Since 1977, this Festival has grown from humble beginnings into one of Australia’s most loved regional festivals, bringing together extraordinary artists, passionate audiences, families, makers, storytellers and free spirits from across the world.
Here, music spills across stages, streets and halls. You might stumble into a once-in-a lifetime collaboration, a late-night song you didn’t know you needed, or a quiet moment that stays with you long after the last note fades.
Our FAQs are here to help you arrive relaxed and ready to settle into the rhythm of the weekend.
Your Ticket: At the Ticket Exchange, you will present your ticket for scanning, and you will receive your wristband. You can print your ticket out at home or present the ticket on your phone or device to be scanned.
Your bank card: There is no ATM on site on the Festival Arena site. Food stalls, our Festival merchandise store, and vendors will accept card/EFT payments.
A refillable water bottle: There are many Wannon Water filtered water stations across the Festival site for you to refill your reusable water bottle.
Sun, wind and shade protection: Slip, slop, slap and stay warm. Port Fairy is known for a variety of weather conditions. Be prepared!
Seating: Low fold up Folkie chairs can be brought on site to enjoy watching your favourite acts in Venues 1, 2 & 3 in comfort! As Venue 4 is a licensed venue, no byo chairs will be permitted.
The Port Fairy Folk Festival is held on the Victorian Labour Day long weekend in March. The Festival is a four-day event, and your ticket entitles you entry to all venues, concerts and activities for the duration of the Festival.
In 2027, the Festival will be held from Friday 5 March to Monday 8 March.
Hours are:
Friday 4:00 pm – 1am
Saturday & Sunday 8:00 am – 1am
Monday 8:00 am – 2:00 pm
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Stages 1, 2 & 3
Low chairs = yes please.
High back chairs = also fine, but we’ll ask you to take them off to the side of grassed areas so no one’s experiencing the Festival through chair legs.
Stage 4 / Shebeen
This one’s chair-free.
No BYO seats, no sitting on the ground — just you, your feet and the music doing its thing.
Chair-less? Fear not.
Forgot your chair? The Festival’s got your back(side). Every venue has some seating set up ready for those who prefer to travel light.
Accessible viewing areas and pram parking are available in every tent.
And the Great Wall of Chairs remains for all your chair-parking needs. Don’t forget to write your name on your chair!
Thanks for keeping it seated-ly sensible. Kindness + common sense = best seat in the house.
You are welcome to bring your own food and non-alcoholic drinks to the Festival. But there is a strict no BYO alcohol policy. Within the Festival Arena there are two licensed areas, The Shebeen and The Ocean Bar. Children under 18 are permitted in these areas when accompanied by a parent or guardian.
You can fill your water bottle with great tasting water at dedicated water fountains located throughout the arena, kindly supplied by our partners at Wannon Water. We encourage you to bring your own refillable water bottle, as we are working towards eliminating single use plastic.
The program schedule will be emailed to all ticket holders and published online in February. The scheduled program and artist profiles are also published in the Program which you receive when you exchange your ticket for a wristband.
No. For information regarding assistance animals please visit our accessibility page.
During the Festival, shuttle buses, accessible transport options and walkable streets make getting around easy and part of the experience.
V/line operates trains and buses to Port Fairy from Melbourne, Ballarat, Ararat and Mt Gambier. Transit Southwest also operate buses from Warrnambool to Port Fairy.
We provide Festival buses for patrons travelling between Warrnambool, Koroit, the Gum Tree Caravan Park and Big 4 Caravan Park. Gold coin donations are appreciated.
There is also a Town Shuttle Bus that does a circuit of the town every 30 minutes, finishing at the Festival Arena. This bus operates regularly throughout the Festival and we ask for a gold coin donation. The Shuttle Bus is a low floor bus with pram and wheelchair access.
Parking near the Festival Arena is extremely limited, and road closures are implemented during the Festival period. Public parking is available on the corner of Williams and Campbell Streets; a fee is charged, and parking spaces are limited. You may also park in the streets of town where permitted, however please observe all signs, and road closures.
We recommend planning ahead and considering nearby towns if Port Fairy is full, many Festival-goers enjoy the short daily journey as part of the adventure.
For more information regarding accommodation options please contact Port Fairy Visitor Information. www.visitgreatoceanroad.org.au/portfairyaustralia/stay
(In order of closest proximity to the Festival Arena).
Southcombe Park Caravan Park
Must have a Festival ticket to camp.
