Eliza & The Delusionals To Headline Ballina Skatepark's Folded Festival

Eliza & The Delusionals are from NSW’s North Coast and Brisbane, and this September, they’ll give back to locals in Ballina with a free, all-ages charity gig at Folded Festival.

Spearheaded by the local mental health charity, The Healthy Minds Club, Folded Festival enters its third year in 2025. In addition to Eliza & The Delusionals, the remaining performers to be added to the event will be local school-aged bands from the Northern New South Wales region, taking on an opportunity to showcase their music in a huge way.

Each young band will enter a competition to win a day of recording at a local studio, including mixing and mastering.

The best performance of the day (excluded from the main headliner) will be chosen by an independent board, which could lead to the winning band releasing their first-ever single. The line-up of school-aged bands will be revealed in August.

Folded Festival is a family-friendly, all-ages, free event held at the Ballina Skatepark on Saturday, 20 September. It takes place from 12 pm to 6 pm, encouraging a family day out supporting the local community. The Ballina Rotary Club, meanwhile, will keep the party going with a free barbecue and soft drinks, with the skating bowl open to all skaters.

In a statement, The Healthy Minds Club President Jackson Connellan said, “We are proud to help foster the wealth of musical talent among the young people in our area.

“Our board came up with the idea for Folded three years ago because, here at The Healthy Minds Club, we understand the importance of creative outlets for wellness, so we’re keen to put on a great day of music and give the kids a chance to feel like rockstars. And to have Eliza and the Delusionals on board as our 2025 headliner is an absolute dream!”

Eliza & The Delusionals have seen phenomenal growth over the last few years, resulting in more than 17.8 million streams, a triple j Album of the Year nomination, a Rolling Stone Australia Award nomination and a Queensland Music Award win.

Last year, they released their second album, Make It Feel Like The Garden, which debuted at #11 on the ARIA Australian Albums Chart. They’ve sold-out tours across Australia, toured the US with indie rockers The Front Bottoms, and now, they’re giving back to the local community.

Make It Feel Like The Garden followed their breakthrough 2020 album Now And Then, and was previewed with two singles: the title track arrived first in March 2024, followed by Falling For You in May 2024.