News
12 August, 2025
Festival back in rhythm
The Woodford Folk Festival (WFF) was able to stand its ground as Australia’s largest outdoor music festival in 2024, making a significant financial turnaround from an almost $2 million loss in 2023.
Financial documents seen by The Sentinel showed that despite last year’s box office revenue being hit by a $330,000 fall in takings (2 per cent) compared to 2023, Woodfordia Inc was still able to record a surplus of more than $1 million.
“Woodfordia is in a stronger position, and we’re ever optimistic about our future,” Festival Director, Amanda Jackes said.
One reason for the improved financial position was that Woodfordia, the non-profit behind the festival, received $2.2 million in grants from the previous year. This helped Woodfordia to record nearly $1 million in cash, compared to $327,000 in 2023, with overall revenue increasing from $14.59 million in 23/24 to $16.5 million in 24/25.
The organisation’s total comprehensive income grew from -$1.94 million in 2023 to nearly $1.3 million in 2024. However, most of this surplus came from grants, including a one-off $1.2 million infrastructure grant from the State Government. Without this funding, which was specifically for capital works, the festival’s actual operational surplus still came to just over $86,500 compared to the previous year.
Ms Jackes told The Sentinel this result, “while modest”, showed a positive direction for the festival’s financial recovery from previous hard years.
“While we were hoping for a stronger financial result, we recognise this year as a steadying one as we continue to recover from the impact of 2022/24,” she said. “We did see a 2 per cent decline in ticket sales, and we recognise that this is a concern not just for us, but for the wider Australian music and events industry. It’s something we’re actively addressing. Encouragingly, last year saw significant growth in the 18–29 age group, who made up over 25 per cent of our audience. That’s a promising sign, especially in a year when many festivals experienced a downturn in youth attendance.”
To address the continued decrease in ticket sales, Ms Jackes said Woodfordia would continue to present an “exceptional” program of artists, speakers, and experiences designed to inspire returning festivalgoers, as well as attract new audiences.
She added that this year’s small operating surplus, along with government grants, will help reduce ongoing maintenance costs and improve site functionality. “These improvements also increase our capacity to host additional events and functions year-round, which supports our long-term sustainability,” she said.
According to Ms Jackes, the 2024/25 WFF generated an estimated $20 million in economic activity for the City of Moreton Bay, supporting local businesses and sustaining the equivalent of more than 180 full-time jobs in the region.
“Woodfordia is the largest non-government employer of artists and arts workers in Queensland, aligning strongly with the State Government’s objectives of nurturing a thriving arts sector,” she said. “Our impact on tourism is also significant, with around 40 per cent of our attendees coming from interstate or overseas, which is why Tourism and Events Queensland continues to support the festival.”
Woodfordia will continue to seek support through project grants, operational funding, corporate partnerships, and philanthropy, having also launched their Forest of Goodwill campaign late last year.
The Forest of Goodwill campaign is a grassroots fundraising initiative to secure the land of Woodfordia through the Woodfordia Foundation, by buying the land value back from Moreton Bay Council. Their goal is to raise $5.7 million by July 2026, having already secured over $1.2 million.
For more information visit aforestofgoodwill.woodfordia.com
