Village Fair
Encyclopedia
Village Fair is an annual music festival
located in Bathurst
, Australia
which first started as a community Festival
for students from rival dormitories of Charles Sturt University
, Bathurst campus, in 1974. It has increasingly expanded to include not only local indie music acts, but also popular Australian headliners.
, giant slides, stalls, and theme-based dorm common rooms. Students of CSU
(at that time, a Teacher's College) volunteered to organize the activities. The name originates from where the Fair was originally held; on John Oxley Village Green, where John Oxley Village (JOV) is an on-campus Residence, hence Village Fair.
The event became a part of the local community's event calendar, and for many years it was preceded by a student parade through the streets of Bathurst
on the morning of the Fair. Each 'Hut' - one of the 10 dormitory buildings that collectively make up JOV - was made responsible for devising and operating a stall or event for the Fair. Over time, it became obvious that one of the most popular stalls was the International Beer Tent run by D and E Huts. By the mid-1990s this had become the main focus, combined with a line-up of musical entertainments to keep the drinkers happy.
20 years after the first event, the Fair took the form of a Music Festival
on Saturday, 29 October 1994.
1995 saw Village Fair with an Under The Water theme, aiming to support the State Emergency Service
(SES) by donating profits in the aid of upgrading SES equipment.
A large loss (negative profits) was incurred in 1997 when the Fair moved from its home on JOV Green to a space near the campus Rugby Oval. As a result, the 1998 Fair had its funding pulled by the University leaving the volunteer group to move the music venue into the University Bar and place the stalls on the Library Lawn.
In 1999, the venue again changed to University Hockey Fields, but the day was a washout due to heavy rain. A number of people suffered injuries due to drunken mud-sliding. The Fair moved again to a green field site next to the JOV dam, where it has stayed until 2006.
2007 saw the event move to the base of the famous Mt. Panorama. The festival site is now more than double any previous site that has hosted Village Fair.
The increasing popularity of the event saw more than 2000 people attend 2011's Village Fair, which was headlined by Sparkadia and supporting acts Papa Vs Pretty, DJ Sampology, Ball Park Music, Bang Gang Deejays, and Owl Eyes.
, Blue King Brown
, The Basics
, Ash Grunwald
Chaos Maths, Something for Kate
, 28 Days
, Kisschasy
, Blue Juice, British India and Little Birdy
.
The line-up has also featured several well known DJ's, including The Aston Shuffle, Bag Raiders, The Funky Punks, and The Purple Sneakers DJs.
2009 saw the event take a more mainstream direction in what was the biggest Village Fair to date. That year the line-up included Van She
, Kid Confucius
, Snob Scrilla
, Cloud Control, Bag Raiders
, The Bakery, The Sundance Kids, True Vibenation, Girl In The Red Light, and local CSU talent Horse & Lewi, Boylo & Will, and Go! Go! Machiner.
Music festival
A music festival is a festival oriented towards music that is sometimes presented with a theme such as musical genre, nationality or locality of musicians, or holiday. They are commonly held outdoors, and are often inclusive of other attractions such as food and merchandise vending machines,...
located in Bathurst
Bathurst, New South Wales
-CBD and suburbs:Bathurst's CBD is located on William, George, Howick, Russell, and Durham Streets. The CBD is approximately 25 hectares and surrounds two city blocks. Within this block layout is banking, government services, shopping centres, retail shops, a park* and monuments...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
which first started as a community Festival
Festival
A festival or gala is an event, usually and ordinarily staged by a local community, which centers on and celebrates some unique aspect of that community and the Festival....
for students from rival dormitories of Charles Sturt University
Charles Sturt University
Charles Sturt University is an Australian multi-campus university located in New South Wales, Victoria, and the Australian Capital Territory. It has campuses at Bathurst, Canberra, Albury-Wodonga, Dubbo, Goulburn, Orange, Wagga Wagga and Burlington, Ontario...
, Bathurst campus, in 1974. It has increasingly expanded to include not only local indie music acts, but also popular Australian headliners.
