Shannon Noll came to Wingham for a concert, but he left with a new best mate.
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Nat Robinson of Harrington met Shannon after his Akoostik Festival performance.
The pair were organised to meet, following Nat creating viral Facebook page 'Get Shannon Noll To Groovin in the Moo'.
The page's following led to a resurgence in the former Australian Idol runner up's career.
To thank Nat, Shannon invited him and a group of his mates backstage for a beer.
The pair hit it off, with Shannon even debuting two unreleased singles to Nat and his mates.
Nat interviewed Shannon for the Wingham Chronicle. When asked how he liked the festival so far Shannon replied, "Amazing - deadset, I had a ball!"
Festival organiser Donna Ballard was nearly as thrilled as Nat was for his meeting with his idol.
“I’m just so excited Shannon got to meet Nat,” she said. “They really hit it off.”
Although it’s a bit early to know the exact numbers of people that went through the gates over the three days (even festival organisers need their sleep!) Donna estimates the number at around 4000.
That’s 1000 more than the previous year, proving the festival just keeps getting bigger each year.
But the bigger it gets, “it all becomes about toilets and rubbish!” Donna laughed.
Even though the festival is continuously growing, the event still maintains it’s strong community vibe. Donna said that even the out-of-towners feel it is their own – with market stall owners and campers wanting the same spaces as they had the previous year.
When asked what the highlight of the festival was for her personally, Donna replied that her mantra for the year came true.
“I wanted a full moon, Ross Wilson singing Eagle Rock, and campers all over the showground. And I got it!” she said.
What Donna wants for next year would tip Akoostik into overdrive, but we’re not allowed to tell you about that.
For video footage of Nollsy and Nat’s meetup, and for more 2016 Akoostik photos, go to www.winghamchronicle.com.au.