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A vibe you can’t fake: Newtown Festival’s 40th birthday was one we’ll never forget

Over the weekend, Newtown Festival turned 40 years old with one of the biggest turnouts in the event’s huge history.

Throughout the day, Camperdown Memorial Rest Park was packed to the brim with not just locals, but friendly folk travelling from far and wide to see what all the fuss was about. For those who came from all corners of Sydney, we put on one hell of a show.

Newtown Festival 2018 newtown neighbourhood centre
Photos: James Simpson / Newtown Neighbourhood Centre

To celebrate their 40th anniversary, Newtown Festival had to go bigger than ever. On Sunday, that’s exactly what they did.

A lap of the festival early in the day revealed a menagerie of food and drink options, ranging from the classic gözleme and slurpy stands to instalments from local brewers Young Henrys and Yulli’s.

You’d also notice a wealth of locally sourced clothing stores, points for Inner West politicians to speak to their district in person, a variety of musical stages put on by our mates from the Bank Hotel and Heaps Gay, plus a few cheeky media tents in FBi Radio and of course, yours truly.

Newtown Festival 2018 newtown neighbourhood centre youtube music

Youtube Music were out in force too, curating a perfect space to relax out of the sunlight and sample a playlist curated by Jake and Kenny from Mary’s. I definitely caught a few friends dozing off there, cuddled in with their dogs and enjoying the sounds of Newtown.

If you missed out or were busy enjoying yourself somewhere else, check out the Sounds of Newtown playlist on Youtube Music here.

From the safety of our tent and with a few wanders around, we caught performances from Georgia Mulligan, Dive Bell, Jackie Brown Jr, Nooky, Planet and heaps more… and every single one of them was greeted with open arms.

Which really is the best thing about Newtown Festival. It’s a place you’re happy to start a chat with the person next to you, ask a few questions at a nice-looking stall, or take a chance on a musician you’ve never heard of before. There’s a feeling of earnestness in the air, shaped by 40 years in one of the most accepting and generous suburbs of Sydney.

It’s a vibe you can’t fake. See you next year, Newtown Festival.