History
Starting in 1974 as an event to rival another dorm's social activities, Village Fair consisted of a Ferris wheelFerris wheel
A Ferris wheel is a nonbuilding structure consisting of a rotating upright wheel with passenger cars attached to the rim in such a way that as the wheel turns, the cars are kept upright, usually by gravity.Some of the largest and most modern Ferris wheels have cars mounted on...
, giant slides, stalls, and theme-based dorm common rooms. Students of CSU
Charles Sturt University
Charles Sturt University is an Australian multi-campus university located in New South Wales, Victoria, and the Australian Capital Territory. It has campuses at Bathurst, Canberra, Albury-Wodonga, Dubbo, Goulburn, Orange, Wagga Wagga and Burlington, Ontario...
(at that time, a Teacher's College) volunteered to organize the activities. The name originates from where the Fair was originally held; on John Oxley Village Green, where John Oxley Village (JOV) is an on-campus Residence, hence Village Fair.
The event became a part of the local community's event calendar, and for many years it was preceded by a student parade through the streets of Bathurst
Bathurst, New South Wales
-CBD and suburbs:Bathurst's CBD is located on William, George, Howick, Russell, and Durham Streets. The CBD is approximately 25 hectares and surrounds two city blocks. Within this block layout is banking, government services, shopping centres, retail shops, a park* and monuments...
on the morning of the Fair. Each 'Hut' - one of the 10 dormitory buildings that collectively make up JOV - was made responsible for devising and operating a stall or event for the Fair. Over time, it became obvious that one of the most popular stalls was the International Beer Tent run by D and E Huts. By the mid-1990s this had become the main focus, combined with a line-up of musical entertainments to keep the drinkers happy.
20 years after the first event, the Fair took the form of a Music Festival
Music festival
A music festival is a festival oriented towards music that is sometimes presented with a theme such as musical genre, nationality or locality of musicians, or holiday. They are commonly held outdoors, and are often inclusive of other attractions such as food and merchandise vending machines,...
on Saturday, 29 October 1994.
1995 saw Village Fair with an Under The Water theme, aiming to support the State Emergency Service
State Emergency Service
A State Emergency Service is an Australian volunteer organisation that provides emergency help during and after declared disasters. The SES is also the primary or secondary agency for emergencies, such as storm damage,flood damage, building damage, traffic hazards and road crash rescue...
(SES) by donating profits in the aid of upgrading SES equipment.
A large loss (negative profits) was incurred in 1997 when the Fair moved from its home on JOV Green to a space near the campus Rugby Oval. As a result, the 1998 Fair had its funding pulled by the University leaving the volunteer group to move the music venue into the University Bar and place the stalls on the Library Lawn.
In 1999, the venue again changed to University Hockey Fields, but the day was a washout due to heavy rain. A number of people suffered injuries due to drunken mud-sliding. The Fair moved again to a green field site next to the JOV dam, where it has stayed until 2006.
2007 saw the event move to the base of the famous Mt. Panorama. The festival site is now more than double any previous site that has hosted Village Fair.
The increasing popularity of the event saw more than 2000 people attend 2011's Village Fair, which was headlined by Sparkadia and supporting acts Papa Vs Pretty, DJ Sampology, Ball Park Music, Bang Gang Deejays, and Owl Eyes.
Artist lineups
Village Fair has attracted a number of popular upcoming Australian artists, most of which have gone on to have main-stream music careers, including Machine Gun FellatioMachine Gun Fellatio
Machine Gun Fellatio was an Australian alternative rock band, formed in 1997. They were well-known for their provocative on-stage antics and humorous lyrics, as well as the musical merit of their songs. Their outrage-provoking name gives some idea of the attitude that pervades the band's work...
, Blue King Brown
Blue King Brown
Blue King Brown are a Melbourne-based, Australian urban roots band. They have released a self-titled EP and a full length album, Stand Up . They released their follow-up Worldwize Part 1 - North & South on 20 August 2010...
, The Basics
The Basics
The Basics are a three-piece band from Melbourne, Australia, formed by Wally De Backer and Kris Schroeder in 2002. Their style has been described as anything from 'indie-pop' to 'rock'n'roll' to 'pop-rock', though their records show they span a wide range of genres, including reggae, ska, country,...
, Ash Grunwald
Ash Grunwald
Ash Grunwald is an Australian radio announcer and blues musician.-Early career:...