Phone: 03 5568 2677
www.southcombecaravanpark.com.au
Gardens Caravan Park
Phone: 03 5568 1060
www.gardenscaravanpark.com.au
Port Fairy Showgrounds Camping
Must have a Festival ticket to camp.
www.showgrounds.port-fairy.com/folky
Phone: 0402 800 456 or 0423 118 893
Port Fairy Showgrounds Tent Village
Must have a Festival ticket to camp.
www.wallaroocampinghire.com/pfff.html
Big 4 Port Fairy
www.big4portfairy.com.au
Phone: 03 5568 1145
Port Fairy Holiday Park
www.portfairyholidaypark.com.au
Phone: (03) 5568 1816
Killarney Beach Caravan Club
www.killarneybeachcaravanpark.com.au
Phone: 0428 314 823
Koroit-Tower Hill Caravan Park
Phone: 0428 314 823
Yambuk Lake Caravan Park
www.yambukcaravanpark.com.au
Phone: 0419 006 201
Warrnambool Surfside Holiday Parks
www.surfsidepark.com.au
Phone: (03) 5559 4700
Warrnambool Holiday Park & Motel
www.whpark.com.au
Phone: (03) 5562 5031
Mortlake Caravan Park
www.mortlakecaravanpark.com.au
Phone: 0409 428 870
Wheelchair access is provided at key venues, accessible toilets are available, and a low-floor shuttle bus operates throughout the town. More extensive information is listed below. If you need support before or during the festival, our team is here to help.
Accessible parking is located in Campbell Street at the front gate of the Festival Arena, within the blocked off portion of the road. Those with an Accessible Parking Permit will be directed to these parks by volunteers at the road closure points.
V/line operates trains and buses to Port Fairy from Melbourne, Ballarat, Ararat and Mt Gambier. Transit South West also operate buses from Warrnambool to Port Fairy.
The Festival offers a bus service from Warrnambool to Port Fairy, stopping at Koroit and Gum Tree Caravan Park. Details will be made available closer to the event dates.
The Festival offers an accessible low-floor shuttle bus service around the town.
Details will be made available closer to the event dates.
There is a fast-track accessible entry at both the Ticket Exchange when you arrive to exchange your ticket for a wristband and at the front gate to the Arena.
Accessible toilets are located within the Festival Arena and in the township of Port Fairy.
The Festival Arena is a level grassed area with large walkways between venues. The only venue with a 2nd floor (The Pavilion) has a motorised single seat elevator.
All venues, with the exception of Fiddler’s Green, are under cover.
Dining areas in the Arena are under cover and trestle style tables and chairs are provided.
Access ramps are provided for performers at all stages within the Festival Arena.
Venues in the town have access ramps and handrailing for both performers and audience members
First Aid services are located inside the Festival’s Campbell Street entrance, along with Victoria Police and CFA. The Port Fairy hospital is situated in Villiers Street and is available for urgent treatment on the weekend.
Please download our Social Story for further information regarding access and your experience at the Port Fairy Folk Festival.
We generally don’t use strobe lighting during performances. In the rare occurrence that strobe lighting is involved as part of a performance, written warnings will be prominently displayed at venue entrances.
House lighting is employed in all venues for maximum visibility during periods of audience movement. House lighting will be dimmed immediately prior to commencement of performances. Volunteers are available to assist as necessary.
This service is provided at Performer Reception.
Volunteers and Port Fairy Folk Festival staff are available to assist you between 8:30am and 1:00am.
Secure overnight lockup is available for charging mobility devices.
Large format screens are provided in our larger venues to improve visibility of performances.
Companion Cards are available. For more information, please visit our ticketing page.
We provide a Festival Information stall on site where visitors can access one-on-one support from our friendly volunteers. There are also two wheelchairs at the Festival Information stall available for borrowing throughout the day.
Volunteers are available throughout the Arena and Village to assist with access solutions. They can be identified by their yellow volunteer T-shirts.
Our staff are happy to assist with access solutions prior to the Festival via email or telephone or in-person during the Festival.
Assistance animals are welcome, including Guide Dogs, Seeing Eye Dogs, Lions Hearing Dogs, Autism Assistance Dogs and Physical Disability Service Dogs. The animals should be wearing a harness, lead or a coat identifying them as assistance animals.
In the event of a planned or unexpected disruption to services or facilities for people with access requirements (including, but not limited to, on-site facilities, accessible parking, and volunteer assistance), we will make public announcements at all stages and provide written information on our website.
As well as dedicated Folklandia tent that is programmed to appeal to all ages, with performances, silent discos, roving performers, crafty workshops and skill building activities – there’s bucket loads of family-friendly activities to enjoy during the Festival weekend.
Keep an eye out for a dedicated Folklandia Program released throughout the year by subscribing to our E-newsletter here.
You’ll also find a dedicated nursing mothers’ tent with change table, pram-friendly zones in our Arena venues, a low-floor shuttle bus to get you around Port Fairy, and a wide range of delicious food options. And the best bit? The Festival Arena, town venues, free Street Fair, and most accommodation are all just a short stroll apart, making the whole weekend a breeze for families.
The Port Fairy Folk Festival Box Office is open Monday to Friday 9:00am-4.30pm. Please email us or leave a message on our office number and we will respond to your enquiry.
Port Fairy Folk Festival
PO Box 176
PORT FAIRY VIC 3284
[email protected]
Ph: 03 5568 2227
Kay Bant: Operations Manager
[email protected]
Liam Murphy: Operations Assistant
[email protected]
Justin Rudge: Program Director
Ali Kavanagh: Artist Liaison
[email protected]
Evie Dalton: Program Assistant
[email protected]
Ali Webb: House of Webb publicity
[email protected]
