Spotlight Events

Field of Light
Uluru like we’ve never seen it!

The Field of Light installation and global phenomenon by Bruce Munro is coming to Australia for the first time. This will be the biggest Field of Light installation to date and what makes it’s even more special is that Ululru is the place where Munro found his inspiration.

Location: Uluru, Australia
Dates: April 1, 2016 – December 31, 2020

Vivid Sydney
Sydney at its brightest!

Vivid Sydney is a 23-day festival of light, music and ideas. Vivid Sydney features many of the world’s most important creative industry forums, a mesmerizing free public exhibition of outdoor lighting sculptures and installations and a cutting-edge contemporary music program.

Vivid Sydney is where art, technology and commerce intersect.

Location: Sydney, Australia
Dates: May 24 – June 15, 2019

Whale Watching Season on Phillip Island
Choose from a range of Whale Watching options.

Visit Phillip Island between May and September for the chance to see humpback whales, southern right whales and orcas as they migrate from Antarctica to the warmer waters off Queensland for calving. Watch them from land, sea or sky!

Location: Phillip Island, Victoria
Dates: Between May and September

The Truffle Festival – Canberra Region, 2018
A month of truffles!

Each year the Canberra region celebrates the arrival of winter with the ultimate foodie festival in honor of the prized black truffle. The Truffle Festival – Canberra Region is the ultimate foodie festival. Each year from June to August events are held across the region celebrating these highly prized gems. Participating venues offer a range opportunities to taste and experience the magic of the rare Black Winter Truffle. Indulge in the special flavors and aromas of truffle dishes at local restaurants and cafes. Join a hunt and see for yourself how the talented dogs unearth truffles. Learn from the chefs and other truffle experts at a cooking class or demonstration or pop along to a farmers market.

Location: Australian Capital Territory
Dates: June – August 2019, 2020 TBA

Wildflower Season in Western Australia
See some of nature’s amazing creations!

There are more than 12,000 species of wildflowers in WA, making it the world’s largest collection. It’s a staggering sight to behold, especially when you consider 60% of Western Australian wildflowers are found nowhere else on Earth. What’s more, you can enjoy their glorious carpets of color and curious blooms for six months of the year, as the season begins in June in the north, and sweeps down the State to finish with a flurry on the south coast in November.

Location: Western Australia
Dates: Between June – November

Melbourne International Jazz Festival, 2018
Celebrating 21 years!

The 2018 Melbourne International Jazz Festival will electrify the city this winter with an extraordinary program of international jazz greats.The Festival celebrates jazz as a constantly-evolving art form, ranging from golden-age icons to genre-bending innovators. Immerse yourself in the stunning program of unmissable headliners, intimate club gigs, late-night jams, close encounters, workshops, family events and free concerts.

Location: Melbourne, Victoria
Dates: June 1 – 10, 2018

Good Food & Wine Show, 2018
Eat & drink to your heart’s content in Melbourne!

Slurping your way around the best wine regions of Australia couldn’t be easier than grabbing a glass and heading out to the, where wines from the finest producers are available for sampling. Expert sommeliers will be on hand to offer advice while top chefs whip up gourmet treats during daily cooking demonstrations.

Location: Melbourne, Victoria
Dates: May 31 – June 2, 2018

Cairns Airport Adventure Festival, 2018
IRONMAN!

Tropical North Queensland has become a superhero on the world’s IRONMAN calendar, hosting the Cairns Airport IRONMAN Asia-Pacific Championship during this nine-day festival. Hailed as home to one of the most picturesque courses on the planet, the Cairns Airport Adventure Festival draws the best of the best athletes  (in 2016 from 42 countries). They come to compete in a destination where two World Heritage-listed icons meet – the Great Barrier Reef and Wet Tropics rainforest (including the awe-inspiring jungles of the Daintree). The multisport festival features the Cairns Airport IRONMAN Asia-Pacific Championship, IRONMAN 70.3 Cairns, Coral Coast Triathlon, RRR Mountain Bike Challenge, Hekili Great Barrier Reef Ocean Challenge, Quicksilver Reef Swim – Green Island, Cairns Post Bright Night Run and McDonalds IRONKIDS Cairns.

Location: Cairns, Queensland
Dates: June 6 – 10, 2018

Tatts Finke Desert Race, 2018
Australia’s Greatest Desert Race!