Chaos Maths, Something for Kate
Something for Kate
Something for Kate are a rock band from Melbourne, Australia. Members include songwriter, vocalist and guitarist Paul Dempsey, drummer Clint Hyndman and bassist Stephanie Ashworth...
, 28 Days
28 Days
28 Days are a punk rock band formed in Bacchus Marsh, Australia during 1997. At their career peak, they had a #1 album on the Australian ARIAnet Albums Chart and also a #12 single on the ARIAnet Singles Chart....
, Kisschasy
Kisschasy
Kisschasy are an Australian rock band formed in Victoria, Australia, in 2002. Since forming, their line-up has consisted of lead vocalist Darren Cordeux, bassist Joel Vanderuit, guitarist Sean Thomas and drummer Karl Ammitzboll....
, Blue Juice, British India and Little Birdy
Little Birdy
Little Birdy are an Australian indie rock band formed in Perth, Western Australia in 2002 by singer and guitarist Katy Steele, drummer Matt Chequer, guitarist and keyboardist Simon Leach, and bass guitarist Scott O'Donoghue...
.
The line-up has also featured several well known DJ's, including The Aston Shuffle, Bag Raiders, The Funky Punks, and The Purple Sneakers DJs.
2009 saw the event take a more mainstream direction in what was the biggest Village Fair to date. That year the line-up included Van She
Van She
Van She is an electropop band formed in 2005 in Sydney, Australia, with Matt Van Schie on bass guitar/vocals, Tomek Archer on drums/sequencer, Michael Di Francesco on synth/guitar and Nicholas Routledge on vocals/guitar...
, Kid Confucius
Kid Confucius
Kid Confucius were an eight-piece Australian band from Sydney, Australia. They formed in 2001 and have since played well over 400 live shows around the country, including major festivals as well as their own headline shows at venues such as The Annandale Hotel and The Metro Theatre...
, Snob Scrilla
Snob Scrilla
Sean Ray is an American rapper, producer and musician.- Biography :Sean Ray known by his alias Snob Scrilla was born in Clovis, California. He went to Buchanan High School. He moved to Australia to study and while living in Newcastle began making music before later moving to Sydney. His hometown...
, Cloud Control, Bag Raiders
Bag Raiders
Bag Raiders are a house duo from Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, consisting of DJs Chris Stracey and Jack Glass. The duo is well known for their remixes and live shows.Bag Raiders came in at number 11 in the poll of Australia's top DJs in 2009....
, The Bakery, The Sundance Kids, True Vibenation, Girl In The Red Light, and local CSU talent Horse & Lewi, Boylo & Will, and Go! Go! Machiner.
2005
- Magic DirtMagic DirtMagic Dirt are an Australian rock band, which formed in 1991 in Geelong, Victoria, with Daniel Herring on guitar, Adam Robertson on drums, Adalita Srsen on vocals and guitar, and Dean Turner on bass guitar. Initially known as Deer Bubbles and then The Jim Jims, they were renamed as Magic Dirt in...
- GerlingGerlingGerling were an alternative guitar and electronic act from Australia. They formed in 1993, and are based in Sydney.-History:The band formed in 1993 with the line-up of Darren Cross , Presser and Brad Herdson...
- After the FallAfter the FallAfter the Fall may refer to:* After the Fall , an Australian musical group* After the Fall * After the Fall * After the Fall , a novel in the Dragonriders of Pern series...
- The Panda BandThe Panda BandThe Panda Band are an indie pop band originating from Perth, Western Australia. They have a reputation for combining numerous musical genres. They have toured nationally as support acts for bands such as The Sleepy Jackson, Little Birdy, The Grates and Evermore.-Biography:The band originally...
- Something with NumbersSomething with NumbersSomething with Numbers is a rock band based in Australia. The band was formed on the New South Wales Central Coast, in Australia, in 2001. They have released an EP and three studio albums in their 7 year career...
2006
- Little BirdyLittle BirdyLittle Birdy are an Australian indie rock band formed in Perth, Western Australia in 2002 by singer and guitarist Katy Steele, drummer Matt Chequer, guitarist and keyboardist Simon Leach, and bass guitarist Scott O'Donoghue...
