Confest Festival Master Planning

Jakaan Architects are the official architects for Confest. Confest is a unique festival held at Woorooma Station near Moulamein in rural NSW, where thousands of people from across Australia gather for workshops, music, art, dance, and creative activities. The festival is volunteer-led and focuses on community participation and creative collaboration.

Because of the remote location and the nature of the festival, we were asked to design the master plan for spatial flows and navigation throughout the festival site.

The project required creating a master plan that allowed people to move freely between different themed activities while maintaining the festival’s collaborative spirit. The design needed to accommodate diverse activities including workshops, music performances, art studios, and fire circles, ensuring smooth flow from one activity to the next.

Our master planning focused on intuitive circulation patterns that work with the land and support the festival’s organic village structure. We designed clear pathways that connect themed areas while preserving spaces for spontaneous creativity and community gathering.

A critical aspect was managing vehicle movements, which are restricted after dark for safety reasons. The design established clear entry and exit protocols with strategically positioned gates and emergency access while maintaining the festival’s pedestrian-focused atmosphere.

Through this master planning work, Jakaan Architects demonstrated expertise in designing for unique community events, balancing practical circulation requirements with the preservation of Confest’s creative collaborative environment.