Festival

Picture yourself sitting on the banks of an idyllic creek, listening to wonderful music played by some of Australia’s most talented musicians and celebrating local traditional music and dance… Imagine no more! Upper Murray residents are invited to come and join in the fun and music at the Nariel Recreation Reserve on the banks of the beautiful Nariel Creek and also at the Memorial Hall Corryong, to welcome in the 2025 New Year.

The Broken Hill Mundi Mundi Bash has won gold at the 2024 NSW Tourism Awards in the festivals and events category. "This is a fantastic achievement and recognition for a festival which only commenced in 2022, having been created from scratch on the red dirt of the Mundi Mundi Plains 40km outside Broken Hill," Outback Music Festival Group founder and MD Greg Donovan said.

They put their right feet, left feet, right arms, left arms, heads, knees, shoulders, elbows, and bottoms in, and they shook them all about, they did the Hokey Pokey and they turned around, and that’s what it was all about as hundreds of participants attempted to set a new record for the biggest Hokey Pokey in Australian history during the 2024 Grafton Jacaranda Festival.

Born and raised in the Clarence Valley, Alice Jabour, 30, grew up admiring the Grafton Jacaranda Festival and the proud traditions it holds within the local community. As a student at St Joseph’s Primary School in South Grafton, she recalls feeling inspired to nominate as a Jacaranda candidate after a former Jacaranda Royal Party visited her and her classmates.

Daniel Puentes. We may all march to the beat of our own drums, but this day showed just how well those drums fit together, and how community comes from the harmony of us all. From the moment I arrived at the festival held at Donald’s Memorial Park to the minute I left, this event left me filled with community spirit.

The annual Mallee Root Round Up B’n’S Ball brought rural spirit and good fun to the fore this past weekend, drawing 637 attendees from across Victoria to the Birchip Trotting Track. With an exuberant crowd, fantastic music and plenty of country hospitality and camaraderie, this year's event was a resounding success, raising $100,000 in ticket and merchandise sales.

Sean Cunningham. This year’s Narrandera Koala Fest at the Brewery Flat Reserve attracted a large number of wildlife enthusiasts. The event is designed to celebrate Narrandera’s furry friends and to raise awareness about their conservation. A Narrandera Shire Council spokesperson hailed the event as a success with many koalas being spotted.

Since the inaugural Grafton Jacaranda Festival was held in 1935 and attracted an estimated 4000 attendees to the region, it has become Australia’s foremost floral celebration … thousands of visitors from across the country and overseas journey to the Clarence Valley to share in the history of the time honoured annual festivity while immersing themselves amongst local attractions, characters, and traditions…

This November 2-3, the charming town of Natimuk will transform into a hub of creativity with a series of exciting art events presented by local arts organisation ACT Natimuk. The Natimuk Open Studios Art Trail invites the public to explore local artists’ studios, engage with their work, and discover the diverse visual arts scene that Natimuk has to offer.

Sean Cunningham. Lockhart's Spirit of the Land Festival was hailed as a "highly successful" event once again last weekend. Held in Lockhart on the second weekend in October each year, Spirit of the Land is an annual festival which attracted a large crowd of locals and visitors.

Madison Eastmond. Riverlanders, rosarians, and visitors can now ‘stop and smell the roses’ for the month of October, with celebrations for the 30th Rose and Garden Festival beginning this week. With the region now in bloom, the 2024 program will kick off on Friday with a number of popular returning components ... including the Renmark Institute floral display, the Festival Fair...

Records tumbled at the 2024 Good Old Days Festival as teamsters from around the nation brought out the biggest horse, camel and bullock teams ever seen in modern Australia. The teamsters also excelled themselves with creating a world first – four bullocks, two camels and two horses harnessed together and pulling a wagon.

Rachel Hagan. Another year and another huge success for the annual Minlagawi Nature Festival with about 200 attendees engaging with culture and their community, while taking in a deep breath of fresh air ... The event was all about connecting with nature while learning about Nharangga culture.

The light installations are installed, and following last night’s rehearsal for Calling Country ceremony - Shine on Gimuy kicked off on 3 October 2024 - with a Friday to Sunday program of music, poetry, comedy and conversations and more at the Salt House HQ. The stunning light installations that comprise the Artstory Light Walk will be in place until 13 October.

Camels, donkeys and mules in harness pulling an array of wagons and a Cobb & Co coach will compete for the prestigious teamster’s trophies in a spectacle rarely seen in modern Australia at The Good Old Days Festival at Barellan ... Organised by the Barellan Working Clydesdales committee, the festival will comprise a full program of authentic heritage events...

The second Cohuna Chilli Festival was held on Friday night and organisers say it was a huge success. Held on the public holiday of the AFL grand final weekend, it drew visitors from across the state. With weather to wow, food to feast on, and an atmosphere to applaud, the chilli festival had something for everyone and kept patrons entertained into the night.

Westbrook and Wyreema are not typically known as tourist hotspots, however five strong entries in the Toowoomba Carnival of Flowers have attracted thousands of visitors to the two towns over the past few weeks.

Succulent Fest, hosted at Bunker’s Hill State School, is increasingly becoming a flagship event of the Toowoomba Carnival of Flowers, this year’s staging attracting over two thousand visitors and raising nearly $12,000. This year marked the sixth staging of the event, organised by group of volunteers under the P&C Association of the school.

Surfing became the obsession of a legion of bored and restless teenagers in 1960s Australia, kids looking for adventure and freedom from the stultifying norms and expectations of their straight 1950s upbringing ... The arrival of the exciting new phenomenon and its far-reaching impact are recorded in a thrilling documentary film showing at the Byron Bay Film Festival in October.

The 75th anniversary staging of the Toowoomba Carnival of Flowers kicks off tomorrow, 13 September and will continue for a few action-packed weeks until 7 October. This four-week celebration showcases Spring gardens in full bloom, exciting foodie experiences that’ll make your palate blossom, kids’ entertainment that will plant smiles all around and music that will have your spirits flowering with joy.

Menang elder Aunty Vernice Gillies and Menang man Larry Blight will lead guided walking tours along the Kwoorabup riverbanks at the Kwoorabup River Festival [on Saturday 21 September] ... This cultural and environmental experience aims to help everyone better appreciate the Kwoorabup River and the Wilson/Nullaki inlet as they paddle, row and swim through the events of the day.

The outstanding success of the 2024 Man From Snowy Bush Festival has been a testament to the dedication of board members and volunteers over a challenging period, chairman Cameron Jackson highlighted at the recent annual general meeting. "The past two years once again were not without their challenges and of course change can often be the hardest thing to manage," he said.