Port Fairy Folk Festival has made its last act announcement

Australian star Lior will take to the stage in March next year, along with a raft of other musical talent.

Lior, whose voice and guitar style has drawn comparisons with Jeff Buckley and Rufus Wainwright, will be joined by New Zealand musician Marlon Williams, who’ll perform with his band The Yarra Benders

Williams has described as the impossible love child of Elvis, Roy Orbison and Townes Van Zandt.

International star Mercan Dede is a Turkish-born, Montreal-based musician, producer and DJ.

He will be accompanied by his group Secret Tribe, fusing his turntables with traditional instrumentation and the entrancing whirling of spectacular dervish dancer Mira Burke.

This year’s winner of Triple J Unearthed and the Vanda & Young Songwriting Competitions Gretta Ray is another highlight.

Irish singer-songwriter Aoife Scott, the United Kingdom’s Hewerdine and Juno Award winning Canadian act Digging Roots have joined the jam-packed bill.

The Changing Room will sing original, award winning songs in English and Cornish language, while Mexico’s Mexrrissey, described as a ‘7 piece horn-infused love letter to Morrissey’.

Also joining the line-up is ARIA nominated and much loved bluegrass band The Wilson Pickers, Australian folksinger Danny Spooner, Melbourne’s own Charles Jenkins, multi-genre mini orchestra TEK TEK Ensemble, alternative folk/rock troubadour Tim Wheatley, folk female four-piece The Drowsy Maggies, violin virtuoso Ewen Baker, regional Victorian group Featherhead featuring Gary Adams and Jimmy Williams, and the West Ireland infused Australian traditional act Lisnacrieve.

Port Fairy’s own The Southern Ocean Sea Band and Folk Alliance Australia Act of the Year winner The Bean Project are also tuning up to play the Folkie.

Special events include Buried Country, a show that reveals the hidden and powerful history of Indigenous Australian country music, The Mission Songs Project, which will explore the musical journey of Indigenous Australian music connecting the traditional with the contemporary, and Barry Versus Kelly, a musical drama by Felix Meagher about the trial and execution of Ned Kelly in November 1880. It will be staged at the Port Fairy Courthouse.

Previously announced acts include Eddi Reader (Scotland), Roo Panes (UK), The Young Folk (Ireland), Les Poules à Colin (Canada).