KVFF Performer Guidelines 2025
(PDF Version here​)
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About The Festival
The Kangaroo Valley Folk Festival is presented and organised by Shoalhaven Folk Club Inc.
The 18th Kangaroo Valley Folk Festival will be held on 17-19 October 2025 at the Kangaroo Valley Showground. See the festival web site for more details.
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How To Apply
Applications to perform at the 2025 Kangaroo Valley Folk Festival close 31 March 2025.
An online application form can be accessed above from February 1.
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Performer Enquiries:
Rob Cleary: 0417 449059
George Bishop: â€0474 980 936‬
Email:perform@kangaroovalleyfolkfestival.com.au
Special Note for International Performers
The Festival may book international artists who are touring Australia at the time. We are not in a position to sponsor acts or arrange tours. We do not provide airfares. International acts need to arrange their own visas.
If you have organised a tour in Australia around the date of our festival, we welcome your, or your agent’s, enquiry or application.
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Selection Process
Applications close 31 March 2025 and we anticipate that performer selection will be mostly completed by the end of May. You will be notified of the success or otherwise of your application by mid-late June.
The initial application is essentially an expression of interest, with sufficient information to assess the application. Those acts selected to perform at the festival will be contacted and asked to provide additional information (eg confirmation of personnel and accommodation requirements, festival passes required etc.)
Please assist us by not leaving it to the last minute to submit your application. It helps us by spreading the workload involved in assessing applications and we may be able to give you a decision earlier as well.
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Personnel and Availability Changes
If you are accepted, it is on the basis of the line-up and availability listed in your application. If the personnel changes significantly or you change your availability we reserve the right to cancel the acceptance or to negotiate a lower fee.
Authority and obligations
In an effort to minimize the legal jargon and to make the application process as friendly as possible we have avoided the use of strict “terms and conditions”.
However, we will take it as granted that in filling out and submitting the application, the person doing so (and the contact listed on the application form if a different person) has the permission to represent the artist/act and all members of the act in all dealings with Kangaroo Valley Folk Festival.
It is the responsibility of the representative for the artist/act to pass on all the information provided by the festival to all members of the act. Similarly, it is also the responsibility of the representative of the act to inform the Festival of any changes to the information provided in the application. Such changes may have implications with regard to the outcome of the application. It is also the best way to ensure that problems later on with regard to performers' ticketing, admission, accommodation, and performance scheduling are avoided.
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SELECTION CRITERIA
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Type of Material
“Folk” covers a broad spectrum of music styles, both traditional and contemporary. The Festival includes elements of blues, bluegrass, country, Anglo-Celtic, world-music, jazz, singer-songwriters, folkloric dancing, indigenous, bush poetry and yarn telling, comedy, etc. It is very difficult to be prescriptive as to styles and many performers are at home in different music ‘scenes’ (eg country and folk). However, performers who are exclusively ‘pop’ or ‘rock’ for example are unlikely to be successful. The festival grounds have several performance stages in fairly close proximity, so if you have the kind of act that is likely to drown out other performers then this may not be the festival for you.
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Type of Performances
If you are able to offer workshops and/or themed presentations it may increase your chances of selection. Performers who can also play for children and dances are also highly valued. We also prefer performers who can stay for the whole festival and participate in sessions and the general festival atmosphere.
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Returning Performers
Generally speaking we try not to book acts for more than two years in a row. In an effort to support our local performers we make an exception to this rule and many of our local performers are regulars. However, quality is the important determining factor and just because you live locally this will not necessarily guarantee you a spot. For performers coming from further afield we may also make an exception where an established act fits a hard-to-fill niche or comes up with something new and innovative (such as interesting themed concerts and presentations). Consequently, do not be too surprised or disappointed if your application is not successful if you have performed at the previous couple of festivals, even if you were a “hit” at those festivals. We have probably just chosen to give you a break this time around and may have you back in future years.
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Fees
The Festival is a small, not-for-profit event with a limited budget, run by volunteers so please take this into consideration when quoting a fee. Be realistic if you wish your application to be considered. All fees quoted are to be totally inclusive of all costs, such as GST. We rarely negotiate fees so please offer your best price. Applications submitted by agents asking several thousand dollars are generally not considered for this festival.
Festival performers get a free weekend pass and free onsite camping or billeted accommodation.
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You are welcome to sell your CDs and other ‘merch’ in the Festival Shop and also outside the performance venue following your show. For many performers this is the main source of revenue at the festival, rather than asking large fees.
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Large choirs or dance groups generally are not paid a fee, and receive free day or weekend tickets for their members only.
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Street performers and buskers
Street performers are welcome to apply as we love the colour and diversity they provide. Such acts who have performances suitable for young children (eg, clowns, magic acts, puppeteers, kids crafts, etc) are highly sought after for our children’s program.
Volunteering
The festival welcomes and encourages performers who contribute to the successful running of the festival. We are always looking for MC/Venue Managers in particular.
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There is no obligation for performers to volunteer their services and not doing so will not have a bearing on the success or failure of the application. There is also no obligation for the festival to accept an offer to volunteer by a performer.
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Programming
In general, the festival will program up to four performances per act, usually a combination of concerts, workshops and themed concerts over the three days of the festival.
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Concert performances and workshops are normally 50 minutes. We try to schedule 20 minutes set up time before the performance. If your act has special requirements that will necessitate a longer set up time, you need to let us know so that we can schedule your performances at times that will allow this and minimise the effect on the rest of the schedule. Performers who deliberately play past their allotted finish time will not be asked back.
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PERFORMER ACCOMMODATION
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Free Camping On Site
We offer free camping for performers within in the festival site (KV Showground). Toilets and basic showers are provided. Many performers take a break to swim in the Kangaroo River.
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Billets
A limited number of billets are available and are usually prioritised for interstate or international artists.
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Camping at Glenmack Park
The commercial campground Glenmack Park is adjacent to the festival site and provides unpowered and powered sites, as well as some cabins. The facilities are excellent and the camping areas are not allowed to become overcrowded.
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See Glenmack Park website for prices.
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Glenmack Park takes bookings for campsites and usually fills up long before the festival. Once selected for the festival you should make your booking straight away.
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Other Accommodation
Free camping is available at the beautiful Bendeela Campground 8 km from the festival, though you do now need to book and pay a small booking fee. Large groups may find that camping at Bendeela is the best option, especially if partying after midnight is likely.
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Many B&B’s and other accommodation options in Kangaroo Valley are listed on the KVFF website.
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Insurance
Performers accept responsibility for their own liability insurance.
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When performing, you are a Festival service provider and as such, are not covered by the Festival's public liability insurance. We suggest investigating insurance options with Folk Alliance Australia, see www.folkalliance.org.au. You need to be or become a member of Folk Alliance Australia.
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Performers also accept all responsibility for their Tax obligations, Superannuation and WorkCover requirements.
Support Material
Please note that if you are accepted to perform at the festival the biography you provide in your application will be used on our website, mobile app, and possibly in festival publicity, including the program.
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In your application please include web links showing images, recordings and videos. The performance should be representative of the act that you are proposing to perform at the festival.
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Good luck with your application!
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