Irish folk festival melodies enrich Yass this weekend

TOURISM & ARTS: From September 18-20 Yass will again come alive to the sound of music when the 10^th Turning Wave festival brings folk enthusiasts flocking from far and near. Turning Wave is now officially supported as one of the town’s major events by both Yass Valley Council and the Yass Valley Business Chamber.

The festival office will open in the foyer area of the Liberty Theatre at noon today, and tickets are available there or online.

A great line-up of great acts from the four corners of the country will fill the concert venues and enthral audiences and the pubs will fairly ring with sessions. Banjo Paterson Park will fill to overflowing with market stalls, festival goers and the blackboard stage will provide a musical backdrop to the festive atmosphere.

The town has a strong connection with Irish Australia and so truly reflects the ethos of the festival. A significant number of local families have links to the Irish orphan girls brought out in the wake of the Great Famine.

Yass – only 40 minutes from Canberra and under three hours from Sydney – is an ideal location for the festival with all the action taking place within a couple of blocks. A wealth of character-filled venues brings real atmosphere to the concerts, workshops and sessions over the weekend.

The Yass Valley Visitor Information Centre (phone 02 6226 2557) keeps tabs on what accommodation is available and can help with who has vacancies for those wanting to stay over. They can also advise on a great range of places to eat in Yass.

This year the town’s pubs will play host to sessions and workshops, while the Memorial Hall, Soldiers’ Club and the historic Lovat Chapel will host concerts, ceilis and master classes with this year’s top performers including overseas guest artist, Aisling Lyons. The festival also includes the popular Junior Fleadh (music event) which gives kids both the opportunity to learn music from more experienced players and to perform what they have learned on stage as part of the festival program. 

The festival runs concurrently with the Spring School of Irish Music, which offers master classes where musicians can improve their techniques and learn new tunes from nationally and internationally acclaimed artists. Registration for this is separate to the main festival and does require a moderate level of skill.

Poets breakfasts happen Saturday and Sunday at the Yass Golf Club culminating in the annual Reciter of the Year award to be presented at the conclusion of Sunday’s Poets’ Breakfast. Thyme to Taste will host a welcome event for the poets on Friday night. Yass Golf Club will host the Poets’ Soiree on Saturday night.

This year’s artists include;

• Aisling Lyons – at 18 years-old Aisling is five times all-Ireland champion on harp and all the way from County Clare,
• Sean Lyons – 16 year-old champion piper and whistle player and brother of Aisling,
• Senor Cabrales,
• The Plough,
• The Bottlers,
• Cady & Redford,
• Folklore,
• The Simpson Three and
• Den Hanrahan and the Rumrunners,
• Local Yass youngsters Vague
• and a host of others who travel from all points of the country to Yass to perform.

There will also be blackboard venues where anyone can register to perform and be part of the festival entertainment.

A fabulous weekend is ensured with a great line-up of acts, markets in the park, workshops, sessions making it  a truly memorable event.

Ticket information, registration for the Junior Fleadh and further information is available at www.turningwave.org.au or find us on Facebook.

* Scoop would love to see your photos of the events you attend! Send to news@scoopyassvalley.com.au (low resolution is fine).

Program:

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