It has just been announced that the Folk By The Sea music festival, held for many years in Kiama on the NSW south coast is to be discontinued … with organisers pointing to declining attendances it attributes to a council camping ban at the showground.
Festival Director Neil McCann told the ABC that the festival lost its onsite camping option three years ago, and while several alternatives had been explored, they couldn’t make it work.
“The last few years, we’ve had to buy accommodation at the council caravan park – Kendall’s Beach and Surf Beach – for the performers so we can offer them free accommodation so they aren’t going to be out of pocket,” he said. “But that’s the compounding factor because then people who come to the festival can’t get accommodation.”
The show won't go on!
Mr McCann said the event had injected around $2.5 million into the local economy over the past 13 years.
“That’s one of the sad parts about losing a thing like this – people didn’t just pay for a ticket and camp at the festival and the municipality get nothing,” he told the ABC. “All those people would have bought groceries, gone to the coffee shops – there’s all that flow on effect to the local businesses.”
When Kiama Council first announced it would no longer provide overflow camping sites at The Kiama Showground and Chapman Oval it said it was due to ground conditions.
“We have made this decision due to ongoing issues with the condition of our grassed areas, the likelihood of more damage, and increased demand from our sports club and other events for these grounds,” it said at the time. “As well as the significant cost of repairing our reserves, damage to these grounds also poses a safety risk to any users and our maintenance staff.”
Last week it was announced that the Changing Tides Festival, scheduled to be held at the Kiama Showground next month has also been cancelled.
The event’s organisers announced last Friday that the festival will not proceed this year and will not return in future years. They said the decision followed careful consideration, and they expressed sincere thanks to the community, artists, and partners who have supported the event since its inception.
Mayor Cameron McDonald said the cancellation was a loss keenly felt by the Kiama community.
“Changing Tides has become a highlight of our events calendar, bringing colour, culture, and connection to Kiama,” he said. “Following the research done to produce the Kiama Major Events Impact Report, it’s clear that support for suitable major events is strong across our community. Council has long supported the festival and was not involved in the organisers’ decision to cancel.”
The Mayor said the council recognised its past positive contribution to our local economy and community spirit, and we share the disappointment of everyone who was looking forward to this year’s event.”
The Council said it understood the complex challenges facing event organisers today, from rising costs to shifting audience behaviours, and said it remained committed to supporting events that align with our Destination Kiama brand promise and bring vibrancy to our community.
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I councils don’t support these types of events then the local businesses suffer in more ways that just the festival business. they cannot grow their business which in turn is good for the local community, which in turn is good for the rate revenue for the council.
You are spot on.
Just charge a small fee, to chip in for the extra clean up.
Interesting how the council has stopped camping on its ovels. However, I can understand the reasoning behind it. Based on the figures provided, it averages out to $ 192,307 per year in benefits to the community. If it is a wet year, the damage to the grounds would cost the council approximately 40% of the amount generated to rejuvenate the ovals to safe conditions for other activities to be held there. The council basically had three choices: increase rates to property owners. Two Charge Caravanners or organisers to use the oval at a rate to recover costs or three ban camping there. The council would have taken the third option, the best to save added financial burdens on the community
What a croc. What about the much bigger dollar value to all those businesses. Your local community will suffer and businesses will close. Typical pathetic small minded council
Typical of most councils these days , best to cancel them at the next election
Another NIMBY, short sighted bunch of fuddy-duddy councilors.
Exactly!
There must be some other long term options, such as gravel areas for camping.
Where do you get these figures from?
Even if there is no camping in the national park or campgrounds, council still have to spend money to maintain those facilities, besides every dollar they spent is paid by all property owners in the community through there quarter rates.
It is a narrow minded decision when they choose to closed camp sites and other caravan park facilities . The council itself destroyed their tourism business big time.
So what about the remaining 60%? Choosing the 3rd option and missing out on $120, 000 makes no sense.
