Punters enjoying this year’s Folk By The Sea, which won’t be continuing next year. Photo: Sally Dunwell Photography.
Kiama’s music festival Folk By The Sea will not continue, with organisers blaming the loss of camping options for a sharp drop in attendance.
Illawarra Folk Club’s decision not to go ahead with next year’s event comes less than a week after the seaside town’s Changing Tides festival was cancelled.
In an open letter to council, festival director Neil McCann said the decision was due to declining patronage as a result of Kiama Council not allowing camping around the Kiama Showgrounds and Chapman Oval over the past few festivals.
However, council said it was adhering to a plan of management endorsed by the NSW Minister for Crown Lands and the full council prohibiting camping within the precinct.
The three-day festival has been run by the Illawarra Folk Club for the past 13 years, and its last festival in September was headlined by Wollongong boy Darren Coggan and supported by 40 other acts.
“This decision was not an easy one, but it has become necessary, primarily due to the key challenge of attracting enough patrons from outside the area,” Neil said.
“Our committee believes that the patronage has 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.”
He said the 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, resulting in significant extra costs for the festival.
“It also meant that many festival patrons were unable to find nearby campsites as most had been booked out by the festival committee for performers,” he said.
“There were also other issues such as inadequate parking and sporting events.”
Neil said it had become clear the lack of camping was presenting a significant barrier for the viability of the festival.
Crowds at the 2025 Folk By The Sea. Photo: Sally Dunwell Photography.
“For the last three years we have approached council, trying to overturn the decision re: camping,” he said.
“We know that the previous mayor advocated strongly on our behalf, but to no avail.
“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 our festival’s lack of viability is directly related to this issue.”
However, Kiama Council said the Council Managed Crown Land Plan of Management, endorsed by the NSW Minister for Crown Lands and the full council in 2024, prohibited camping within the precinct.
Council said staff had to ensure it issued approvals in accordance with this plan of management and in line with the resolution of council.
“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,” Kiama Mayor Cameron McDonald said.
“Kiama Council will continue to do all it can to support events through Destination Kiama, and our Community Grants programs and we thank the organisers of Folk by The Sea for running their event in years gone by.”
Council said due to its iconic location, the Kiama Showground precinct continued to attract the attention of event organisers, and was one of the LGA’s premier sporting precincts highly utilised and valued by the community.
Neil said the camping decision had wide-ranging ramifications, not just for the festival, but for other stakeholders who benefited from the large numbers of campers who accessed these campsites at other times in the year.
He said Folk By The Sea had brought 320 folk performers to the area over the years and provided locals and visitors with the opportunity to experience high quality live folk music.
The announcement comes after last week Changing Tides Festival was pulled just weeks before it was due to bring thousands of music lovers to Kiama due to poor ticket sales.
Organisers said it wouldn’t return.
While online some blamed Kiama Council for the cancellation, Cr McDonald said council had been fully supportive of the event.
