CoastFest
Encyclopedia
CoastFest is a three day music event held on the Central Coast of New South Wales, Australia
at The Point Wolstoncroft Sport and Recreation Camp Gwandalan on beautiful Lake Maquarie. Featuring some of Australia's finest Blues & Roots
, World, Folk and Alternative musicians, as well as a host of local performers.
The festival also features:
The event is primarily a music festival which encourages “non-mainstream” genres, such as Traditional Folk, World Music
, Blues and Roots, as well as Alternative, Fusion and Contemporary Acoustic Music
. The Festival is also a celebration of the Art & Culture of the Central Coast and includes, dance, theatre, visual arts and crafts. It also encourages participation by various cultural and community groups to demonstrate and share their skills, customs, beliefs and modes of spirituality, both during the festival and throughout the planning process.
The festival celebrates the home of the Darkinjung people
and the “Land of Whale Dreaming”. It promotes a sustainable future for the Central Coast and its people by encouraging the participation of environmental and conservation groups and speakers in its “EcoFest” area. The festival is “not for profit”, however it is managed so as to be financially sustainable, and able to cover costs, expenses and future development.
CoastFest organisers implement systems and policies to run the organization and the festival using principles which lessen the impact it has on the environment. During EcoFest and throughout the festival itself, organisers strive to demonstrate and encourage the sharing of knowledge, ideas, information and techniques which ensures a sustainable future for the people of the Central Coast.
CoastFest is more than a traditional “Folk Festival” , and it evolves as time goes by. It is created by, and as a celebration for, the people of the Central Coast. Part of the aim of the CoastFest organization is to develop a new sense of community
, through participation and interaction, and to be inclusive rather than exclusive.
Much emphasis is given to community involvement in the planning process itself, the Festival should then be seen as a culmination of community endeavour and collaboration. The primary theme for CoastFest is Unity, Community, Family & Diversity, it demonstrates that we can all come together to celebrate our differences.
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
at The Point Wolstoncroft Sport and Recreation Camp Gwandalan on beautiful Lake Maquarie. Featuring some of Australia's finest Blues & Roots
Blues & Roots
Blues & Roots is an album by Charles Mingus, recorded in 1959 and released in 1960. It has been reissued twice as a CD, first by Atlantic Records, and then again by Rhino Entertainment in 1998....
, World, Folk and Alternative musicians, as well as a host of local performers.
The festival also features:
- Dance Workshops and Performance
- Indigenous Space and activities
- Poetry and Story–telling
- Art Space and Craft Workshops, featuring the work of local artists
- Tipi Talking Space and Healing Village
- Chai Tent and Acoustic Jam Space
- Drama, Theatre and Circus
- Kids Festival and Activities
- Film & Multimedia
- Drum CircleDrum circleA drum circle is any group of people playing hand-drums and percussion in a circle. They are distinct from a drumming group or troupe in that the drum circle is an end in itself rather than preparation for a performance...
and stomping ground for dance and fire-twirlingFire dancingFire dancing is a group of performance arts or disciplines that involve manipulation of objects on fire... - World food stalls and market placeMarketplaceA marketplace is the space, actual, virtual or metaphorical, in which a market operates. The term is also used in a trademark law context to denote the actual consumer environment, ie. the 'real world' in which products and services are provided and consumed.-Marketplaces and street markets:A...
- Fire Event and Festival finale.
The event is primarily a music festival which encourages “non-mainstream” genres, such as Traditional Folk, World Music
World music
World music is a term with widely varying definitions, often encompassing music which is primarily identified as another genre. This is evidenced by world music definitions such as "all of the music in the world" or "somebody else's local music"...
, Blues and Roots, as well as Alternative, Fusion and Contemporary Acoustic Music
Acoustic music
Acoustic music comprises music that solely or primarily uses instruments which produce sound through entirely acoustic means, as opposed to electric or electronic means...
. The Festival is also a celebration of the Art & Culture of the Central Coast and includes, dance, theatre, visual arts and crafts. It also encourages participation by various cultural and community groups to demonstrate and share their skills, customs, beliefs and modes of spirituality, both during the festival and throughout the planning process.
The festival celebrates the home of the Darkinjung people
Darkinjung people
The Darkinjung are the in the Wyong and area and is a major landowner on the Central Coast, participating in formal joint management of some areas of state forest in the region. It represents over 450 local Aboriginal residents...
and the “Land of Whale Dreaming”. It promotes a sustainable future for the Central Coast and its people by encouraging the participation of environmental and conservation groups and speakers in its “EcoFest” area. The festival is “not for profit”, however it is managed so as to be financially sustainable, and able to cover costs, expenses and future development.
CoastFest organisers implement systems and policies to run the organization and the festival using principles which lessen the impact it has on the environment. During EcoFest and throughout the festival itself, organisers strive to demonstrate and encourage the sharing of knowledge, ideas, information and techniques which ensures a sustainable future for the people of the Central Coast.
CoastFest is more than a traditional “Folk Festival” , and it evolves as time goes by. It is created by, and as a celebration for, the people of the Central Coast. Part of the aim of the CoastFest organization is to develop a new sense of community
Sense of community
Sense of community is a concept in community psychology and social psychology, as well as in several other research disciplines, such as urban sociology, which focuses on the experience of community rather than its structure, formation, setting, or other features...
, through participation and interaction, and to be inclusive rather than exclusive.
Much emphasis is given to community involvement in the planning process itself, the Festival should then be seen as a culmination of community endeavour and collaboration. The primary theme for CoastFest is Unity, Community, Family & Diversity, it demonstrates that we can all come together to celebrate our differences.