The following events were successful under the 2019 Flagship Event Fund.
Round One funding | Go to Round Two funding ↓
Dressage by the Sea
21 February – 2 March 2019, Bawley Point
Now in its third year, Dressage by the Sea 2019 will feature around 100 elite dressage competitors competing to qualify for the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympic Games over two consecutive weekends. Held at Willinga Park, it is the only international dressage event in rural NSW. In its first year, the event attracted more than 1700 spectators and an influx of visitors to the area. Dressage by the Sea will also showcase local produce such as oysters, chocolate, cheese and berries.
www.willingapark.com.au/events
Girrakool Blues Festival & BBQ
1 – 3 March 2019, Kariong
The 4th Girrakool Blues Festival & BBQ is a cultural, music and barbeque event held at Mt Penang Event Park on the Central Coast of NSW. The event attracts around 3,000 people with international and Aussie Blues acts, a barbeque competition, Indigenous cultural experiences and lots of family fun, all in a New Orleans-themed festival under a big top tent. There will also be delicious Texan food, specialty market stalls, interactive art installations, barbeque demonstrations, pie eating and boot throwing competitions.
River Daze
2 March 2019, Barham
River Daze is a music, wine and food event held under historic red gums on the banks of the Murray River at Barham. Live music, cooking demonstrations, children’s entertainment and family activities will be held throughout the afternoon while evening attendees can enjoy food and produce with local wines and beer.
www.barhamkoondrook.com.au/riverdaze
Bcu Coffs TRI
2 – 3 March 2019, Coffs Harbour
The Coffs TRI is a multisport event for ages six and over held in Coffs Harbour. It includes the Coffs Kids TRI and Enticer Triathlon (for those new to triathlon) on Saturday followed by the National Qualifying Race for the 2019 World Championships in Switzerland and NSW State Championship Race on Sunday. All proceeds from the Coffs TRI will go to local children’s charities, community groups and local clubs.
www.villagesports.com.au/events/bcu-coffs-tri
Eat the Street
9 March 2019, Lismore
Eat the Street is a four-day food, arts, music and cultural festival held in Lismore and its surrounding villages. The event features smaller ticketed events such as foraging excursions, a progressive dinner, farm gate tours and long table lunches on the Thursday, Friday and Sunday. On Saturday the main street festival event, will be held in Lismore’s Central Business District (CBD) and includes tasting plates from local chefs, cooking demonstrations, farmers talks, masterclasses, competitions and live entertainment.
www.eatthestreetlismore.com.au
Bathurst Cycling Classic
16 – 17 March 2019, Bathurst
The Bathurst Cycling Classic is a weekend of cycling featuring the NSW National Hill Climb Championships on Mount Panorama, Criterium Racing in the CBD and the Blayney to Bathurst (B2B). Each year more than 2,500 riders take part in the events. B2B riders who place in the top 25 percent of their age group qualify for the UCI Gran Fondo World Championships in Poland.
www.bathurstcyclingclassic.com.au
Newcastle Writers Festival
5 – 7 April 2019, Newcastle
The Newcastle Writers Festival brings together Australia’s most respected writers and celebrates local literary talent across three days of readings, interviews, seminars, panel discussions, masterclasses and book launches. The event also attracts up to 3,000 primary school students from across the Hunter Region through their Schools Program.
www.newcastlewritersfestival.org.au
Sculpture at Scenic World
12 April – 12 May 2019, Katoomba
Sculpture at Scenic World is the premier regional arts event in the Blue Mountains region and the richest regional prize for sculpture in Australia. Held at one of the region’s leading tourist attractions, Sculptures at Scenic World now extends from the rainforest floor to exhibits at partner venues in Katoomba. The event celebrates nature, heritage, culture and arts.
www.sculptureatscenicworld.com.au
Four Winds Easter Festival
18 – 21 April 2019, Bermagui
The Four Winds Easter Festival is a seven-day event held over the Easter holiday weekend. The Festival includes private concerts, community music events, workshops for adults and kids pop-up performances, music masterclasses and two days of music at the outdoor Sound Shell at the Four Winds venue.
www.fourwinds.com.au/easter-festival
Boggabri Drovers Campfire Weekend
24 – 28 April 2019, Boggabri
Thriving for over a decade, the Boggabri Drovers Campfire Weekend has grown from attracting 27 vehicles, 12 tents and 57 people at the first event, to almost 500 vehicles in 2018. Visitors to the “little town with a big heart” will enjoy billy boiling, damper making and craft workshops.
The KISS Arts Festival
26 – 28 April 2019, Kiama
The KISS Arts Festival, takes place on the last weekend in April at Kiama’s Black Beach. A free comedy, circus and international street theatre festival, KISS is also a place for local artists and arts based groups to showcase performance, art, workshop activities and celebrate their involvement in the community. The festival hosts around 50 free shows, features 16 international street theatre performances and 15 Australian acts, and involves more than 200 local artists and volunteer contributors. The KISS Arts Festival is growing in international recognition with over 200 applications for last year’s event.
