Best entertainers in Blackwood
This is Blackwood in the Wombat forest, the old gold hamlet on the Lerderderg between Trentham and Greendale, and not the Adelaide Hills suburb of the same name, which has its own page. A singer lives here. Beyond that one card the list arrives from four directions at much the same distance: a guitarist at Gordon on the Ballarat side, a roving French waiter act from Daylesford, a singer-songwriter at Macedon, a singer-songwriter, a duo and a puppetry act at Woodend, and from Bacchus Marsh a wedding DJ, another singer-songwriter and a bootscooting outfit. Nothing on the first screen is under twenty minutes away. Everything on it is under half an hour.
Blackwood's parties are forest ones: a wedding at a property or a garden up the Trentham road, a birthday weekend in a rented cottage, the kind of long lunch that ends around a fire. Ballarat supplies the largest share of the pool, with Sunbury, Bacchus Marsh, Melton and Woodend behind it, and the mix is singers first, then cover bands, duos and wedding singers. So the ceremony and the dinner are easy from here; the full band for the dancing most likely comes up from Ballarat or along the freeway from Melton, and prices the winding last stretch through the forest.
Top picks in Blackwood
Top picks are the nearby performers with the most visible reviews, then rating, then the closest; further afield the closest come first, and premium listings break remaining ties. Distances are straight-line from Blackwood. Ask each act whether they travel to your venue and what that costs.
Questions people ask about entertainers in Blackwood
How much does a singer cost for a wedding near Blackwood?
A singer for the ceremony and the drinks is the cheapest way to live music out here and the local one has no drive at all, while the Macedon and Woodend singer-songwriters add a short trip through Trentham. What moves the price is the hours on site and whether they carry on into the reception with backing tracks. The from-prices on the singer cards above are today's starting points, and the forest turn-off is worth mentioning in the enquiry.
Will Ballarat bands travel to Blackwood?
They do, and it's under an hour from the city via Ballan, which for a Ballarat band is a normal Saturday. What they'll want is the last part spelled out: which road in, where to park a trailer, and what power the property has. A winter finish in the forest adds a bit to some quotes, and it's fair enough.
What is a bootscooting act and does it suit a Blackwood party?
A bootscooting act leads line dancing for the room, and the Bacchus Marsh one on this list is tagged as an MC, which suggests it runs the whole floor rather than just performing; read its profile before you assume. It suits a country-themed fiftieth, a hall fundraiser or a wedding with a crowd that won't dance to a DJ but will follow instructions. Ask about the floor, because grass and gravel don't work and a hall does.
Booking tips
The forest road is the last twenty minutes
From the freeway at Ballan or the Daylesford side, the run into Blackwood is narrow, unlit and often wet. Give the act the exact turn-off and the finish time, and ask if they've driven it before.
The roving waiter and the puppets are for the day, not the night
A French waiter act from Daylesford works a garden party or a long lunch while guests arrive; a puppet show from Woodend does a children's afternoon. Neither needs a stage, both need a bit of shelter.
Cold, and no power at the good spots
Blackwood sits high and the forest holds the cold, so an outdoor act in autumn plays in a coat. Ask whether they bring battery sound, and plan an inside option from April on.