Even if the council made nothing, it sounds like the benefit to the community was valued by the people. And businesses making money means more tax paid to council anyway.
Ridiculous.
Typical short sighted self serving Councils, they are all the same, working for themselves & not the wider community, I have seen the same lack of leadership in three different councils in my 84 years !
Councils are the breeding grounds for future useless politicians!
I have just been to the Deni Ute Muster. 26000 people attended. The town of Deniliquin opened All camping areas around the town even though there was camping on site.
Coastal towns need to keep their festivals going to keep towns surviving and not relying on holiday people in their holiday houses only going at Xmas and Easter
Councils are full of people who don’t actually value community. Where there’s a will, there’s a way. They simply can’t be bothered to work it out.
Convince some common sense people to run for council and elect them, if a couple of the crowd do the wrong thing, then fine them, stop blaming the whole, it’s lazy and dictatorial policy. Seems like somewhere else will profit from this, bad luck Kiama.
I share your sentiment of getting clever, kind, community-spirited and strong willed people to run for LGA councils. Often, these wonderful folks are tricky to convince to stand for election because they don’t have big ego or ideas of power – but love their community and want to serve. (First campaign – convince that person. Second campaign – get them elected. The second part is easy with the right person convinced to run for a seat on council.)
I was so happy I encouraged an incredible person to run, and she is making a huge difference by being the right voice for our community – even though it’s tricky and frustrating at times.
Sometimes people don’t value democracy at Local level as much as they should. It’s more than Rates, Rubbish, Roads. It’s the closest arm of government to our homes, and affects people differently than State and Federal government, but it’s more representative of your community than state and fed legislature.
Seems that Coucils these days are focused on revenue raising and compliance.
They need to raise revenue to meet the costs of compliance. And bureaucracy tape.
(Although I’ve witnessed down scaling of admin emollient in councils, which wasn’t the silver bullet. Experienced staffers made redundant, noone to train from experience, and a total lack of effective T&D.)
Sometimes playing football in the mud is ok. Let it go
Yes, it is a sad loss especially when other towns are trying to think of ways to attract visitors and have fun and add to their local economy at the same time.
We just had Savannah in the Round here in Mareeba… 32000 people attended… you wouldn’t have known they had even been here after they left… very well organised and no damage at all…
Caravan parks have become too expensive and use long weekends, holidays etc as a cash cow, by rising rates. Ovals, showgrounds etc provide a great alternative. A $10 fee would help eliminate the “damage” that councils use as an excuse. They have become lazy and dictatorial. And the statement re behaviour is very shallow. Having travelled the eastcoast for decades from SA, using free or cheaper facilites i find that statement highly exaggerated.
I have a suspicion that too many of these councilors can’t stand the thought that somewhere, somehow someone is having fun, and they can’t figure out how to make money from them yet.
Sad that so many local community events and buildings for meeting places and enjoyment are no longer, we have just had our Exhibition Hall demolished which had been the hub for many community groups including the local playgroup, the local show and in its day the school debutante balls and local blue light discos. Makes you wonder what our grandchildren are going to have in their years growing up to enjoy…. Both federal, state and local governments need to take a good long hard look at themselves and see what is happening in society these days… too much crime and political correctness instead of old fashioned fun
The only thing that is clear as day, is that Govt & councils etc have failed to understand & uphold their role. Before they introduce all these hideous new rules, laws & control measures, they need to be reminded that they are “PUBLIC SERVANTS”, not LAW WRITERS!
They represent the public, nobody voted for them to come along & start banning iconic & traditional Australian leisures such as camping & freedom that our ancestors lost their lives defending. Freedom for Australians is what they are supposed to be defending, not their isolated beliefs.
As someone else mentioned, stop generalising & punish the individuals that do damage & litter the country. Not the whole population.
