The success of the Penola Coonawarra Acoustic Music Gathering has been recognised, with the annual event nominated for a top award.
The volunteer-run event has been nominated for the Community/Cultural Project of the Year in the Australian Folk Music Awards (AFMA).
The awards recognise and celebrate the musical and cultural talent, vibrancy, diversity and community nature of the Australian Folk Music sector, and are run by Folk Alliance Australia.
It is the second time the gathering has been nominated since it was started in 2020.
Committee chairperson Anne Miller said she was thrilled to see the festival nominated.
“It is for the Cultural Award, which is the impact on the community, and this is why we did it – for our community, to bring business to the town, and to provide something that the community didn’t have,’ she said.
“We’re absolutely thrilled, we’re so very proud and we’re very proud of the town.”
She said the event could not happen without the support of volunteers, sponsors and locals, and said the award was for everyone.
“We wouldn’t and couldn’t do it without the support of the town, and everybody in it,” she said.
She thanked major sponsors Bendigo Bank, Stand like Stone and Wattle Range Council, as well as the numerous other sponsors and private donors.
Next year’s festival is shaping up well, with a great line-up of artists already locked in. .
The 2024 gathering will be held slightly earlier, to avoid clashes with other local events, kicking off on March 1 to March 3.
Ticket sales will open by the end of October, and this year, there will also be evening tickets on offer, as well as the all day, or multi-day tickets. .
Fred Smith, who won best Solo Act last year in the AMFAs last year, and international artist Paul Gally have been locked in, along with a number of other top-class performers.
