Inaugural Wanderer Festival kicks off to a great start on NSW Far South Coast

The recent heavy rainfall had done nothing to deter festival-goers and locals as people began to flood the grounds at the Pambula Sporting Complex on Friday, September 23.

The festival was kicked off by a traditional Dhawa welcome to country which included dances from Eden's Duurunu Miru dancers, led by the founder of the group Shaquille Aldridge.

The dance was performed on the main stage at Wanderer by girls and boys of all ages. Local Yuin man Nathan Lygon also performed on stage singing in the Dhawa language while using traditional clapping sticks.

At the end of the performance the dancers made their way into the crowd to begin the smoking ceremony led by Nathan and Shaquille.

The first performer to kick off music on the mainstage was none other than local up and coming artist, Felicity Dowd who said it had been "incredible" to perform on such a big stage.

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"This is definitely one of the biggest stages I have ever performed on," she said.

Next to play on the main stage was another renowned Bega Valley artists, Anactoria whose music encouraged a good group of people to dance at the front of the crowd.

Festival goers were evenly dispersed during the day, as they roamed the area discovering all the pockets of activities, food and arts that were spread out across the festival.

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Food trucks were stationed offering a range of foods from pizza, to Mexican, sweets from waffles to ice cream, fairy floss and more to a stall entirely dedicated to beef jerky.

Families from far and wide had come to attend the first day of the festival with visitors from places in Victoria and all corners of NSW saying that Pambula and the Sapphire Coast was a "pretty and amazing part of the world".

Two patrons from Melbourne, Samantha Wojcik and Mathew Gelsumini said they really enjoyed the "chill vibes" of the festival.

"It's also a really accessible and family-friendly event, which I really like," Ms Wojcik said.

As the day progressed random and sudden rainfall came down on festival-goers, however it didn't seem to bother them as many had come prepared with rain jackets, good foot-wear and an enthusiasm that couldn't be extinguished by the rain.

In the evening the space in front of main stage became packed with people who were excited to see some of the big acts play such as Josh Pyke, the Teskey Brothers, Jack River and the Vanns.