The music festival is making a comeback after years of COVID-cancellations, with a scaled-down yet still impressive lineup across two days at The Pavilion.

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Featured talent includes Indigenous performer Shellie Morris from Queensland, the influential singer-songwriter Judy Small from Victoria, powerhouse folk-bluegrass bank The Button Collective, Victoria Celtic band Saoirse, soulful Tasmanian singer Daniel J Townsend, Sydney's spicey tango-folk band Chutney, the Redfern Shanty Club and local Kiama favourites The Water Runners and Penny Hartgerink.

"All the performers are just itching to get back to what they love doing, and I am sure that music fans will feel the same," said artistic director David De Santi said.

"Fortunately, most of the performers that we had booked for last year's cancelled festival are available for this year's dates, so it was very much a matter of keeping faith with the performers and our audience by keeping to a very similar line-up. We are so happy to be back putting on a great line-up for this year's return.

Singer-songwriter John Littrich for local outfit The Water Runners echoed De Santi's excitement about being able to perform again.

His band has performed at Tamworth Country Music Festival and other major events around the country, but Littrich says they love to return home and perform.

"It's our local festival and it was the first festival we ever played," Littrich said.

Littrich said it would be bittersweet after the passing in February of long-time festival organiser Rod Cork.

"Rod was such a big part of the festival, but I know that he'll be there in spirit," Littrich said.

Concerts will run in the evening of Friday September 23 and across the day and night on Saturday September 24.

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The full festival lineup is: Amie Grisold, The Button Collective, Chutney, The Con Artists, Dale Dengate and Bush Songs from A Woman'ss Perspective, Daniel Kelly, Daniel J Townsend, the dixie chOOks, Fiddledance, Jane Brownlee and Sam De Santi, John Tubridy and The Carefree Road Band, Judy Small, Kiama Pipe Band, Linda Mizzi Trio, Penny Hartgerink, Redfern Shanty Club, Robyn Sykes, Rusty and Friends, Saoirse, Shellie Morris, Stonybroke, and The Water Runners.

Tickets and the full program are available on the Folk By The Sea website www.folkbythesea.com.au.

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