Festival folk to hit Lorne in May

With aspirations to eventually rival the renowned Port Fairy Folk Festival, Lorne May Music Festival (LMMF) arrives in town over the May 4-6 weekend.

Paul Upham from the Lorne Hotel said the festival was born from a desire to draw crowds during the off-season months and after they received a grant from the Surf Coast Shire, pushed ahead with the three-day event.

“We recognised that outside of peak times both from a retail and accommodation perspective, the weekend traffic drops dramatically,” he said.

“We wanted to start an event that takes place in the off-season, one we can grow and build upon. We want to encourage people to head down to Lorne if they’ve been here and liked it or come for the first time and experience a music event at the same time.”

Mr Upham said the Lorne Hotel in collaboration with the Cumberland Lorne and Grand Pacific Hotel wanted to make the event work for customers whilst being cost competitive.

“We decided that when guests book two nights’ accommodation at any of our three venues they will receive two free tickets to all paid events over the LMMF weekend,” he said.

“Ultimately we’d love to try and replicate the folk festival at Port Fairy or the Blues Festival in Echuca. We’re trying to build a free weekend event that’s free for people who’ve booked accommodation.

“Sales are starting to pick up and we’re getting a lot of enquiries now, it’s just about educating the public and getting people to come down and have a great experience.”

Mr Upham said a variety of acts have been locked in across four venues including the Riverbank Cafe with Bec Goring and the Peter Miller Duo featuring in the line-up.

For more information on the upcoming festival go to lovelorne.com.au.