Bouncing back from the impending oblivion that often ensues after voluntary administration, the Castlemaine State Festival will kick off its 50th anniversary event this Friday with its trademark street party.
Seasoned festival directors Martin Paten and Linda Sproul, whose collective expertise and guidance have steered the festival to safer waters, are humble about their role in bringing the festival back from the brink, willingly handing credit to the artists, supporters and audiences.
Almost a year to the day, following heavy losses from the 2023 festival and as the organisation approached the prospect of insolvency, the board entered into voluntary administration.
Four months later, agreements with creditors were reached, and Martin and Linda came on board to engage the community and gain understanding about what role the festival could play in the future. Initially, neither had any intention of taking on the role of director, but given the resounding community sentiment was for the festival to continue, they threw themselves into the rather compressed timeline of rebuilding the festival, within six months (versus the usual two years).
Linda told the Express that she and Martin had approached the task of bringing the festival back with love and respect.
“We have played a big role, but it is everyone you see in the program and behind the scenes that built this. It was clear through our eight weeks of experiential research that the town wants this festival,” she said.
“I always say, ‘the festival is the town and the town is the festival’, that’s why it’s called ‘Castlemaine’ State Festival. It would have been such a shame if there had been no 50-year celebration.”
Martin said that clearly, with 85 per cent of tickets already sold, the festival was speaking to the community, something that might have been lost in recent years.
“But I’m feeling that energy now. It’s the unpredictability of what happens at a festival,” he said.
“For me, I have the sense that it has started, and there’s an energy, mystery and wonder that comes with each festival. I’m feeling the frisson of that. It’s starting to feel like a festival!
“Aside from the finances, [sell-out shows] mean artists can have great audiences and support in the intimate spaces that make this festival,” Martin said.
Rebuilding the event has come with a host of difficulties, including Free Palestine Central Victoria calling on the community to reflect upon funding obtained for the festival via the Besen Family Foundation, which allegedly has associations with the early formation of the Israeli state and projects in areas associated with illegal settlement activity. While the CSF declined to comment on the issue, a reliable source informed the Express that the foundation had no oversight into the programming.
During their conversations with the community last year, Martin and Linda found there were three or four core values that people felt were key to the festival. One of those was the need to support the next generation of creatives in the festival.
“We’ve been able to partner back with the schools and bring that back and have an amazing children’s program,” Martin said.
“People will say to Martin and me, ‘Oh, that program, I can really see what you’re doing. I can see what I’m interested in, but I can really see what you’re doing for everyone else,” Linda said.
When the Express asked what steps had been taken to ensure the continuation of the festival, Linda said the dates for the next festival had already been announced, and following finalisation of the 2026 festival, planning for 2028 would begin in August this year.
“What is embedded to ensure the festival continues to thrive is networks, relationships and communication,” she said.
“A lot is changing out there for festivals and festival funding, both in Australia and internationally, so finding the right model has been carefully considered,” Martin said. “We’ve been able to create a model that will be solid for the future. There are really good partnerships that are ready to take into the future as well.”
Both directors confirmed that once the festival was completed and their reports were wrapped up, they would be stepping back, but they were confident that the festival would proceed well into the future as it continued to learn and adapt.