Narooma Oyster Festival
4 May 2019, Narooma
The Narooma Oyster Festival celebrates south coast oysters, oyster growers, the region’s natural produce, its chefs, and its rich artistic and cultural talents. The event has a reputation as Australia’s premier oyster/seafood festival and includes a family fireworks display across the waters of Wagonga Inlet and the Naturally Gourmet Fair where attendees can feast on delicious oysters from the eight south coast estuaries of NSW’s Oyster Coast and sample the region’s seafood, wine, dairy and organic produce. The festival also features cooking demonstrations, live music, the hotly contested oyster opening competition and oyster opening classes.
Trundle Abba Festival
4 May 2019, Trundle
The Trundle ABBA Festival is Australia’s only dedicated ABBA Festival featuring the internationally acclaimed ABBA tribute band, ‘Bjorn Again’. With dancing workshops, a disco dancing competition, talent quests, Fashions of the Festival competition and the popular “I do, I do, I do” renewal of vows ceremony, the festival attracts visitors from all over the country. Vintage clothing, craft and food stalls will also be available.
www.trundleabbafestival.com.au
Byron Bay Triathlon
10 – 12 May 2019, Byron Bay
The Byron Bay Triathlon is the final Olympic race of the Triathlon season. Offering activities for all ages and abilities, including a kids triathlon, fun run, sunrise swim and dash & splash, in addition to the main triathlon race, the event is a multisport festival that embraces the best of local culture and scenic routes of the Hinterland.
Moree on a Plate
11 May 2019, Moree
Moree on a Plate showcases local food and wine produced in one of the most diverse Agricultural areas in Australia. From the gate to the plate, features producer exhibitors, food and wine stalls, live entertainment, a dedicated Kids Korner and celebrity chef cooking demonstrations featuring local ingredients.
River of Art
17 – 27 May 2019, various towns from South Durras to Wallaga Lake
River of Art is a vibrant ten-day festival held in the towns of the Eurobadalla between South Durras and Wallaga Lake. The festival champions regional talents and innovative works by combining exhibitions, open studios, live performances and community gatherings with an annual art prize. The festival attracts both local and visiting art enthusiasts wanting to explore new skills, workshop experiences and creative opportunities.
Batlow Ciderfest
18 May 2019, Batlow
The Batlow Ciderfest celebrates the town’s famous apples and other local products with street stalls, cider tasting, live entertainment, local gourmet food and a Cider Industry Conference that attracts leading members of the Australian cider industry.
Casino Beef Week
18 – 28 May 2019, Casino
The annual 11-day Casino Beef Week festival is the nation’s longest volunteer-run event, focusing on the rural Australian beef industry. Located in Casino, Northern NSW, it is one of the region’s most popular festivals attracting more than 30,000 people annually. Celebrating its 37th anniversary, Beef Week boasts more than 100 events including markets, street parades, the Rural Ladies High Tea, a rodeo, horse racing, the Beef Meets Reef day at Evans Head and the famous free Breakfast with the Butchers. The festival also includes a led steer and stud cattle competition in the main street followed by a live auction.
Wintersun 2.0
31 May – 3 June 2019, Murwillumbah
Set in the great outdoors of Murwillumbah and the Tweed Valley, Wintersun 2.0 is designed to attract classic car and hot-rod enthusiasts to the Tweed region. The program of events includes a ‘Show n Shine’, cruises, drive-in movies, outdoor entertainment and retro markets at Murwillumbah Showground and throughout the town.
SeeChange Jervis Bay Arts Festival
1 – 10 June 2019, Huskisson
SeeChange Jervis Bay Arts Festival, a National Finalist in the 2018 Australian Event Awards, is a ten-day event celebrating the theme “Haven”. Set in the Shoalhaven, SeeChange attracts visitors to the region in winter. This year’s festival include ‘Feast of the Senses’, an after-dark event combining creative arts, light spectacles and cuisine, ArtPath which offers exhibiting artists experiences on the process of making art, and Be Bamboozled a pop-up theatre and street performances in venues around Huskisson.
Hello Koalas Festival
6 – 9 June 2019, Port Macquarie
The Hello Koalas Festival is an annual cultural event for the Port Macquarie-Hastings region, which has the largest koala population on the east coast of Australia and is home to the acclaimed Koala Hospital and boasts the Hello Koalas Sculpture Trail attraction. There are 60 sculptures on the Hello Koalas Sculpture Trail and, exhibitions, performances, music, Aboriginal dance and storytelling, environmental talks and workshops, art and family fun. The festival will also include the second “Caring for our Koalas and our Environment” conference.
