Festival of Small Halls joins forces with Illawarra Folk Festival in 2023

Indie-folk darling Emily Lubitz and Scottland's Paul McKenna Band will join 73 other artists to perform around Bulli Showgrounds at the end of the month.

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Their appearances follow a line of other "small" venues around the country like Sulphur Creek in Tasmania, the Kangaroo Valley Hall and Cygnet's annual folk festival.

Isobel Bartlett, producer of the Festival of Small Halls, said the event celebrated and fostered community spirit, resilience, and passion.

"We're so grateful to be welcomed into these amazing small towns, and to put shows on with our incredibly talented dynamic artists forges an event that is retold as stories from the drive home to the dinner table for years to come," she said.

Produced by the people behind the Woodford Folk Festival, organisers said The Festival of Small Halls brings years of passionate folk spirit into every nook and cranny of the vast and spectacular communities that make up this country.

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Meantime, other musicians to make their way to Bulli from January 20 to 22 include Northern Illawarra experimental pop band Shining Bird and Kiama outfit The Water Runners.

Despite a push to attract younger audiences, the lineup is still suited to all ages with traditional sounds of folk, indie, world, roots, Celtic, Balkan and bluegrass music, poetry, dance and comedy, as well as the festival Folk School with various workshops held across the weekend.

The full program for the Illawarra Folk Festival and tickets are available on the website www.illawarrafolkfestival.com.au.

For more details on the Festival of Small Halls, visit: www.festivalofsmallhalls.com.

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