Bellingen Taranta Festival 2025

The Bellingen Taranta Festival is back on for an extraordinary celebration of music, dance art, food and community. Expect incredibile Mediterranean and world music acts, parades, art installations, workshops and intentional spaces for community connection.

SPECIAL EVENT * Thursday 30th, 6.30pm, Jetty Theatre, Coffs Harbour: Taranta Festival Gala! “From Greece to Kurdistan”: Ali Shkaki Band feat Metin Yilmaz, Nawres Al-Freh, Bobby Singh plus Petra Trio: Come and join a very special celebration of cultural diversity and amazing musicianship for the Taranta Festival Gala night at the Jetty Theatre in Coffs Harbour. Local Kurdish singer and tanbur virtuoso Ali Shkaki and his band (Laura Targett - violin, Emiliano Beltzer - double bass, Greg Sheehan - percussion) will present a special show featuring some of the most prominent artists of the world music scene in Australia: tabla extraordinaire Bobby Singh, Iraqui kemanche player Nawres Al Freh and Kurdish kaval player Metin Yilmaz.

The gala starts with refreshments and Italian style aperitivo by Osteria Stef & Co followed by an unforgettable concert! Byron Triandafyllidis, Paddy Montgomery and Paul Dounias will open the concert for the Ali Shkaki Band with a powerful and evocative set highlighting their mastery of Greek traditional music, transporting the audience through the sounds of the Aegean and beyond, bringing centuries-old musical traditions to life 

This event has been sponsored by the City of Coffs Harbour thanks to the Arts and Cultural Development Grant program.

Friday 31st: DÍA DE LOS MUERTOS -all day live music, talks and workshops plus a DÍA DE LOS MUERTOS - dress up party feat the amazing all female Mariachi power band Queen of Hearts plus acts to be announced. A day to celebrate our ancestors in style!

Saturday 1sr: THE WORLD STAGE: another full day of live performances, dance, workshops and live music around town culminating in a night of concerts at the Memorial Hall with amazing acts including Australia Poetry Slam Champion and two-time QLD champ Huda the Goddess (Sudan/Brisbane), one of Australia's foremost sitar players Sarita McHarg (India/Melbourne) performing with special guests, plus the enchanting Greek Trio Petra (Greece/Melbourne) and the Latin folktronica power band Sunseeds (Chile/Colombia/Melbourne). As a very special treat the international touring duo Badieh (Spain/Iran) will make its appearance at the festival, showcasing lost songs of the Greater Khorasan. Discover the power and beauty of traditional music from the borderlands of Iran and Afghanistan. Audiences can expect a deeply immersive and transportive experience, as Badieh brings to life the rich and rarely heard folk music traditions of Greater Khorasan - the cultural heartland spanning eastern Iran and northern Afghanistan. With a combination of traditional instruments (rubab, oud, tar, setar) and centuries-old melodies, the duo creates a sonic journey that is both meditative and emotionally powerful. 

What? Is there more? Yes, much more!

Sunday: LA FESTA! A full day of Italian and Mediterranean music, dance and food. Imagine a big long table community lunch, leading to a final dance party with authentic Italian music feat. visiting bands The Rustica Project (Melbourne), Zumpa (Brisbane), Scupriri (Sidney), plus a Santa Taranta showcase. But before (or between?) the dances we will have the time to reflect on the theme of 'ancestry' with local theatre company Playback, we will experience a special performance of a collective song composition led by artistic director Salvatore Rossano with local and visiting artists, and, also, we will be delighted by the album launch of local legend and violin extraordinaire Laura Targett accompanied by incredible guests. Is there more? Do you still ask? Of course! Get ready to be surprised!

The Bellingen Taranta Festival is proudly supported by

The Australian Government thanks to the Festival Australia Program

The Bellingen Council, Arts Mid North Coast. City of Coffs Harbour.

Fringe events at: N. 5 Church Street, The Bellingen Brewery, Sundance Taverna (Urunga), Bruno’s (Bellingen)

Special Thanks to: The Belfry, Levenvale Farm