Our kids have no future in this once free country
Kiama Council need to sort out their showgrounds so it’s an all weather facility. Saying it gets chopped up and then is a hazard for the public and staff is just gross laziness.
Yes definitely sad. The locals miss out big time with the money people spent in the shops etc.
Sad. Just like the American Car Club show in Queanbeyan which ran for over 30 years but can’t any longer because of exorbitant security and insurance fees imposed by the local council. country spirit being killed in NSW.
It’s all about insurance premiums. The amounts of $ are eye watering.
Council is not very good at maths. The cost to restore damage even on a wet year would be nowhere near the income generated by festival goers year over year. Short sighted.
Councils in general are not community driven and are impaired by individual preferences within the Councils offices.
We do a lot of showground caravaning. The costs remain reasonable, the amenities are basic, although to keep the cost down, how much do you want, as long as they are clean
Overreaching councils YET AGAIN.
Time they were removed
What a crock
Mayor Cameron McDonald said the cancellation was a loss keenly felt by the Kiama community.
For a one off year event you would think the council would jump on board with 100% support but the truth most probably is they are not getting a kick back so they don’t give a shit
Might be time to kick them out by the sounds they aren’t there for the community
It’s a all Country/ Rock today.
Folk Music and Bush Ballard’s are seldom heared on The Wireless.
Maybe a little on Sunday mornings on ” Australia All Over ” with Macca.
2.5mil is nothing compared to the stress this puts on local areas.
I see no compelling reasons here to keep either event.
Hi, As a local Kiama resident we stopped going several years ago simply because of the ever increasing ticket costs. Frankly, the ticket pricing needs to be realistic if you want people to attend.
It’s all about what council wants, no thinking about contribution to the local business community. It’s endemic, the council bully tactics, throughout NSW. When civil servants and councillors make decisions, they do so with their eyes wide shut.
Anywhere on the Coast has become way too expensive as Councils have thier hands in your pockets just to park and camp on a block of dirt, it’s blatant revenue raising, nothing less!
Go inland, There are thousands of free camping ereas, support local buisiness out there, not local Councils.
Some councils are bowing to Caravan Park owners and closing free camps and and stopping camping on show and sporting grounds around the country.
Many self-contained campers don’t want to be crowded into small sites with playgrounds and jumping pillows and elaborate pools. Not do we want to pay for all those things that we don’t use.
Some councils are truly RV friendly and provide basic needs (water and a dump point) and space to spread out a bit, for a reasonable fee.
Their towns benefit. We rarely spend less than $200 in a town with a free camp and sometimes a lot more. But it’s for things we want. Groceries, fuel, coffee and cakes etc
Their losing backbone. Its a easy way to close them down. Small business needs them , help fill small gaps throughout the year.
I spent a lot of money in Kiama during my visits to the Folk by the Sea Festivals. There’s not much point in going down there now. Thanks Kiama Council for ruining a good thing.
It it happening everywhere my mate and I was going to the Ballarat swap meet every year he would drive from Bundaberg to Penrith pick me up and drive to Ballarat it was held at a site near the airport it is now unavailable and no other site apparently can be found it been about five years now it’s hard to believe there is no were else to accommodate this meet I’m sure the council has something to do with it.the town must feel the loss of this event
It’s definitely not the only show feeling the pinch from various sources. The ItalianAustralian Festival in Ingham has recently stopped after 35 years due to the cost of insurance, council fees for the grounds and declining numbers of volunteers.
Unfortunately it seems to be happening across a number of festivals around the country.
So many councils are short sighted in many ways and this is just one of them. I feel sorry for everyone who is losing out.
No help from the council.
Don’t they think that this brings money into the town.
If we find out that there’s going to be a festival in an area where we’re heading we avoid it & head in a different direction.
We love having a quiet relaxing time by ourselves.
What’s a Kiama? Never been there, now likely never will.
Festivals like this introduce travellers to different locations and some
will often return. Council needs to get a new tourism and promo officer.