Harvest Festival Central Coast
8 – 9 June 2019, Peats Ridge and surrounds
The Harvest Festival Central Coast was developed in 2016 and has evolved to include multiple event hubs in Peats Ridge and nearby villages. The festival includes nature-based attractions, food experiences, art activations and hands on experiences, attracting more than 10,000 attendees across two days. The program encourages visitors to follow an event trail visiting local farms and food hubs that support local businesses and farmers across the region.
www.centralcoast.nsw.gov.au/harvestfestival
Lismore Friend Festival – Piazza in the Park
23 June 2019, Lismore
The Lismore Friendship Festival - Piazza in the Park is held at Spinks Park in the Lismore’s Central Business District (CBD). From 10am to 3pm, guests participate in a diverse program of Italian entertainment, displays, food, wine and games to celebrate the contribution Italian settlers have made to Lismore. Italian cuisine, Prosecco, cooking demonstrations, dance workshops, children’s activities and historical displays will all showcase the region’s cultural influences.
www.lismorefriendshipfestival.com.au
Pie Fest
29 – 30 June 2019, Bowral
Pie Fest is a two-day festival celebrating the local pie-makers in the Southern ‘Pie-lands’. Held on the last weekend in June, it is the grand finale of the month-long ‘Pie Time’ campaign. The festival will include cooking demonstrations, pie-making workshops for kids, pie-eating competitions and pie-throwing for kids. Visitors can also taste award winning pies and other culinary offerings from around the region.
Round Two Funding
Bathurst Winter Festival
6 – 21 July 2019, Bathurst
The Bathurst Winter Festival is a two-week festival embracing the seasonality of the region and celebrating the heritage of Australia’s oldest inland settlement. Held in Bathurst CBD, the festival will have illuminated heritage buildings, an outdoor ice rink, a giant Ferris wheel and food and wine experiences that allow visitors to embrace winter in outdoor fun in the beautiful Town Square.
www.bathurstwinterfestival.com.au
Love Seafood
1 – 31 August 2019, Port Stephens
Celebrating the mouth-watering quality and range of seafood unique to Port Stephens, this year’s event will again include a Gala Dinner, festival weekend, Signature Series as well as lunch and dinner specials at participating restaurants. New ticketed events will include a seafood tasters trail lunch, a progressive seafood lunch and dinner and tours of the oyster farms.
www.portstephens.org.au/loveseafood
Dubbo Stampede Running Festival
25 August 2019, Dubbo
The Dubbo Stampede Running Festival held at Taronga Western Plains Zoo delivers a unique running experience based around this iconic attraction and the adjacent Macquarie River. The festival includes a 5.5km Dingo Dash, 10km Cheetah Chase and 21.1km Zebra Zoom and is a major cross-regional, family and community well-being experience showcasing Dubbo and what the region has to offer.
Nosh Narrabri
31 August – 1 September 2019, Narrabri
Nosh Narrabri is a two-day celebration of local and regional produce and indigenous culture near Narrabri’s Namoi Creek. The event includes a market day with 45 local and regional food producers, cooking demonstrations, food and drink competitions, entertainment and children’s activities. This is followed by the Nosh On concert and a market style casual dinner and fireworks. The Sunday Nosh Long Lunch offers a local four course meal on the banks of Narrabri Creek.
Sculpture on Clyde
31 August – 8 September 2019, Batemans Bay & Bawley Point
Sculpture on Clyde is a 10-day event showcasing local and international sculptures in curated indoor and outdoor exhibitions. Through a world class Sculpture Walk and creation of an artistic hub, Sculpture on Clyde ties in with other off-season winter activities including history walks, artist talks and demonstrations, workshops, food and produce farm visits, tours and gourmet food and wine experiences.
Sample Food Festival
5 – 8 September 2019, Bangalow
Sample Food Festival is a four-day event celebrating the creativity and wellbeing of Northern NSW. It connects the community to farmers and food inspired by the natural sub-tropical bounty of the rainforest, farms, rivers and sea. The event has been extended from a one-day fair to a four-day event of dinners, farm gate tours, gourmet farmers markets and festival days.
www.samplefoodevents.com/sample-food-festival/
Write Around the Murray
11 – 15 September 2019, Albury
Write Around the Murray is an opportunity for readers, writers, artists and storytellers of all genres to share stories and build knowledge and skills. The event includes a festival dinner, literary lunch, workshops, author talks, panel sessions, short story competitions, children’s activities and a wood-fired oven event by the river. The five-day festival is the only exclusively literary based festival in the region and includes a three-day schools program.
www.writearoundthemurray.org.au
Grazing Down the Lachlan
20 – 22 September 2019, Forbes
Grazing Down the Lachlan is a foodie walking adventure along the Lachlan River beneath river gums on a stock route synonymous with songlines and drovers. On the Saturday, guests meet at the farmers markets at Victoria Park before a bus transfer to a stock route stroll to enjoy a degustation menu of seasonal local produce and foraged native foods with local beverages. A Meet the Maker event will be held on Friday evening and a special long-lunch style breakfast will be held on the Sunday morning.
