Illawarra Folk Festival’s new festival director Shane Moon with her daughter Harriette at last year’s festival. Photo: Supplied.
As the closing of artist applications for the Illawarra Folk Festival nears, its newly appointed festival director Shane Moon knows all too well about gracing the festival’s stage.
In fact, she’s done everything from performing at the event to being a key volunteer behind the scenes over the past 15 years.
Now, she takes on her biggest role with what will be the 39th annual event at Bulli Showground from 16-18 January next year, as its first female festival director.
Shane’s involvement with the folk festival started 15 years ago, when she performed in a bellydance troupe and in Flamenco band Ruido.
“I fell in love with the folk festival from the start,” Shane said.
“I really wanted to get involved so the following year I was back as a volunteer.”
Since then, Shane has had a long-standing “gig” managing the festival’s merchandise desk, where performing artists leave their CDs, T-shirts and other items for sale to festival patrons, and in recent years has also been part of the festival’s marketing team and managed the website.
“I love the festival family – the wonderful army of volunteers who make it happen every year – and the Illawarra Folk Festival has been so much a part of my family’s life for the past 15 years,” Shane said.
“My daughter Harriette came to the 2014 festival when she was two days old, and now she’s helping out on the merch desk.”
Shane’s entertainment and live performance background is extensive in the Illawarra, having been involved for decades as a dance, music and comedy performer and with her own events company, LadyMoon Productions, which last year ran a show called Generation Woman, showcasing six accomplished women from the region.
She also helped establish the long-running Wollongong Comedy at the Master Builders Club and previously held two entertainment-based roles at the University of Wollongong – first at the UniBar and then organising O-Week celebrations in 2019 and 2020.
A technical support officer for environmental assessment company BIOSIS by day, she’s excited for the new role.
“I’m really excited to have this expanded role for the 2026 festival and am determined that we will put on a magnificent festival in January,” she said.
Artist applications close on 25 May, and Shane expects there will be strong interest from international, national and Illawarra-based performers again this year wanting to be part of the January event.
“We definitely want to continue to encourage younger audiences, particularly young families, to come along and see what the folk festival has to offer,” Shane said.
“I also want to build on the strong Indigenous focus that we have been fostering in recent years.”
Shane takes over the festival director’s role from Cody Munro-Moore, the Illawarra-based recording engineer and musician who guided the festival for the past three years.
“Cody did a great job as director, running three successful festivals to budget as we got going again after the COVID-19 pandemic forced us to cancel the 2021 and 2022 festivals,” she said.
“Cody had a real focus on attracting new and younger audiences and revitalising the festival to help with our post-COVID recovery.
“Now I have the chance to get my fingers in the festival pie, and I am really excited about what we can bring to the Illawarra next January.”
Illawarra Folk Festival will be held at Bulli Showground from 16-18 January, 2026. Artist applications are due 25 May.
