27/02/2026
Wingham Music Festival – 2025 - Update, Gratitude and Formal Wrap-Up
On behalf of the volunteer committee of the Wingham Music Festival, we write to formally wrap up the 2025 Flood Recovery Festival; acknowledging the extraordinary support that has made it possible and outlining the next steps for the event’s future.
The Festival’s 2025 intentions were centred on:
Supporting flood-impacted residents across Taree, Wingham, Gloucester, Nabiac and Harrington with free tickets
Consistent with our commitment as soon as tax and accounting procedures are finalised the committee will share $30,000 across the organisations who will ensure support reaches those who need it most
Wingham Chamber of Commerce
Taree Business Chamber
Rotary Club of Taree on Manning
Rotary Club of Wingham
Lions Club of Taree
Manning Valley Neighbourhood Services
Importantly, these funds will continue to be distributed locally to support business recovery, community wellbeing and those still feeling the economic and social impacts of the May 2025 floods.
AGM Outcome and Festival Pause
At our AGM in December, several key committee members made the difficult decision to step away from their roles and take a well-earned break from organising the Wingham Music Festival.
As a result, the Festival will pause for this year and potentially beyond.
Many of us have been part of the Festival since the first year in 2007. It has been an extraordinary privilege to work alongside so many dedicated people to grow the event into the vibrant and much-loved experience it has become. Last year’s Festival, in particular, felt like a high note on which to step aside— a year defined by resilience, generosity and community connection.
We are planning a small event at Wingham Town Hall on 13th June 2026 with Hat Fitz and Cara to bring the Akoo Quiz show to life again as it was such a success at the Festival last year, so please join us there if you can.
Acknowledgement of Support
To deliver last year’s event, we were truly supported by our State Member, Tanya Thompson, along with the Australian Festivals Association and our Federal Member, Alison Penfold,. Their advocacy and assurance that funds could be made available to cover free tickets for community members impacted by the May floods enabled us to give back in a meaningful community driven way.
Although nine months have passed since the floods, the economic, social and cost-of-living pressures continue to be felt across the region. Being able to honour our funding commitments and distribute proceeds back to community and business organisations was not just a promise fulfilled — it is a reflection of our core values to support the mid coast.
A Personal Thank You
To every supporter, festival attendee, artist, stallholder, sponsor, volunteer and “all-round good person” who has helped bring the Wingham Music Festival to life year after year — thank you.
The core Festival team —
Kev Ballard, Donna Ballard, Adam Birkefeld, Peter Trood, Angela Callaghan, Emily Ballard, Rebecca Bird, Jody Morphett, Deb Horgan, Larry Belton, Kylie Kirkman and, more recently, Tanya Upperton — have become a tight-knit group bound by shared purpose, long hours, creative problem-solving and unforgettable memories. While this chapter may be closing, the friendships and bonds we have formed will endure.
The Wingham Music Festival has always been about more than music — it has been about connection, community, generosity and joy. Thank you for being in that story with us, it means a lot.
Best wishes,
The Wingham Music Festival Team
Wingham NSW 2429
Biripi Country
