QHA November 2017

FEATURE
QHA REVIEW | 26
Woodford Motel is booked out over the New Year
period. From 27 December to 1 January, the
Woodford Folk Festival attracts about 125,000 festival
goers to the town, as well as around 2000 performers.
“The folk festival is very important to us, the whole
town benefits during the week of the folk festival,
everyone is busy whether it is the hotel or the
newsagency or the hardware store. The whole town is
abuzz,” Peter said.
While the festival is only a one-week cultural
celebration of music, dance, film, debate and more,
the preparations begin early in December when
about 450 contractors arrive in Woodford to begin
construction of the Woodfordia village.
“We have extra staff on during the festival especially
in the retail, kitchen and bistro areas to cope with the
crowd we get. Lunch times get very busy because a
lot of people come into town to get their supplies and
have some lunch and head back out there.
“Economically speaking the festival is a massive help
to everyone running business in Woodford. It’s a
tightknit community and everyone loves festival time,
we all look forward to it, I know I do and they’re lovely
people who come to the festival, they’re absolutely
lovely people,” Peter said.
“THE FOLK FESTIVAL IS VERY IMPORTANT TO US,
THE WHOLE TOWN BENEFITS DURING THE WEEK OF
THE FOLK FESTIVAL, EVERYONE IS BUSY WHETHER
IT IS THE HOTEL OR THE NEWSAGENCY OR THE
HARDWARE STORE. THE WHOLE TOWN IS ABUZZ”