Festival

Parrtjima 2026 has celebrated its biggest opening weekend yet, recording the largest opening weekend attendance in the festival’s history, including the second-largest opening night, as visitors flocked to the Red Centre. Across Friday, Saturday and Sunday, the festival attracted nearly 8,300 attendances, with a program that’s still got plenty for all to enjoy until 19 April.

An entirely different High Country experience will soon be available for locals and visitors alike to learn more about our region through the writings of one Australia's most famous poets. The Banjo Paterson High Country Trail will connect the landscapes that inspired the poet's iconic verse in the Victorian High Country such as The Man from Snowy River.

Burton Automotive Hunter Valley Steamfest 2026 is fast approaching, with a packed program set to bring Maitland to life on Saturday 18 and Sunday 19 April. Alongside the headline ARTC Rail Program, there’s plenty happening across the city for all-ages.

Resonant Heart, a performance at Castlemaine Town Hall ... Featuring two artists from Iran as well as Indian, Balkan, Sudanese and Sephardic Jewish influences, the all-female Resonant Heart ... provided an antidote in music, poetry, dance and puppetry ... Later ... a rousing and enjoyable set to a receptive crowd at Maldon’s Holy Trinity Church...

The Darling Downs Heavy Horse Festival was a real treat for locals and visitors to Allora last weekend. The annual Festival of these magnificent Gentle Giants proved very popular again this year with an added inclusion being Equestrian with Disabilities events.

At this year's Heavy Horse Festival, an equestrian division for those with disabilities was held for the first time. Katy Driver was the driving force behind the inclusion of the event which was well received by the competitors and the crowd. Here is Katy's story.

Thousands of music fans have had their Easter plans thrown into chaos after Australia’s most awarded music festival Bluesfest announced the 2026 event at the Byron Events Farm at Tyagarah won’t go ahead, just three weeks out from its scheduled start.

If you’re looking for a Maldon connection to the upcoming Castlemaine State Festival, read on. Simon Dow and Tim Dargaville have teamed up to create a space in which to contemplate, exploring themes of transition, decay and slowing down. The autumn timing and the location – in an old stables building – complement the music and imagery that form the work.

Now in its ninth year, River Daze has demonstrated what an inspired community with great leadership can achieve. The 2026 extended River Daze included FriDAZE and SunDAZE to offer free entertainment, shopping, and food experiences across our stunning twin towns ... "The main aim of extending to the three days was, while we've got everyone in town, let's give them something more."

This weekend Allora hosts the Darling Downs Heavy Horse festival at the Showgrounds. This annual event is well known throughout Queensland and brings many visitors to town.

One of outback NSW's most beloved events is just around the corner, and this year's Lightning Ridge Easter Festival is shaping up to be bigger and better than ever. The program is now available online, so you can start planning your long weekend before you even pack the car.

Rochester will come alive with colour, creativity and community spirit this March as Campaspe Shire Council presents a week of artistic activity as part of Ripple Fest in partnership with Rochester Mural Festival. From 25-28 March, locals and visitors are invited to take part...

When the final siren sounds at Barossa Park on Saturday, 11 April, the party is just getting started as Tanunda’s main street transforms into the ultimate post-match destination with food, wine and entertainment. A hallmark event on the Festival of Footy calendar, the Barossa Food & Wine Village, returns for Gather Round 2026, reimagined on a bigger scale.

Henley Park, Edenhope, VIC Dachshund fever is set to return when the much-loved Day of the Dackel trots back into Edenhope on Sunday, 29 March 2026 - and the fastest wiener in the west will take home a $200 cash prize in the Dackel Dash final. Hosted by the Edenhope Dachshund Museum, the popular celebration will once again transform Henley Park into a dachshund paradise...

Madison Eastmond. A Renmark business has become a major sponsor of the reinstated 2026 Riverland Rose and Garden Festival after pledging of upwards of $5000 in support for the event. Locally owned business, Harvey Norman Renmark, has become one of the first major sponsors of the upcoming Riverland Rose and Garden Festival.

Madison Eastmond. A Renmark local has stepped up to lead the Riverland Rose and Garden Festival Committee, with her decision and recent community volunteer efforts saving the regional event for 2026 ... “It’s such an important event to the community and local businesses, and I am just delighted to be working with the fantastic Riverland Rose and Garden Festival Committee to once again bring the festival to the Riverland”: Vicki Dunhill.

Flinders Shire Council is proud to announce that the 2026 Hughenden Festival of Outback Skies has received a major funding boost ... to support a landmark Festival Finale performance featuring the Townsville Great Barrier Reef Orchestra performing alongside internationally renowned didgeridoo virtuoso and composer William Barton.

If you’re in Bass Coast for the Labour Day long weekend — or lucky enough to call it home — there’s one place to be: the 2026 Bass Coast Sustainability Festival, a free, family-friendly celebration of community, creativity and caring for our environment ... At its heart, the Sustainability Festival is about making big ideas feel simple, practical and fun.

The Ocean Film Festival World Tour presents an extraordinary collection of short films that capture the raw beauty, untamed power, and majesty of our oceans. These carefully curated films showcase stunning cinematography from surface to depths, transporting audiences into underwater realms and atop towering waves.

Madison Eastmond. Numerous new volunteer faces are needed at tonight's Riverland Rose and Garden Festival emergency meeting, in order to save the event from complete collapse. While the Riverland Rose and Garden Festival has been cancelled for 2026, organisers are encouraging locals to attend an emergency meeting ... "The facts still remain, if we don't get more members on the committee, particularly someone stepping into the role of chair, we won't be able to go ahead," former festival chair Michelle Dominic said.

What began as an initiative to promote the region’s thriving arts and culture sector through sustainable art practices has grown into a diverse program of metal focused workshops, creative activities and community events across the region ... This year’s events feature a vibrant metal art exhibition at the Emerald Art Gallery, an inspiring public metal art trail spanning the region, and an engaging lineup of flower making and blacksmithing workshops.

Campaspe Shire Council’s draft Campaspe Festivals & Events Strategy 2026-2031 has opened for comment. The draft strategy was developed following community consultation in 2024-25 and outlines social, cultural, economic, and environmental goals for festivals and events within Campaspe Shire that align with the broader aims of Council and the community.