History of Tumbafest

A Potted History of Tumbafest

On a hot January afternoon in 1997, a small group of friends were enjoying a drop of the local product and one was bemoaning the fact that jazz festivals were springing up everywhere, complete with the showcasing of local wines, but all involved various degrees of travel - Rutherglen, Wagga and Thredbo to name a few.

As the wine flowed, the germ of an idea was born - to stage a festival in Tumbarumba which would celebrate cool-climate wines and fruits, provide a variety of food sourced locally and throw in some music for good measure.

On that afternoon, the motto for Tumbafest, as well as its name, was born - a magical weekend of Tumbarumba's best.

With Susan Cowell as the inaugural president and driving force, a committee of six begged and cajoled local businesses and wine companies with ties to Tumbarumba to provide sponsorship and entered the almost surreal world of booking bands to perform.

It was decided that the festival would be held in The Parade (Tumbarumba's main street), with tables and chairs placed on the roadway and the back of a truck used as a stage (a practice that is still in use today).

Publicity for the event consisted of Letters to the Editor placed in all newspapers within a 300km range (free advertising), a terrific arrangement with Prime Television (which continues to this day) and lots of word of mouth advertising to family and friends.

Food stalls were operated by local service and sporting clubs, providing such gourmet delicacies as roast dinners and trout on the BBQ. While groups unknown to local people (such as Psycho Zydeco) played, committee members circulated through the crowd, begging for money to start the whole process again the following year.

The crowd numbered around 500, the street had to be restored to normality by 6pm and the exhausted committee members were heard to mutter quite loudly while stacking chairs and dismantling tables - "Never again!"

2006 marks the ninth annual Tumbafest event. Sponsorship is now measured in the tens of thousands of dollars, there is an actual advertising budget, food and refreshment stalls have to be outsourced to cater for the crowds (although I do believe you can still buy a Minor League baked dinner!), performers are widely known and with the appointment of a paid coordinator in 2005, the whole event has been put onto very much a professional footing.