- 28 Days28 Days28 Days are a punk rock band formed in Bacchus Marsh, Australia during 1997. At their career peak, they had a #1 album on the Australian ARIAnet Albums Chart and also a #12 single on the ARIAnet Singles Chart....
- True LiveTrue LiveTrue Live is an Australian jazz rap band formed in Melbourne, Australia. They had chart success with "TV" reaching #76 on the ARIA Single Chart and The Shape Of It reaching #85 on the ARIA Albums Chart...
- TZUTZUFor the ancient chinese military strategist and author, see Sun Tzu.TZU are an Australian hip hop group, originating from Melbourne, Victoria. They are known for live shows with significant crowd involvement, at festivals such as Big Day Out, Falls Festival, MS Fest and the Meredith Music Festival,...
- Dukes of WindsorDukes of WindsorDukes of Windsor are a Berlin-based Australian Electro/Rock group most noted for their single It's A War, released in Australia in 2008 and in Europe in early 2010, as well as their song The Others, remixed by Australian dance act TV Rock.-Biography:...
- Paul Greene
- Casual Projects
- Chaos Maths
- Over Pass
2007
- KisschasyKisschasyKisschasy are an Australian rock band formed in Victoria, Australia, in 2002. Since forming, their line-up has consisted of lead vocalist Darren Cordeux, bassist Joel Vanderuit, guitarist Sean Thomas and drummer Karl Ammitzboll....
- Blue King BrownBlue King BrownBlue King Brown are a Melbourne-based, Australian urban roots band. They have released a self-titled EP and a full length album, Stand Up . They released their follow-up Worldwize Part 1 - North & South on 20 August 2010...
- Ash GrunwaldAsh GrunwaldAsh Grunwald is an Australian radio announcer and blues musician.-Early career:...
- The BasicsThe BasicsThe Basics are a three-piece band from Melbourne, Australia, formed by Wally De Backer and Kris Schroeder in 2002. Their style has been described as anything from 'indie-pop' to 'rock'n'roll' to 'pop-rock', though their records show they span a wide range of genres, including reggae, ska, country,...
- Dukes of WindsorDukes of WindsorDukes of Windsor are a Berlin-based Australian Electro/Rock group most noted for their single It's A War, released in Australia in 2008 and in Europe in early 2010, as well as their song The Others, remixed by Australian dance act TV Rock.-Biography:...
2008
- The Aston ShuffleThe Aston ShuffleThe Aston Shuffle are a house music duo from Canberra, Australia. They are made up of Disc jockey and electronic music producers Mikah Freeman and Vance Musgrove...
- Bag RaidersBag RaidersBag Raiders are a house duo from Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, consisting of DJs Chris Stracey and Jack Glass. The duo is well known for their remixes and live shows.Bag Raiders came in at number 11 in the poll of Australia's top DJs in 2009....
- British India
- BluejuiceBluejuiceBluejuice is a rock band based in Sydney, Australia. The group consists of Jake Stone, Stavros Yiannoukas, Jamie Cibej, Jerry Craib and James Hauptmann.They have released three studio albums; Problems, Head of the Hawk and Company....
- The JezabelsThe JezabelsThe Jezabels are a four-piece musical group from Sydney. They formed after meeting at the University of Sydney. Their music is hard to define into one specific genre, and has been described as a blend of indie pop, indie rock, rock, and disco pop...
- Cassette KidsCassette KidsCassette Kids are a Sydney based band formed in 2007. They won the Unearthed Sydney 2008 Big Day Out competition and were nominated for a 2008 Unearthed J Award. Their song "You Take It" was a Triple J's Ausmusic Month featured track and had a video made for it which has appeared on Channel V, MTV...
- The Filthy Rich
- Beats Working
- The Charlie Lions
- Radiophobia
- The Bakery
- The Camels
- Watussi
- First Light
- The Blank Blank's
- The References
- EQD
- Break Academy
- Sooty And Sweep
- People's Republic
2009
- Van SheVan SheVan She is an electropop band formed in 2005 in Sydney, Australia, with Matt Van Schie on bass guitar/vocals, Tomek Archer on drums/sequencer, Michael Di Francesco on synth/guitar and Nicholas Routledge on vocals/guitar...
