2022 Festival

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The Wirrina Bluegrass & Acoustic Roots Festival website

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2022 is the 10th birthday of the Wirrina Bluegrass and Acoustic Roots Festival! Come along on the last weekend of November to join in the fun. The festival is an annual gathering for people to hear, play and share acoustic music from the Bluegrass, Old Time and other related traditions.

Bluegrass is great music. That’s why it heads up our festival. Our stage attracts world-class musicians; many come back each year to perform, to run workshops, and to join in the fun and inspiration of all that a Wirrina festival is.

Festival News

The Festival is very nearly here!

Important Festival information

Check out the 2022 PROGRAM

  • FESTIVAL DATES: November 25 –27, 2022
  • ACCOMMODATION: For Wirrina Cove Holiday Park bookings:
      • Go to: http://www.wirrinacoveholidaypark.com.au/   
      • Click on Bookings, select your dates, select accomodation type, then enter the CODE : bluegrass2022 .
      • If you’re coming to the festival and have purchased your tickets, the camp ground will be open for camping from Sat 19 November.
        (Note: This does not include attendance at the Music Camp—purchase tickets for this separately.)
  • PURCHASE FESTIVAL TICKETS:  Purchase on the day at the Festival Office or online at Humanatix
  • MUSIC CAMP DATES: November 22 –24, 2022
  • PURCHASE MUSIC CAMP TICKETS: Humanatix
  • TICKET INFO/PRICES/OPTIONS: Go to Tickets 
  • CONTACT a committee member:  Message us at Facebook Messenger
  • EMAIL US: [email protected] 
  • SOCIAL MEDIA: Facebook. Follow us on Instagram.

What a line-up we have this year!

With the festival just around the corner now, there is a lot to look forward to! The Festival has a terrific line-up of local, interstate and international performers. 

  • Guitar players will be treated to the amazing talents of Gwyn Ashton (UK).
  • Smith, Allan and Peterson (USA) are award winning Old Time Bluegrass players and we are indeed so very lucky to have them both at the Festival and the Music Camp before hand.
  • Festival sound guy and maestro, Andrew Clermont, will bring Blu Guru to the stage this year—as well as his renowned Supper Club. 
  • Glenn Skuthorpe is bound to win many hearts and minds with his spellbinding songwriting, powerful vocals and guitar playing.

And these are just a few of the wonderful performers who will play for us, lead jams, and run workshops. This is not a year to miss out on coming to Wirrina.
We’re praying to the weather gods and I think they are listening—sunny on Sunday so far!

Bring to the Festival…

  • Friends! Both human and canine
  • a brolly
  • picnic rug
  • comfy deck chairs
  • face masks (your choice)
  • sun hat
  • sun screen
  • warm coats, beanies etc for night time
  • summer clothes (think  ‘layers’ as the weather can be changeable)
  • water bottles
  • ‘keep cups’ for coffee/tea
  • and of course, instruments to join in workshops and sessions.

Wirrina Music Camp 2022

This year we will be running a three day music camp at Wirrina prior to the Festival! This is not part of the formal Festival and the fees are separate to the main event.

The camp will feature group tuition and activities over the three days. At the core of the camp will be workshops and tuition run by the American trio Smith Allen & Peterson. Beverly Smith, Kellie Allen, and Pete Peterson, award-winning players of Old-Time Music, have combined their talents to visit us in Australia. Beverly (fiddle, guitar, mandolin), Kellie (guitar, bass, mandolin) & Pete (banjo, guitar, autoharp) will spend a month or so travelling on the East Coast before coming to South Australia. They all have extensive teaching experience in the USA, where music camps are very popular.

We hope to cover the range of string band instruments and multiple styles to have something for everyone. The workshops will include instrument-specific instruction to help you improve your playing, as well as some ‘themed’ classes (e.g., Carter Family style), and a class in songwriting.

CAMP DATES: Tuesday Nov 22 to Thursday Nov 24 (arrive Monday 21 for those staying on site).

LOCATION/ACCOMODATION: Wirrina Cove Holiday Park (same as festival). Camping (powered/unpowered) and some cabins available; resort rooms up the hill at the BreakFree Wirrina Cove Resort if you prefer hotel-style accommodation. For Wirrina Cove Holiday Park online bookings enter this CODE: bluegrass2022

COST: $280 which covers all group tuition and activities over the 3 days. That’s less than $50 per half day (or lesson). Book accommodation separately. Catered dinners be available at extra cost with more information closer to time.

Wirrina Music Camp tickets now available

Please email [email protected] to register your interest. To pay your $50 nonrefundable deposit or purchase tickets go to:

CAMP TICKETS HERE

The Festival line-up

We can now announce the performers we have for the 2022 Festival. The Festival program will be released shortly. Watch this space…

  • Smith, Allen and Peterson ( USA)
  • Gwyn Ashton (UK)
  • Glenn Skuthorpe
  • Dave Diprose Trio (Melb.)
  • BluGuru (World travellers!)
  • The Burning Bridges  (Melb) with Justin Vilchez (Canada)
  • South Season
  • Crooked Road
  • Bluegrass Junction
  • The Cherry Pickers
  • The High Street Drifters (Canada, Adel., Melb.)
  • Miss Ohio
  • The Scottish Fiddle Club
  • Anne Toner Trio
  • Allye Sinclair & Dylan Woolcock
  • Brushwood

Read about the 2022 performers.

Get involved!

There are a variety of ways to participate in the festival.

  • Apply to play on the program
  • Bring your instrument/s and play at the black-board tent
  • Join in the hosted sessions
  • Attend an instrumental or vocal workshop
  • Run a workshop
  • Jam in the session area
  • Come to watch and listen as part of the audience
  • Volunteer on the festival crew; six hours of service = one free festival ticket!

Book accommodation at Wirrina

Please go to the Wirrina Cove Holiday Park website to book your accommodation for the Festival—camping, caravans, and cabins available.
www.wirrinacoveholidaypark.com.au

Reducing waste at Wirrina

We ask patrons to spare a thought for the environment and the volunteers who clean up after the festival. Thank you for helping us to reduce the rubbish. Lets keep up the great effort in 2022!  Reduce, reuse, recycle. 

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Festival merchandise

Yes, there will be ‘merch’ in 2022! We love it when you buy from us because it all goes towards running the Festival. Details to be announced.

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