A truly Outback experience, the Finke Desert Race delivers dust clouds and excitement as the action races past. Expect clouds of dust and diesel at the Finke Desert Race, the richest, off-road, multi terrain reach in Australia, with over 600 competitors covering 285.83 miles from Alice Springs to the remote Finke community. Join over 12,000 racers, volunteers and spectators getting a glimpse of the action in some of the most remote parts of the country.

Location: Alice Springs, Northern Territory
Dates: June 8 – 11, 2018

Adelaide Cabaret Festival, 2018
For lovers of performance art!

The Adelaide Cabaret Festival is an annual festival commencing on the Queen’s Birthday long weekend each June.
Having just completed its 17th year and the biggest festival of its kind, Adelaide Festival Centre’s Adelaide Cabaret Festival has become a major event in the international and Australian arts calendar. The Festival has garnered a reputation of highlighting the best local, national and international artists through an eclectic program of classic and contemporary cabaret performances.

Location: Adelaide, South Australia
Dates: June 8 – 23, 2018

Dark MOFO, 2018
Dark art at night!

With the chill of long winter nights firmly set in, enlivens Hobart with a surprising, captivating midwinter festival. Skewing strange and awry, visitors will find offbeat theater productions alongside retrospectives of classic films, light shows and late openings of the lauded local museum, MONA.

Location: Hobart, Tasmania
Dates: June 15 – 24, 2018

Southern Right Whales off the Coast of Warrnambool
Watch from the dunes of Logans Beach, Victoria’s southern right whale nursery!

Come within 100 metres of these beautiful mammals as they swim close to the shore and can be seen from a specially constructed viewing platform. See female southern right whales return to the nursery for many weeks, to calve and allow the young to feed gathering strength for their journey back to the sub-Antarctic waters. The males, yearlings and young adults remain further out to sea.

Location: Warrnambool, Victoria
Dates: Between June and October

Whale Watching Season
An amazing experience!

Autumn in Australia means whales! Humpbacks and Orcas migrate north the Antarctic up to the warm waters of Australia to give birth to their young. When their babies grow a bit, they go back to Antarctic, where mating and feeding then takes place. The whale migration in Australia begins late May and runs through till the month of November, with June to November tagged as the whale watching season in Australia. During these times, many people from all around the world are very excited to be visiting the different whale watching destinations in this beautiful island continent and to experience one of their whale watching tours.

Location: Australia
Dates: Between June and November

Crownbet Darwin V8 Supercars Triple Crown, 2018
Rev up the fun!

Darwin revs things up with parades, concerts and the arrival of the V8 Supercars Triple Crown. The rubber hits the road in the Top End when the Crownbet Darwin V8 Supercars Triple Crown comes to Darwin for three days of high-revving action. More than 40,000 visitors arrive for the racing as well as driver meet and greet sessions, a Harley parade, stunt and drag racing displays and two huge nights of live rock concerts.

Location: Darwin, Northern Territory
Dates: June 15 – 17, 2018

Truffle Kerfuffle, 2018
Go Truffle hunting for the world’s greatest!

A weekend long festival that pays homage to one of the world’s greatest delicacies, the black Perigord truffle. During the annual Truffle Kerfuffle, sniff out one of the world’s greatest delicacies, the black Perigord truffle. Along with the live truffle hunts, master classes and the farmers market, tuck into gala meals created by some of Australia’s best known chefs who use truffles and other high-end produce from the region including marron, cherries and, of course, the wine.

Location: Fonty’s Pool, Manjimup, Western Australia
Dates: June 22 – 24, 2018

Festival of Voices, 2018
A song for everyone!

Beat the winter chill at the soothing and unique Festival of Voices where you hear every aspect of the human voice in song– from classic choral and cabaret singers to hip hop and contemporary acapella. There are also workshops, concerts and the bonfire and big sing.

Location: Hobart, Tasmania
Dates: June 29 – July 15, 2017

Uluru Wellness Retreat
A memorable & reinvigorating escape!

This transformational weekend, hosted by popular life change facilitator Peter Bliss, will empower participants to manage their emotions and master their mind with practical mindfulness workshops, silence survival strategies, intuition and intention tips, magical Qigong workshops, and guided meditations to enhance their lives.

Location: Ayers Rock Resort, Northern Territory
Dates: September 7 – 13, 2018

Turtle Season on Heron Island
Hundreds of turtles!

