Music sparks joy at CresFest

THE town of Creswick was a hive of activity over the weekend, as people from far and wide gathered for the town’s annual folk and roots event, CresFest.

Free children’s activities, workshops and performances were all on offer over the three days and the event culminated with a group festival choir in the Town Hall.

One of the attendees was Carolyn Alder who travelled from Melbourne to sing in Sue Johnson’s Combined Choir.

“It was fabulous as Sue has four choirs and she combined them together, so we sounded magnificent,” she said.

“It’s great having everyone here together and the music, every corner and every time you walk from one thing there is more music and it’s fabulous.”

Ms Alder had never been to Creswick before and she said it was great to have events like this which promote music.

“It brings joy to your life for everyone, it’s just joyous; it lifts you up,” she said.

“Sometimes life’s not so easy. Come along to something like this and your mood is lifted immediately. It’s wonderful.”

Festival associate director, Stella Savvy, was involved with both the festival and kids’ choir and said there was a great atmosphere in Creswick.

“Overall, the highlight for me is just the vibe around town,” she said.

“Having everyone in such great spirits

and such high-quality music has been fantastic.”

Despite the conclusion of the festival for another year, Savvy said she hopes the event will be bigger and better in 2025.

“I think that every year we do something like this we get better at it,” she said.

“People in our regional communities get better at interacting with such a thing like CresFest so I am looking forward to refining that and being able to grow.”