For the third year in a row, Yours and Owls managed to pull off one of the most relaxed festivals on the Australian summer circuit.
Over the glistening October long weekend, Stuart Park - on the edges of North Wollongong's pristine beaches, Yours & Owls provided a weekend that had an air of magic to it. Not only because of the killer lineup they managed to put together this year, but because Wollongong is on the verge of becoming a creative hub for N.S.W and this festival is fast becoming the jewel in the crown.
Across two stages and two days, festival goers poured into the sprawling green park and excellent festival set up. On Saturday, punters were treated to world class performances from Australian Indie heavy weights The Jezabels and Ball Park Music, Sampa the Great spat fire at an adoring audience, kiwi dance songstress Ladyhawke made a killer comeback and local boys Hockey Dad gave their hometown one of their best live performances - looking stoked all the while.
On Sunday Stanwell Park sweetheart Bec Sandridge gave off Debbie Harry vibes as she kicked ass in the arvo sun. Rock legends The Living End proved their still goddamned here, dance reggae queen Tkay Maidza stomped her way through one of the most energetic sets of the day and the DMAs provided some soul-searching sing along moments in the golden afternoon. Hermitude definitely brought the house down as the closing act of the festival with guest appearances from Claire Nakazawa and Mataya Young.
The festival itself ran so smoothly, they introduced a new cashless payment system, using a chip that came with your wrist band upon entry. Every stall at the festival would only accept payment from the wristband and it seemed to speed up the processes of buying and ordering food and drinks, I wouldn't have waited more that 10 minutes at any time - which is unheard of for a festival with 10 000 person capacity. 6 fully stocked bars with friendly bar staff also helped do the trick.
Foragers market were on board with food, providing a market style alleyway full of goodies. From Korean tacos, to dumplings, stuffed potatoes and deep fried sandwiches - there was plenty of food to fill the void
One of biggest commendations for the festival is that they provided adequate toilet facilities - probably the first festival I've ever been to of it's kind. Portaloos were regularly cleaned by a team of dedicated and friendly cleaners, toilet paper was even replaced!
Every punter at the festival was part of something much bigger, and it could be felt throughout the two days. Wollongong's creative scene has been burgeoning for years and is now coming to a head, speaking to festival organiser Ben Tillman after the event, he commented that the biggest questions that faces Wollongong now, is how to make our creative community sustainable.
There's something uniquely Wollongong about this festival - it's a true celebration of creative culture, it's not a money grab and it's not a manufactured experience. There is something completely authentic about this festival - the combination of the laxed punters, the impeccable set-up and organisation, the coming together of music, beach, art and food that have become the epitome of the Leisure Coast.
All photos by Todd Hardingham Photography