From October to March each year, Heron Island becomes the breeding home to hundreds of Green and Loggerhead turtles. These giants of the sea return to the island some 30 years after they hatched here, continuing the circle of life. Heron Island has a resident population of around 4000 turtles, who live on Heron reef all year, so you can expect to see turtles in the water anytime you visit. In September, even more turtles come back to the island to mate, and nesting usually occurs with the warmer weather in November.

Location: Heron, Island
Dates: October – March

Turtle Hatchling Season on Heron Island
See baby turtles!

After the turtles come ashore to lay their eggs, it’s not long before the hatchlings emerge from the sand and begin their dash to the ocean. That ‘hatchling season’ generally runs from January through to May.

Location: Heron, Island
Dates: January – May

World Tennis Challenge, 2018
Featuring current stars and legends of tennis!

The World Tennis Challenge is a three night exhibition tournament held in Adelaide as part of the official Emirates Australian Open series. Players compete in the World Tennis Challenge in preparation for the Australian Open, the first Grand Slam of the year. The World Tennis Challenge is one of Australia’s most innovative exhibition tennis events and attracts over 14,000 spectators each year.

Location: War Memorial Drive, North Adelaide, South Australia
Dates: January 2018

Parkes Elvis Festival, 2019
Viva Las Vegas!

The iconic Parkes Elvis Festival is a celebration of the life and music of Elvis Presley held annually in Parkes, NSW, in the second week of January to coincide with the January 8 birthday of The King.
From Wednesday to Sunday more than 150 events take place at venues in and around Parkes. Now celebrating its 26th year, the Festival attracts headline international and national Elvis tribute artists, and more than 22,000 national and international visitors to Central West NSW.

Location: Parks, New South Wales
Dates: January 9 – 13, 2019

Santos Tour Down Under, 2019
An award winning event for the whole family!

As the first stop on the world cycling calendar, the Santos Tour Down Under kicks off the cycling year in exhilarating style. Some of the very best in road cycling have competed at the Santos Tour Down Under during its seventeen-year history. This nine-day event brings top UCI WorldTour professional cycling teams to race on the streets of Adelaide and regional South Australia each January. In 2016, the Santos Tour Down Under received the award for the Best Sporting Event at the Australian Event Awards.

Location: Adelaide, South Australia
Dates: January 10-20, 2019

Australia Open, The Grand Slam of Asia Pacific, 2019
Feel it Live!

Witness the drama unfold as the world’s greatest athletes dominate the courts at Melbourne Park and test each other’s skill, determination, courage and endurance. More than mere sporting heroes, the likes of Rafa, Roger, Novak, Andy, Maria, Victoria and Serena are global superstars, all striving to claim the first Grand Slam title of the tennis season. Every year the Australian Open gets bigger, better, more intense and more breathtaking as these stunning athletes leave nothing to chance in their quest for the ultimate prize.

Location: Melbourne, Victoria
Dates: January 14 – 27, 2019

Australia Day 2019!
Celebrate with a nation!

Australia Day, 26 January, is the anniversary of the arrival of the First Fleet of 11 convict ships from Great Britain, and the raising of the Union Jack at Sydney Cove by its commander Captain Arthur Phillip, in 1788. Though 26 January marks this specific event, today Australia Day celebrations reflect contemporary Australia. On Australia Day, half of the nation’s population of 24 million attend either an organized community event, or get together with family and friends with the intention of celebrating our national day. Many more spend the public holiday relaxing with family and friends. It’s a great time to visit and join in the celebrations to witness Australian patriotism and culture.

Location: Across the nation
Dates: January 26, 2019

Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras 2019
Creating Equality!

Sydney Mardi Gras is the world’s most joyous and spectacular celebration of LGBTQI pride. Sydney Mardi Gras attracts over 20,000 interstate and international visitors each year, who enjoy a diverse and exciting line-up of events as well as soaking up the atmosphere and enjoying the iconic surroundings of Sydney and New South Wales.

Location: Sydney, New South Wales
Dates: March 1 – 17, 2019 TBD

White Night Melbourne 2019
A Celebrated Cultural Event!

Inspired by the international Nuit Blanche movement, White Night Melbourne is an all-night, free cultural event that offers a mix of free and ticketed entertainment including visual art, spectacular illuminations, music, theater, special dining experiences, film, design and performances. Melbourne’s creative industries will rule the night, with artists taking over city streets, major cultural institutions, public spaces, gardens, landmark buildings and laneways in a celebration of the city for twelve hours.

