Nannup Music Festival, Western Australia
The last time I was in Nannup was seven years ago. It was raining, the streets were empty, and my biggest highlight was the Devonshire tea that I had in one of the local cafes. Before that, I hadn’t been there since I was six years old and living an hour down the road at Boyup Brook.
This time it was a completely different experience, to say the least! The streets bustling with people, there was a serious buzz in the air as punters and performers arrived for the 28th Nannup Music Festival. You know that look in people’s eyes when there’s a festival in town? Everyone becomes extra friendly, and an instant community is formed? That feeling was everywhere in Nannup, and I get the feeling it wasn’t just due to the festival.
After running into numerous friends from the East Coast, I made my way towards the Amphitheatre stage where I was MCing and DJing for the weekend. Walking through the beautiful tall trees along Brockman Street, lined with markets, I just wanted to stop and browse. Don’t worry, I definitely got to do some of that across the weekend, discovering local artists and vintage wares along the way.
Walking into the natural amphitheatre, I straight away clocked the bush donuts stall that I had heard so much about. And don’t worry, I definitely sampled some of those as well!
Now I could go on and on about the location of the festival, because Nannup is a freaking gorgeous place, but what really struck me about this festival was the people. Every single person I met was amazing, down to earth, and I honestly felt like I’d returned to my family. The organisers and volunteers are dedicated and passionate about what they do, and it’s a testament to them that this festival has flourished for so many years. I don’t know why it took me so many to get there!
And the music! The program was filled to the brim with talent - Tash Sultana was the talk of the festival, unsurprisingly. But what is surprising is that she played the festival last year, to a much smaller crowd, and it seemed like heaps of people didn’t even realise that. People were turning up to the festival just to see her, and it was wild to see the crowd as I finished my DJ set and she strode out.
For me it’s not about the huge names though, it’s about discovering new music. Kardajala Kirri-Darra were one of my highlights – four strong, beautiful women from the Northern Territory of Marlinja and Elliott, singing about female empowerment and country. Goosebumps, all the way.
Wild Marmalade was an epic and perfect way to end the festival, the trio of Si Mullumby, Ben Walsh (of The Bird fame) and Paul George (from Tijuana Cartel) improvising a sweaty party set that had us all dancing. I’ve been going to Wild Marmalade gigs for over ten years now, and that combination of digeridoo and drums still gets me every time.
The street theatre at Nannup blew my mind – every time I walked through the food court I found myself stopping and laughing at their antics for a good 20 minutes. I love a festival where there are more ice cream stands than anything else (at least that’s how it felt), and I did become known as ‘the girl with the ice cream’ to some of the people I met across the weekend. Not a bad title to have!
If you haven’t been to Nannup Music Festival before, I feel like telling you that you should definitely go. But I also want to tell you not to go at all, because I’d like to keep it all to myself. It’s got something special, and I can tell you that it definitely challenged my idea that I had the best festivals in Australia all worked out. It’s up there, and I can’t wait to make the pilgrimage back next year.