The sounds of fiddles, guitars and poetry drifted across Kiama over the weekend as the 12th annual Folk by the Sea Festival brought together more than 30 bands and artists from across Australia.

Held mainly at The Pavilion, the program offered audiences everything from traditional bush ballads to contemporary folk.

Festival director Neil McCann said this year’s edition was among the strongest yet.

“It was fantastic. The numbers were slightly up from last year, with about 600 people attending the festival, and we’ll get our money back,” he said.

“The performances were just incredible. There was not a dud act.”

Among the award-winning names on the bill were Darren Coggan, recipient of multiple Golden Guitars and Independent Country Music Awards, acclaimed duo The Weeping Willows, and rising stars Charley Castle and the Boys in the Well, winners of the Tamworth Busking Competition.

Local acts also featured prominently, including the Kiama Sea Shanty group and the Kiama Pipe Band, ensuring a mix of hometown pride and national talent.

A world of folk

McCann said this year’s line-up showcased an impressive breadth of genres and cultures.

“We had over 30 acts - individuals, duos, bands - and three cultural groups: Sicilian, Galician (from near Portugal) and South American,” he said.

“The Weeping Willows had just come off a European tour, and we had a young guy from Melbourne, Rhys Crimmin, who’s just amazing. He’s a one-man band who plays didgeridoo, guitar and about four drum aspects at once. Just incredible.”

Emerging talent was a particular focus. Wollongong’s Kane Calcite wowed audiences with his songwriting and voice, while Melbourne duo Hand Over Hammer impressed as a “modern-day Simon & Garfunkel”.

“There are all these people that very few have heard about, but when they apply we look at their videos and get a sense of their quality. This year, we were really pleased with the breadth and talent we selected,” McCann said.

Traditional Australian folk was also well represented, with bush dancers and bush poets drawing strong crowds.

“The feedback was only positive,” McCann said. “Musically, it was the standout year.”

Growth stifled by camping ban

Despite the artistic success, organisers remain frustrated by an issue that is preventing the festival from reaching its full potential: the lack of camping at Kiama Showground.

“We always struggle with bigger numbers, and I know it’s a direct correlation with the inability to provide camping for our visitors,” McCann said.

“We should have had 2000 people attend the festival based on the quality of acts, not 600.

“We’re the only folk festival in Australia that doesn’t have camping.”

He said the problem stems from a council decision made after a two-year campaign by organisers to allow festival camping at the showgrounds.

“The sort of reasons we’ve been given is they don’t want Kiama to look like a shantytown,” McCann said.

“We had people who bought tickets for the festival but couldn’t get accommodation here, so they got a refund on their tickets,” McCann said.

The restriction has left organisers questioning whether the festival’s future lies outside Kiama.

“Do we look at moving it out of Kiama to somewhere we can have camping? There’s a lot of stuff up in the air,” McCann said.