Location: Melbourne, Victoria
Dates: February 2019 TBD

Reed Gift Fairs, 2019
Australia’s Biggest Buying Experience!

Held at the world-class ICC Sydney positioned in the heart of Darling Harbour, Sydney February is by far the biggest event in NSW, offering you the opportunity to reach hundreds of exhibitors showcasing their next best seller.

Location: Sydney, Australia
Dates: February 23 – 27, 2019

Australian International Airshow, 2018
Air Power in Action!

The thrust and grunt of the latest military heavy metal will take centre stage at AIRSHOW 2017.The stars of the show will be state-of-the-art jet fighters, bombers and giant heavy lift leviathans from home and abroad. See them so close you could almost touch them. Shudder to the roar of their mighty jet turbines as they perform high octane routines and simulated combat manoeuvres. Marvel as swarms of attack helicopters join in the fray. AIRSHOW 2019 will feature the raw potency and power of modern military aviation. It will deliver air power in action via a totally unforgettable series of flying displays.

Location: Geelong, Victoria
Dates: March 1 – 3, 2019

Handa Opera on Sydney Harbour – 2019
A complete night’s entertainment under the summer sky!

See opera live on Sydney Harbour!

This unforgettable event includes Sydney’s iconic skyline as its backdrop. Arrive by water taxi, drink and dine in style at the pop-up bars and restaurants, then sit back in the tiered seats to take in the drama. Fireworks are worked into every show! In 2018, Handa Opera on Sydney Harbour presented La Boheme, the 2018 show will be announced soon.

Location: Sydney, New South Wales
Dates: March – April 2019 TBD

Sydney Family Show, 2019
Great family fun!

Put on a smile, but prepare to be grinning after you see all the excitement the Sydney Family Show has in store for you!
From cheering on the racing pigs, to enjoying the free Looney Tunes stage show, and meeting the life-size stars of the hit movie, Cars, in the Disney Zone, there will be something for everyone! Don’t forget the numerous show bags to choose from and many delicious treats to fulfil your appetite. Plus, the best thing is, it’s free entry, that’s right, free! Grab the kids and prepare yourselves for a fun-filled family day at the show!

Location: Sydney, New South Wales
Dates: April 2019 TBD

Sydney Royal Easter Show, 2019
A classic Australian ‘county fair’!

The Sydney Royal Easter Show is a celebration of Australian culture, from our rural traditions to our modern day lifestyles, providing unique experiences for everyone. Every Easter, the country and city join together at Sydney Showground, Sydney Olympic Park, for fourteen days of agricultural competitions, animal experiences, live entertainment, carnival fun, shopping and much more.

Location: Sydney, New South Wales
Dates: April 12 – 23, 2019

Tjungu Festival, 2019
An amazing cultural experience!

Tjungu, (pronounced tjoo-ngoo), means meeting together in local Anangu language and will celebrate the best of Australian Indigenous culture. In 2017 we will see some of our most popular artists and ambassadors back by popular demand. These personalities will be joined by a host of emerging and established Indigenous performers, sporting heroes, and artists, with this year’s focus on even more local performers from the Anangu people, and the surrounding lands.

Location: Ayers Rock Resort, Northern Territory
Dates: April 2019 TBD

Port Douglas Carnivale, 2018
Join the party in paradise!

Showcasing the best of Tropical North Queensland from local food and wines, to talented musicians and friendly, family fun, Port Douglas Carnivale is one of Australia’s most exciting and diverse events.

Location: Port Douglas, Queensland
Dates: May 25 – 27, 2018

Uluru Camel Cup, 2018
Good old fashion outback fun!

Mulit-award winning Uluru Camel Cup is a must do on every travelers list. Two days of outback fun beginning on Friday night with a lively Calcutta where you will get the chance to bid on your favorite Camel, but be WARNED they are hot property!

Location: Uluru, Northern Territory
Dates: May 25 – 26, 2018

Aussie Wine Month, 2018
Grape fun!

Aussie Wine Month puts the fun into exploring the country’s fine wine and food. With events unfolding around Australia, including vineyard concerts and bicycle tours of wine regions, visitors can head off the beaten track or let the wine come to them at a major city event. It’s Australia’s biggest celebration for wine-lovers with over 150 wine related events around the country. For the best experience start in South Australia, Australia’s largest wine producer, then head north to Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane for other amazing wine events.

Location: Across Australia
Dates: May 1 – 31, 2018