Pure bliss, horny electro and an anti-ableism tirade: Meredith music festival celebrates 30 years of its big, weird family

For 30 years the Nolan family have welcomed thousands onto their land, for a festival that means the world to its loyal attendees. Photograph: Chelsea King

Victoria’s beloved Meredith music festival’s 30th anniversary – delayed by the pandemic – opened with a Welcome to Country. A larger-than-usual, thousands-strong crowd paid respects to the Wadawurrung people; chatter subsided and birds could be heard chirping in the towering gums.

Connection to land and family have anchored the festival throughout the decades. A one-stage BYO camping festival with no commercial sponsorship, Meredith was co-founded in 1991 by Chris Nolan, Marcus Downie and Gregor Peele, with the blessing of Chris’s parents John “Jack” and Mary, whose family has farmed the Wadawurrung land since 1865. In 1992, 500 punters showed up, then doubled the next year.