There is a tiny flicker of hope that Folk by the Sea could return one day but as it stands, the popular Kiama festival is all but dead in the water.

Organisers made the difficult decision last Friday to cancel the annual festival due in part to Kiama Council's decision to ban camping at Kiama Showground for recent iterations of the event.

Festival director Neil McCann wrote to Kiama Mayor Cameron McDonald and Council CEO Jane Stroud to inform them that the annual event would no longer continue after 13 years as a marquee option on the local events calendar.

Neil McCann.

“We put in awful amount of effort into running the event,” McCann told The Bugle.

“And we had between 300-400 paying attendees but that’s not really sufficient to justify the effort that goes into it. 

“With only that many people, we had to restrict the number of venues, the number of performers and if we can’t increase that number, it’s just not worth the massive effort.”

Due to strictly monitored financial management, McCann said the festival was able to break even in recent years even though the camping restrictions affected the number of tickets sold.

“In its current form as a Friday to Sunday festival is just not feasible. Whether the concept of Folk By The Sea happens in some form, is always negotiable but in its current form, it’s not going to run.”

It was the second annual Kiama music festival in the space of a week to be abandoned after the Changing Tides organisers called off their event scheduled for 22 November and announced it would not be returning next year.

“I think the two are connected,” McCann said.

“They have a much younger demographic and they can’t afford motel accommodation or cabins so in that regard I think the camping issue is what we had in common.

“I do wonder about the impact on business in Kiama with these two festivals being cancelled. They certainly will suffer.

“People don’t just turn up to the festival and go home. And they fall in love with Kiama and keep coming back.”

In his letter to Council’s top brass, McCann said patronage at the festival had “declined significantly as a result of Council's decision not to allow camping over the past few festivals”.

"Before the last few years, low-priced camping was readily available around the showground and on Chapman Oval.

"When camping was prohibited by the Council, Festival patronage dropped significantly, as many avid festival goers see camping as an integral part of the folk festival experience.”

McCann said the Illawarra Folk Club was also forced to purchase most of the available campsites at Surf Beach and Kendall's Beach Caravan parks, to provide camping for performers.

He added there were also problems with inadequate parking and sporting events.

“It was clear that the lack of camping was presenting a significant barrier for the viability of the festival.

"So, for the last three years we have approached Council, trying to overturn the decision re: camping.

"Neighbouring festivals such as Bundanoon, Kangaroo Valley and Cobargo Folk Festivals all offer camping to their patrons. They have all seen an increase in patronage. We believe that our festival’s lack of viability is directly related to this issue."

McCann went on to say that it was disappointing that the decision around camping appears not to have been made by the elected council, nor with any discussion with the festival organisers as stakeholders.

"As a ratepayer for over 40 years, and one who fought against the amalgamation of councils several years ago, I am greatly disillusioned by this apparent lack of democratic process, and the short-sightedness of the decision."

McCann said the festival over the past 13 years had brought 320 folk performers to the area and had provided locals and visitors with the opportunity to experience high-quality live folk music.

Kiama Council issued a statement, countering that contrary to McCann’s assertions, the Council-managed Crown Land Plan of Management was endorsed by the NSW Minister for Crown Lands in April last year and by full Council the following month.

The Plan of Management prohibits camping within the Kiama Showground precinct. 

“We appreciate that in the current economic climate, it is increasingly difficult for festivals and event organisers to absorb rising costs, changing audience preferences, insurance and marketing requirements and so forth,” said Mayor Cameron McDonald.

“Kiama Council will continue to do all it can to support events through Destination Kiama and our Community Grants programs."