From the brains behind the iconic Falls Festival comes the brand-new Wanderer Festival, which hopes to engage a multigenerational audience on the shores of Pambula Beach next month.

On 23-25 September, the three-day event offers an impressive music line-up with artists from all genres, and celebrates artists with a program jam packed with comedy, circus, theatre and cabaret performances. Guests are also invited to get hands on in a range of workshops over the weekend.

Wanderer is a culmination of the festival Simon Daly has put together throughout his career, with the biggest influence being the first Falls Festival in Marion Bay, Tasmania. The festival brought out a crowd from all walks of life and generations even though that wasn’t the plan; people were so excited to see something in their region they went.

“It showed you can create a festival where everyone can come together and enjoy. You end up with a really unique experience,” Daly said.

Capped at 10,000 attendees –   an intimate affair in the festival scene –  guests are encouraged to flow through the different areas and soak up the rich art scene that has been curated.

Two big top tents house The Lost Lands and Wanderer stages. Family friendly action can be found at The Lost Lands with arts-based theatre, comedy acts and circus performers, while the Wanderer stage will house the breaking artists and the more adult comedy and circus performances.

Headline artists will perform on the main stage against the backdrop of a national park, while two amphitheatre walls ensure the best quality sound for all attendees. If you want a taste of what you can expect at the festival, the team has curated a Spotify playlist you can find on the Wanderer website.

“It definitely has something to speak to the audience; people in their 60s to kids and wanderers in between, it really has a feel and speaks to everyone individually,” Daly said.

The beautiful Sapphire Coast location (the site is walking distance to the ocean) and the opportunity to reach a new multigeneration audience made the festival an easy sell to performers, he said. One of the acts he is excited to see is Curtis Harding, a soul singer who has never played in Australia before.

Daly and his family moved to the region in 2020, spending four months in the caravan park and decided never to leave – although they have moved on from the caravan park,. He told the story of a local retired meteorologist who, at 60 years old and working in South Australia, decided to research places across the country for his perfect weather before choosing Pambula.

“It’s shielded by the mountain range between Canberra and the coast, it gets an amazing amount of sunny days, we hardly get any wind at night, it goes calm at night,” Daly said.

Moving to the region during Covid has given Daly the time to pause; now having recharged his imagination, he wanted to create a festival that not only catered to people of all ages but also helped to give back to the community that had made his family feel so welcome.

“South coast people are such friendly people; I don’t feel like we’ve encountered that kind of people, so welcoming and friendly and embracing and inviting of people to the places. There’s a real selflessness to this area,” he said.

Tourism in the area has taken a toll in  recent years with the 2018 Tathra fires, 2019-20 Black Summer fires and then the pandemic. Daly said they have involved the community at every possible turn when planning. They worked with the local council to provide the camping grounds, the team from the Eat Merimbula Festival are programming the food options, with many of the venues using local produce, while locally brewed spirits, wine and beer will be showcased over the weekend at their bars. If you have grown accustomed to the festival staple food stalls and bar offerings, they will be there too.

If you plan on wandering to Pambula for the festival, there are plenty of sleeping options.  Wake up with a quick dip in the ocean if you choose to camp on site or at the beach caravan park, while a free bus service will pick you up if you are staying in Pambula or Merimbula.

To find out more about the festival, the artists, acts and snacks, head to wanderer.com.au

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