- Kid ConfuciusKid ConfuciusKid Confucius were an eight-piece Australian band from Sydney, Australia. They formed in 2001 and have since played well over 400 live shows around the country, including major festivals as well as their own headline shows at venues such as The Annandale Hotel and The Metro Theatre...
- Cloud ControlCloud ControlCloud Control are an alternative rock band originating from the Blue Mountains near Sydney, Australia. The band is currently signed to the Australian label Ivy League Records, in which they released their debut album Bliss Release, and to Infectious Music in the UK/Europe...
- Bag RaidersBag RaidersBag Raiders are a house duo from Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, consisting of DJs Chris Stracey and Jack Glass. The duo is well known for their remixes and live shows.Bag Raiders came in at number 11 in the poll of Australia's top DJs in 2009....
- The Sundance KidsThe Sundance KidsThe Sundance Kids are an Australian pop rock band from Adelaide, South Australia, formed in 2006. The group began as the acoustic trio of vocalist and guitarist Ash Gale, as well as guitarists Jason Shepherd and Luke Zecchin, before they were joined by bassist and vocalist Jeremy Wright with...
- Purple Sneakers DJs
- Snob Scrilla
- The Bakery
- True Vibenation
- Go! Go! Machiner
- Girl in the Red Light
- Horse & Lewi
- Boylo & Will
2010
- Miami HorrorMiami HorrorMiami Horror are an Australian electronic band from Melbourne, Victoria with a disco-house throwback style. Miami Horror can refer to its producer, Benjamin Plant, or its four-piece live incarnation.-Biography:...
- Yves Klein BlueYves Klein BlueYves Klein Blue was an Australian indie/rock band from Brisbane. The band are signed to Brisbane record label Dew Process, under which they re-released their debut EP Yves Klein Blue Draw Attention to Themselves...
- The Only
- The Melodics
- Beni
- Hey Now
- Redcoats
- Brittle
- [me]
- Bloody Lovely Audrey
- Treeboi & Kone
2011
- SparkadiaSparkadiaSparkadia is the project of alternative pop musician Alexander Burnett. Originally a band, Sparkadia formed in Sydney, Australia, in 2004. Up until 2009, Sparkadia was a four-piece band.-History:...
- Sampology
- Papa Vs PrettyPapa VS PrettyPapa Vs Pretty is an ARIA-nominated Australian rock band from Sydney, New South Wales. Originally the solo act of then 15-year old Thomas Rawle in 2006, Papa Vs Pretty became its current three-piece band in 2008 with the addition of Rawle’s friends Angus Gardiner and Tom Myers Papa Vs Pretty is...
- Bang Gang Deejays
- Owl EyesOwl EyesOwl Eyes is the moniker of singer Brooke Addamo, an Australian recording artist signed to the Wunderkind/Warner label. In 2010 she released the EP 'Faces'. The same year her vocals featured on Illy's hit single 'It Can Wait', voted #29 on Triple J's Hottest 100 for 2010. In 2011 she released the...
- Ball Park MusicBall Park MusicBall Park Music is a six-piece indie rock/pop band from Brisbane, Australia, made up of frontman Sam Cromack , Jennifer Boyce , Paul Furness , Brock Smith and twins Dean Hanson and Daniel Hanson .-Origins:Ball Park Music began its life as a vehicle for Sam...
- The SnowdroppersThe SnowdroppersThe Snowdroppers are an Australian punk and rock band with Johnny Wishbone on lead vocals and banjo, Pauly K on guitar, Nick London on bass guitar and Cougar Jones on drums. Their debut album, Too Late to Pray, was released in 2009...
- Stonefield (band)Stonefield (band)Stonefield is an Australian rock band made up of four sisters, Amy, Hannah, Sarah, and Holly Findlay from Darraweit Guim, a small town in rural Victoria. Previously known as Iotah, the band won the 2010 Triple J Unearthed High contest in 2010 with their song "Foreign Lover"...
- The Ruminaters
- Lime Cordiale
- Sticky Fingers
- The Nectars
External links
- Village Fair Official Website