Tents began to appear at the Waiora Scout Camp yesterday afternoon as folkies descended upon Whare Flat for the multi-day camping festival’s 50th year.
Among those there as the gates opened was Sue Harkness, who organised the 1984-85 and 1985-86 festivals.
She described the festival as her turangawaewae, or place to stand.
"There are people here I have known since the late 1970s.
"We’ve grown up together, we’ve jammed together, we’ve sung together, we’ve insulted each other as we greeted each other, we’ve got drunk together — we’ve done a whole bundle of different lived and life experiences."
She attended the second-ever festival, in 1976-77, when it was marketed as a camp and band members played on the back of a flatbed truck, Ms Harkness said.
In the years she ran it, numbers peaked at about 800 people on-site and 1200 for the New Year’s Eve barn dance.
"There wasn’t any public entertainment in Dunedin on New Year, so everyone came out."
A standout moment for her was witnessing the change in professionalism of the music featured at the festival.
Full-time professional and overseas musicians began making appearances after about 10 festivals in, the first being The House Band.
Acoustic Confusion was a primary guest, Otago-born country soloist John Grenell also making an unexpected appearance one year.
It was special to have been asked back to contribute for the festival’s 50th year, she said.
"It was and is still very much a family atmosphere.
"I come back every year, not just for the music, but to see friends, to see people I’ve known since they were babes in arms."
This year’s director Siobhan Dillon said there was an intensity to the time people spent together during the festival, especially because of a "complete lack of ability to reach the outside world here".
Ticket sales were going well, about 400 people including volunteers expected to attend.
The festival runs from December 30 to January 3.
