Pop Up Stalls for Creatives - Tamworth Country Music Festival 2024

Pop-Up Stall for Creatives

Tamworth Country Music Festival | 19–28 January 2024

During the 2024 Tamworth Country Music Festival — the largest and longest-running country music festival in the Southern Hemisphere — Arts North West presented a vibrant Pop-Up Stall for Creatives, offering a free and accessible platform for artists, musicians, designers and cultural organisations to connect directly with the festival’s expansive audience.

Positioned on Peel Street in the heart of the CBD, the Arts North West tent became a space of exchange and visibility within the intensity of the festival environment. Across ten programmed days, twelve creatives and industry organisations animated the site through live performance, artisan demonstrations, market stalls and professional networking opportunities.

First Nations creativity was strongly represented. Internationally acclaimed Gomeroi designer Colleen Tighe-Johnson of Buluuy Mirrii (Black Star) opened the program, sharing fashion that revitalised Gomeroi Dreaming stories through contemporary design. Her globally recognised practice — spanning Melbourne, New Zealand, Canada, New York, Paris Fashion Week and the Cannes Film Festival — brought powerful cultural presence to the Peel Street activation.

Singer-songwriter GOLDHEIST infused the space with layered, emotive indie-folk soundscapes, while emerging Tamworth artist Moods B delivered a distinctive fusion of hip hop, blues and folk, expanding the sonic boundaries of what country music festival audiences might expect. Early childhood music initiative Music With AIM brought community engagement into the program, highlighting music’s role in lifelong creative development.

Visual artists and makers transformed the stall into a tactile marketplace of regional craft excellence. Artful Blended Treasures presented handcrafted jewellery and textured artisan works. Bibbi’s Aboriginal Arts and Craft, led by Gomeroi artist Pauline Sampson, showcased hand-decorated Aboriginal dolls and painted homewares rooted in cultural storytelling. Cat Long Art captivated passers-by with live watercolour portraiture, capturing fleeting festival moments in paint.

Textile and wearable art practices were equally prominent. JAMB Hats & Millinery Designs, created by Currabubula felter Jo Barr, featured finely crafted merino wool hats blending traditional felting techniques with contemporary design. Stitched by Mary presented intricate hand-embroidered wearable art, while B & K Designs offered playful polymer clay pieces that balanced functionality and artistic expression.

The pop-up also strengthened inter-regional collaboration. Outback Arts, the peak arts organisation for Far West NSW, partnered with Arts North West to showcase artists from neighbouring regions, reinforcing the importance of cross-regional creative networks.

MusicNSW provided on-site industry advice and professional development through Regional Manager Dave Burgener, creating valuable pathways for local and visiting musicians.

Adding an interactive dimension, Tamworth Art Academy delivered on-site polymer air clay workshops, inviting festival-goers of all ages to participate in hands-on creative making. These accessible sessions encouraged experimentation and artistic confidence, transforming passers-by into active participants and reinforcing the stall as a space of shared creativity rather than passive consumption.

Collectively, the Pop-Up Stall for Creatives demonstrated Arts North West’s commitment to elevating regional artistic practice, fostering professional opportunity, and embedding diverse contemporary arts experiences within one of Australia’s most iconic cultural festivals.