Four Winds Festival

Lior. Photo courtesy of Four Winds Festival.

Stefan Cassomenos. Photo courtesy of Creativity Australia.

2018 festival Djaadjawaan dancers. Photo credit, Raine Brown Photography. Chloe Leong in ‘Cinco’. Photographed by Wendell Teodoro.

Looking for something to do over the Easter weekend? Why not soak up some rich music and arts at the 2021 Four Winds Festival?

Nestled deep in the bush at the magnifi cent Barraga Bay site near Bermagui, the festival will host both local and visiting artists from April 2-4 for three joyous days of entertainment. From English Baroque to Candelo folk, from Middle Eastern song to contemporary dance, from ancient Yuin culture to ancient Greek tales, and from romantic poetry to Ravel piano trios, the Four Winds Festival is a cornucopia of culture in the heart of NSW’s South Coast.

Lean back on the lawns of the Four Winds Sound Shell natural amphitheatre and allow your senses to open to the musical and ecological soundscape. Soak up layers of spectacular musicianship, artistic collaborations, occasional birdsong and breezes in the surrounding trees. Having been silent for over a year due to the pandemic, Creative Director Lindy Hume is looking forward to welcoming audiences back to the Sound Shell for the 2021 festival. “This is the perfect place for us to gather and reconnect with each other, with nature, with music, with the world,” Lindy said. “This will be a weekend of celebration and refl ection, a gathering site for artists and audiences, locals and visitors to our region, people of all ages and backgrounds. “Four Winds Festival 2021 comes after a period of stress and upheaval for the South Coast. Making a festival of music and art in a natural setting, together with the community, seems a good place to start that recalibration.” This year’s festival is themed ‘Reconnect’ and is animated by four key events. The festival opening event is ‘Things Are Looking Up: Songs from Yuin Country’, a free joyous all-in celebration of the music, dance, language and cultures of the region. Yuin artists perform a Welcome to Country, before joining the musician-storytellers of Candelo on the Sound Shell stage. Ancient Greek theatre comes to Four Winds each night of the Festival with ‘The Iliad – Out Loud’. Local artist William Zappa’s adaptation of Homer’s epic tale of war and destiny earned standing ovations at the Sydney and Adelaide Festivals. Part one of ‘The Iliad - Out Loud’ is a free event.

Making a spectacular appearance is Sydney Dance Company performing Rafael Bonachela’s stunning ‘Cinco’, to live accompaniment by a quartet of Sydney Symphony Orchestra Fellows strings players. The fi nal statement of the festival is ‘Compassion’, a powerful music event with Hebrew/Arabic text, created by award-winning composer Nigel Westlake and the luminousvoiced performer Lior, featuring an astonishing line-up of Australian musicians. As well as an immersion in music and nature, experience Four Winds’ legendary hospitality and conviviality with great food, wine and coffee, local gin and other site experiences and stalls from local producers. For more details on the Four Winds Festival and to book tickets, visit fourwinds.com.au/2021fourwinds-festival/

For oyster afi cionados, it doesn’t get any better than the Narooma Oyster Festival. The ocean delicacy is embraced, celebrated and most importantly, devoured, come the fi rst weekend in May when thousands visit the festival. The Narooma Oyster Festival is one of the most popular events on NSW South Coast, showcasing the best of the region’s oysters, clean quality produce, chefs and diverse artistic talents.

The festival has won multiple awards for its sensational array of oysters, musical performances and contribution to the South Coast’s tourism industry. The festival will be held on the fi rst weekend of May, with activities planned for Friday April 30 and Saturday May 1. Starting at 4pm on the Friday, live music will play until 8.30pm when festival goers will be treated to a fi reworks display. Food stalls, the Narooma Rocks Bar and Matt Ratcliffe Oyster Bar will be open throughout the evening. A highlight of the Friday evening will be the famous Long Table Dinner. Saturday at the Narooma Oyster Festival is all about, you guessed it, the oysters! A free, freshly shucked oyster on arrival is the perfect start to perusing the festival with an extensive line-up of events across the day. Be quick, the free oyster on arrival is between 10am and 12.30pm. The oyster shucking competition will again draw a large fi eld with $500 and bragging rights for the fastest shucker. Festival organisers are excited to launch Australia’s Biggest Oyster with the search on for the nation’s largest oyster. Arguably the best part of the festival is the tasting of many, many oysters. Estuaries from Narooma and region will be featured with oysters coming from Shoalhaven, Clyde, Wagonga, Merimbula, Pambula and Wapengo. The range of oysters can be enjoyed in the Oyster Coast Alley. There will be live music until 6pm, so why not enjoy the sounds while sampling local wines, craft beers and local produce? With more than 70 market stalls and free family entertainment, the Narooma Oyster Festival is a must this year.