There's something for all folk at Woodford festival

The opening day of the Woodford Folk Festival yesterday maintained its traditional air of unreality.

Woodford Folk Festival

BETWEEN the free ukulele lessons, vegetarian delicacies and a performance troupe composed entirely of green-skinned gremlins, the opening day of the Woodford Folk Festival yesterday maintained its traditional air of unreality.

 But there were still signs of pragmatism among the 20,000-strong crowd as festival-goers stocked up on three-dollar plastic ponchos and pulled on their knee-high leopard-print gumboots in preparation for heavy rainfall, a close companion of the six-day event in recent times.

Set in the lush hinterland of Queensland's Sunshine Coast, an hour's drive north of Brisbane, organisers hope a million-dollar refit following extensive flood damage last year will ease any trouble should La Nina call again at Woodford, now in its 25th year and not for those averse to mud.

Woodford also holds rich opportunities for people-watching. There is just as much tie-dye and dreadlocks as there are baby boomers in sensible shoes and collared shirts.

Children in their hundreds wander freely among adults and run amok in their own section of the grounds, where they can learn life skills such as finding their inner-pirate, growing organic vegetables and strumming the ukulele like a pro.

Cradling her two-year-old daughter, Evy, Pam Freeman was so confident in the child-friendly atmosphere she intended to camp the five nights with her husband and daughter.

"It's a bit difficult that all the young guys want to party and make a lot of noise at night ... but there's not much you can do about that," she said.

Adults can watch Bob Hawke debate the merits of holding up sportspeople as role models, learn to dance like the Bhutanese, or manufacture their own two-stringed folk fiddle.

Long and winding roads - with names such as High Court, Short Circuit and Helovesmeinhisblokey Way - are lined with stalls selling nibbles from all corners of the globe and tents hosting reggae, folk and blues.

Marketeers stock such wares as panama hats woven from green palm reeds, supposedly designed to conform to the head of the wearer as it turns brown, and bamboo clarinets, which peddler Nicholas Broese-van-groenou claims produce a better sound than their upmarket cousins.

Music remains Woodford's main attraction, with Blue Mountains band Cloud Control last night expected to thrill audiences at the Amphitheatre, ahead of Japanese six-piece funk act Mountain Mocha Kilimanjaro.

Critically acclaimed Belgian-born Australian singer-songwriter Gotye is headlining tonight, following up-and-coming Melbourne band Eagle and the Worm.

This year Woodford also hosts the Dreaming national indigenous festival, postponed from June because of flood damage to the site, featuring Canadian Cree folk legend Buffy Sainte-Marie and local acts such as Mop and the Drop Outs.

Woodford continues until January 1.