There are a few key aspects that make Golden Plains arguably the best music festival in Australia.
Photo: Twitter@WillHewett
They consistently manage to attract the big acts while limiting the ticket numbers to keep things feeling intimate. Mercifully, they don’t splash sponsor logos everywhere, and the early March sun combines with the summer-yellowed grass in exactly the correct way. They also have some fun and quaint traditions such as “The Meredith Eye” ferris wheel, “The Boot” (where the crowd collectively holds their shoes in the air to communicate approval) and “The Crossword” in the festival program (this is where I come in).
This is the sixth year I’ve been Golden Plains’ resident cruciverbalist, and it is probably the favourite of all my crosswording jobs. Each year I get to construct a cryptic crossword full of musical references, and then I get to walk around the festival watching festival-goers solving and cursing my handiwork. It’s the perfect opportunity for cryptic nerds to show off in front of their mates, and also a great opportunity for music-loving crossword n00bs to get some free tuition. One thing is for sure, it’s a case of social solving at its best, often bringing together neighbouring camps to crack the grid as a team. It’s a great little activity to do in the down-time between bands, but best attempted before the beers render the clues less interpretable.
This year’s puzzle is a little different than the previous five, let’s just say it will be a bit more inclusive for those who aren’t pros at cryptics. The theme is endangered birds of the Golden Plains Shire
But for now, here is a flashback to my 2018 puzzle, which is one of my favourites and possible one of the more difficult ones (especially if you’ve never been to the festival). The theme was 12 because it was the 12th Golden Plains Festival.
Are you the organiser of an event or festival that could do with a killer crossword? Email me and let’s chat!