at Australia’s longest-running national festival, and continue to make our history with you!

Our Mission Statement

The National Folk Festival is a hub for the Australian Folk community. We provide a meeting place to perform, share and develop folk traditions. We serve an evolving community that values participation, learning, listening and creating. We value the diversity of folk traditions in Australia, including First Nations culture and traditions, and traditions brought during colonisation and through subsequent and ongoing migration.

Folk traditions are not static, but constantly adapting. They look to the past, to the present, and to the future. Folk culture is varied: it encompasses music, dance, spoken word, craft, among other things. Our mission goes beyond simply presenting these activities to an audience. The National Folk Festival supports the ways in which this knowledge is passed on and transformed through practice, through listening and through exchange. This is what makes our Folk Festival unique.

Our event is shaped by a community of participants who engage with the festival on many levels. We seek to create a forum for these active, engaged and skilled communities to become new again each year. In order to ensure the National Folk Festival remains viable for future generations and can continue to support these communities, and to attain our stated goals, our event must be financially sustainable. We aim for continuous improvement in our business and our Festival, creating a safe and enjoyable environment for all involved.

Our Vision

The National Folk Festival will be a nationally recognised, annual exposition and celebration of folk culture.

Our Core Values

Respect – for our traditional and contemporary folk culture; for one another.

Inclusiveness – openness to diverse participation, respecting personal contribution and effort.

Teamwork – common goals, different roles, collaborative action, shared accountability and rewards.

Professionalism – good governance and management, honesty, integrity and transparency.

Our Staff

Managing Director: Heidi Pritchard

Artistic Directors: Chris Stone, Holly Downes & Michael Sollis

Volunteer Manager: Demelza Crook

Artist Coordinator: Natalie Jayne

Social Media & Marketing Manager: Stephanie Vieceli

Operations Manager: Anne Denzer

David Gilks, LLB (ANU), BEc (ANU).
David is a manager with experience in strategic policy and operational delivery roles both in Australia and overseas. He is a folk musician, dancer and dance caller. He has participated in the Festival as a patron, volunteer and performer and was the Festival's Ticket Office Area Coordinator for four Festivals (2009 - 12).
Virginia is a long-time communications professional in Canberra having worked as a journalist (AAP in the Press Gallery, The Canberra Times and local ABC as a radio producer and sometime broadcaster) and for the past 24 years in the public sector, including leading strategic communications for Australia’s G20 presidency in 2014. She is currently a member of the Senior Executive Service in the Department of Industry, Science, Energy and Resources, where she has acted a number of times as Chief Operating Officer. She has sat on a number of boards in Canberra, and is currently vice-president of Canberra Rep. Virginia has been attending the “Folkie” since it first moved to EPIC, turning many family members and friends into equally devoted fans of the event. She is passionate about the folk festival’s ability to strengthen community, foster talent and tell important stories. She is very slowly learning to play the fiddle.

Our Board of Directors

Dr Iain G Johnston BA (Monash), MLA (ANU) Phd (ANU).
Iain has been performing and participating in folk music since his youth. Additional to his own musical practice with blues band, Electric Tommy Johnston, Iain became one of the founding members of the Canberra Shanty Club in 2017, a group born out of the NFF singing sessions. The Shanty Club organise inclusive singing sessions and performances around Canberra and at festivals across Australia, fueled by Iain’s passion for accessible and participatory folk traditions. In his professional life, Iain is a senior researcher at AIATSIS where he undertakes collaborative research with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities to repatriate significant cultural heritage material from overseas collecting institutions. Iain brings with him a good network of connections across Australia and is keen to work with the NFF to help build new relationships in the broader community.
Chris is a musician whose long connection to the National has been the seed of his many musical endeavours. His bands, Lazy Harry’s, Scroggin, and Zackerbilks have performed at festivals across Australia and his passion for the shared knowledge and traditions of folk music has made him a staple in Canberra’s session community. In his professional life, Chris balances his career as a hydrogeologist working on water management issues in Australia and overseas, and was Secretary of the International Association of hydrogeologists, ACT branch from 2017-2019. Chris has been attending the National Folk Festival for 30 years, first as a child doing arts and crafts in the kids’ festival, later as a volunteer juggling mugs, and in recent years as a performer. Chris is passionate about working with the festival to continue balancing tradition with innovation, and to ensure a continued emphasis on community, learning and participation.
Treasurer. Chris Grange, BA (UNSW), MCom Finance (UOW). Former Chief Operating Officer of the Australian National University 2013-2019. Prior to that Chris had an equivalent role at the University of Wollongong. Chris was responsible for financial, facilities, IT, Library, human resources, legal and many other functions. A regular attendee of the National Folk Festival since his arrival in Canberra, Chris, his wife and his 5 children have strong musical interests.