Hat Fitz and Cara can in no way be mistaken for a dainty duo. They are festival favourites throughout Canada, Australia, Europe, and the UK and it has been said they pack more energy into one song than most have in an entire career. A unique combination of hill-style Gospel blues with old timey flavourings and stripped down to just voices, guitar and vintage drums, Hat Fitz & Cara embellish impeccable rootsy originals with soulful vocals reminiscent of a time once forgotten.
The little coastal village of Culburra Beach is two hours from Sydney and every May it plays host to a celebration of music, culture, art, food, craft, surfing and fun. This year the festival runs across the Mothers’ Day Weekend (11-13th May) and it’s the perfect way to spoil mum.
Daytimes, she can choose from a huge array of free festival events. Browsing 40 markets on Saturday with a homemade, handmade sustainable feel with local traders, makers and produce plus sustainability workshops on offer. There will be acoustic music and heaps for the kids with a jumping castle, face painting and drumming workshops. The CookaBurra Bake Off will bring the best bakers out the kitchens, offering a smorgasboard of Mothers’ Day delights, along with a high tea for mum. Bring a blanket and hang out, all in close proximity to our arts and culture exhibitions with theme ‘The Tracks of Burradise’ in the Banksia Room.
But the nights belong to the stunning variety that is the Burradise Music Festival. (Ticketed event) Friday and Saturday night will be pumping out with a world music vibe including West African grooves, blues, roots reggae and Spanish fusion. Six hours of tunes with cool outdoor food market vibe. The first artist announcement lineup includes some great headliners including: Moussa Diakite & Wassado; Hatz Fitz & Cara; This Way North; Benji & the Saltwater Sound System; and The Groove, with many more artists to be announced.
Influential guitarist Moussa Diakité was part of the golden era of Malian music in the 1970s and ‘80s, performing with some of Africa’s best, including Salif Keita and Toumani Diabaté. Since migrating to Australia, he has stamped his mark on the local scene, teaming up with Sydney band Wassado for a dynamic mix of blues, jazz, Cuban and Afro-rock sounds.
SAG had a chance to chat with Alex McNeilly, Chair, Love Culburra Beach Festival Board about the preparations and what to expect. SAG: So nice to meet you Alex, must be a busy time for you and the volunteers. ALEX: It sure is we have a fantastic Burradise Festival organising committee and volunteer team at Culburra Beach this year as well as a few sub-committees working on our major festival events like free live original Music on the outdoor stage, Saturday and Sunday plus the ticketed Live Music Showcase performances in the evenings. SAG: Thanks so much for offering some passes for our readers to that Showcase. You have so much happening don't you? ALEX: So much work behind the scenes. The arts team are busy preparing the exhibition of works by local and visiting artists plus the community decorating of the festival hubs which will look fabulous. The whole town gets involved to support the festival. It’s an amazing collaboration to showcase our creativity, culture and local talents. We had over 9000 people attend last year and are expecting more to come through this year on Friday 11th to Sunday 13th May - Mother’s Day Weekend. We are so excited…. The entire festival program looks to be amazing plus Autumn as the ‘locals” believe is the best time of year weather wise with average days of 27 degrees, the water temperature is still warm so guests can experience our beaches, bay, lake and river over the three days. It’s our little piece of paradise or what we call Burradise on the South Coast. SAG: It’s a gorgeous little town, Culburra Beach, only a couple of hours from Sydney and Canberra, quite a big change for the locals for those 3 days in May. How did the festival get started? ALEX: As a small coastal town with one road in and out next to the Jervis Bay National Park we wanted to celebrate our creative vibes, our beautiful natural environment and coastal lifestyles. We wanted to share it and created the festival to give locals and all our visitors a creative event that is chilled, relaxed but shared a local and international flavour. The flavours from our food fair include Indonesian through to Mexican, drumming workshops and recycled arts and crafts activities for the kids are on offer. The fibro-majestic holiday homes, beach front water views, motel and holiday park camping grounds provide places to stay for all types of experiences and budgets, we want people to get out and enjoy the local outdoors whilst they visit us. They can consider taking a free Wilderness Walk at Lake Wollumboola or History Talk with our Marine Rescue volunteers at the headlands. The historic Crookhaven Lighthouse and stunning viewing platforms looking out over the river are a must on the check list. And we have three beautiful beaches, a bay and a river to enjoy. Plus our new skateboarding park was built by our local community for community, the local skateboarders even designed it. The official opening of the new Curleys Bay Recreational Skate Park is happening at the festival from 10am on Saturday morning, the committee have even set up a skate boarding competition from 11am to 3pm with prizes, lessons, live music and cool vibes and food for the kids and youth to enjoy plus it’s all free to enter. It’s the 2nd year of the Culburra Beach Surf Bash tournament hosted by our local Culburra Beach Boardriders Club, they wanted to open up professional surfing competition opportunities on the South Coast for locals, across NSW interstate and international surfers to enjoy and visit our coastal town. They are giving away over $4000 in cash and prizes in two divisions OPENS and Under 18 Years, check out the website to register, everyone is welcome to compete. SAG: So many things to see and do, skating and surfing comps and the markets, but the Music program is killer! Such variety. ALEX: The Bohemian eclectic range of original music being showcased on the day stage is free and will get the multicultural food fair hub and markets pumping along, we are asking guests to bring a picnic blanket or chair to enjoy the day music over lunch on Saturday and Sunday. The free music day stage have some amazing folk, alternative and groovy tunes happening with the Kava Kings, This Way North from Melbourne, Sound of Koko and Roses in Hand to name just a few. Our community hall comes to life from 6pm on Friday and Saturday night with headliners Swing Booty, Benji and the Saltwater Sound System, Hatz Fitz and Cara, Claude Hay plus legends of sound Moussa Diakite and Wassado to name a few. SAG: I’m really interested in your Boomerang Bags. Are they part of your sustainability focus for the festival? We do everything we can to be eco-friendly and environmentally sustainable and encourage a plastic free event. All year round, we work hard to keep our Culburra Beach clean and protect our beaches and ocean andthat’s where the Boomerang Bag campaign came along two years ago. Two wonderful local women, Karyn and Skye, have led the charge and recruited an army of sewers. They have produced thousands of reusable recycled fabric bags to reduce plastic bags across our community. You can catch them at the festival by visiting the Burradise information stand. . SAG: Phew. I'm tired just listening to you! I better let you get back to it. Best of luck and thanks again for the passes for our readers. ALEX: See you in Burradise!
Thanks to the Burradise Music Festival [Facebook] [Twitter] we have two double passes to giveaway. The passes are for Music Festival entry only and are for both Friday and Saturday nights. To be in the running email (editorialstaff.sydneyartsguide@gmail.com) using BURRADISE as the subject. Competition closes COB Wednesday May 2nd, 2018 when the winners will be drawn. Only winners will be notified. Each pass is for 2 adults and up to 2 children.