The sound of hammer on iron will ring out again at The Foundations in Portland on the weekend of 27 & 28 April with the Ironfest Makers Festival taking place at the historic site for the first time.
There is a long tradition of making and particularly blacksmiths at the old Portland cement Works, and this event will see some of the traditional trades practiced on site over 160 years ago return.
After an enforced 5 year hiatus, it is a new Ironfest that will greet visitors, however one that will still be visually stunning in this new location and with entertainment and excitement for all ages.
The biggest difference will be the lack of ‘bangs, booms and battles,” as the event seeks to reinvent itself after a successful 20 year history was interrupted by COVID in 2020.
This event is FREE for the public to attend and is part of the reason that the big ticket attractions such as jousting and re-enactment will be toned down, however it is also a sign of the times where younger audiences find other things they are more interested in such as Cosplay, Live Action Role Play, Heritage Trades and more.
The event is being sponsored by The Foundations and will provide visitors a unique industrial setting as a backdrop, something festival founder and producer Macgregor Ross is looking forward to.
There is ample on site parking at The Foundations and a full program of entertainment planned to take over the site from the Silos to The Annexe, so visitors are encouraged to give themselves plenty of time to take it all in.
The theme of the festival is Staying Alive, which many will embrace in the 70s inspired disco era, but it is also a bold statement by the festival, that despite setbacks over the last few years, there is now potentially a way forward for another 20 years.
For all the information visit www.ironfest.net or search Facebook for ‘Ironfest in Portland NSW’
Photo by Brigitte Grant Photography
