Cygnet Folk Festival

The Cygnet Folk Festival, run since 1982, is a three-day folk music festival held in Cygnet in Tasmania, Australia, that occurs annually on the second weekend in January.^[1]

Cygnet Folk Festival
Status	Active
Genre	Folk festival
Begins	14 January 2022 (2022-01-14)
Ends	16 January 2022 (2022-01-16)
Frequency	2nd weekend in January
Location(s)	Cygnet, Tasmania
Coordinates	43°09′00″S 147°04′12″E / 43.15000°S 147.07000°E / -43.15000; 147.07000
Country	Australia
Years active	42
Inaugurated	January 1982 (1982-01)
Founder	The Huon Folk Inc Management Committee
Previous event	11 January 2020 (2020-01-11) (2021 cancelled)
Next event	7 January 2022 (2022-01-07)
Participants	400–500 musicians
Attendance	6,000
Leader	Huon Folk Inc
Website	cygnetfolkfestival.org
^[1]

History

The festival has developed as one of the premier cultural events in Tasmania's arts calendar. Every year on the second weekend in January, the small village of Cygnet, situated in the Huon Valley in the bay of Port Cygnet, presents a variety of music, dance, and related arts, over three days. Performances take place in the pubs, halls, cafes, churches, parks and streets of Cygnet. The festival allows for a range of concerts, workshops, master classes, poetry reading, youth awards, children's events, gourmet food stalls featuring local produce, sessions, arts and crafts market and dances. The program features an eclectic mix of artists including local Tasmanians, mainland Australians and international guests.^[2]

Some of the well-known festival headline acts over the years include Riley Lee, Afenginn,^[1] My Friend the Chocolate Cake,^[3] Stiff Gins, Zulya Kamalova, Rory McLeod and Frank Yamma.

The 2021 Festival was cancelled in May 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Australia.^[4] The 2022 Festival was scheduled for 14–16 January. It was to be the Festival's 40th anniversary,^[5] but after the spread of the Omicron variant of COVID-19, the festival was cancelled on 21 December 2021.^[6]

References

1. Young, Kane (8 January 2015). "Thousands to converge on Tassie town for 33rd annual Cygnet Folk Festival". The Mercury. Hobart. Retrieved 3 August 2015.
2. "Cygnet Folk Festival". Tasmanian Arts Guide. 2015. Retrieved 3 August 2015.
3. Winton, Andrew (31 October 2011). "30th Cygnet Folk Festival Announces Artist Lineup". Timber and Steel. Retrieved 3 August 2015.
4. Cygnet Folk Festival Committee and Staff (12 May 2020). "Cygnet Folk Festival 2021 Cancellation". us2.campaign-archive.com. Retrieved 27 June 2021.
5. "Cygnet Folk Festival". us2.campaign-archive.com. Cygnet Folk Festival. 20 March 2021. Retrieved 27 June 2021.
6. "Tasmania records four new COVID-19 cases, taking the total to 14". ABC News. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 20 December 2021. Retrieved 23 December 2021.

External links

• Festival website