Flavours of Mudgee Street Festival
28 September 2019, Mudgee
Flavours of Mudgee is a free community event held along Church and Market Streets in the Mudgee CBD where local food and beverage producers showcase regional wine, beer, food, and produce. Crowds gather to taste the many flavours of the Mudgee to the entertainment of live music performances.
Gears & Beers Festival
5 – 6 October 2019, Wagga Wagga
Gears & Beers is a dedication to bikes and a cycling culture of coffee, craft brewing and fine food. The cycling event offers 9km, 30km, 50km, Filthy 50km, 105km and the Rapha Dirty 130km levels of participation. All routes finish at the Craft Beer and Cider Festival in Victory Memorial Gardens which attracts the best craft brewers from the region.
Riverlights Multicultural Festival
12 October 2019, Maitland
The Riverlights Multicultural Festival is a celebration of Maitland and the Hunter Region’s cultural diversity. The free family friendly and alcohol-free festival features international music and language, dance, art, cultural performances, fashion parades, lantern making and roving entertainment together with a multicultural food fair. Held on Maitland’s Levee, the event concludes with the popular lantern procession and flotilla on the Hunter River.
www.maitlandriverlights.com.au
Griffith Spring Fest
13 – 26 October 2019, Griffith
Griffith Spring Fest is a celebration of Spring, the great outdoors and everything Griffith. The event features the Citrus Sculptures, with more than 60 large sculptures spread down Banna Avenue, the Launch Party which is a free community event with street food, a huge paella cook-up, live bands, markets, local wines, beers and ciders, children’s activities and the Griffith Garden Festival with access to Griffith’s best private gardens ranging from cottage gardens to large acreages.
Dream Festival
17 – 27 October 2019, Dubbo
The Dubbo Regional Entertainment Arts and Music (DREAM) Festival is a community festival of entertainment, theatre, dance, visual arts, music and outdoor events from local and national artists. Over the past seven years Dream Festival has become a vibrant and sustainable festival enhancing the cultural profile of the region.
Ballina Wine & Food Festival
18 – 20 October 2019, Ballina
The Ballina Wine & Food Festival is two-day festival showcasing the best produce, products, restaurants and culinary expertise the Ballina region has to offer, along with premium wines, craft beers, cider and spirits. A Gala Dinner featuring degustation style food, designed and prepared by Blake Seymour and complemented by stunning wines and craft beers, is followed by the main event at the Ballina Jockey Club where visitors can sample from 70 culinary and cottage exhibitors, and take part in wine and beer appreciation sessions and cooking demonstrations.
Grafton Jacaranda Festival
25 October – 2 November 2019, Grafton
The annual Jacaranda Festival showcases Grafton’s world renowned jacaranda trees and the magnificent Clarence River. The Festival is held from the last weekend in October to the first weekend in November, highlighting the peak bloom. The blossoms have been celebrated since 1935 with a variety of events including street parades, markets, cultural and handicraft displays and the crowning of the Jacaranda Queen. Recent festival additions include a riverside feast of the best food, wine, craft beer and local artistic talent from the Clarence Valley region.
Tastings on Hastings
26 – 27 October 2019, Port Macquarie
Tastings on Hastings is an outdoor festival held throughout Port Macquarie town centre and along the riverfront foreshore. The event celebrates the bounty and variety of farmers, vignerons, brewers, restaurants, entertainers and artists of the Hastings River region. Products are featured through farmers and makers markets, cooking demonstrations, licensed areas and in restaurants.
REAL Festival
1 – 2 November 2019, Penrith
REAL Festival is an annual interactive festival of fun and discovery bringing to life the Nepean River through an innovative program of river, environment, arts and lifestyle (REAL) activities for people of all ages. This year the festival will provide a range of artisan markets, food trucks, world-class circus and aerial performances, interactive stage shows, cultural experiences, public artworks, and hands-on activities.
Perfect Light Film Festival
1 – 3 November 2019, Broken Hill
The Perfect Light Film Festival is a free short film festival that earmarks Broken Hill as an arts and tourism destination and provides a platform for local and national talent to showcase their films and engage the local community in the arts. The festival is growing into a must-attend event for local, interstate and international visitors.
www.perfectlightfilmfestival.com.au
Carcoar Cup Running Festival
2 – 3 November 2019, Carcoar
The Carcoar Cup Running Festival brings runners and local and international visitors to a run course that has been described as one of the toughest and most beautiful in Australia. In 2018 the festival staged an Ultra Marathon over 60kms, a Marathon, Half Marathon and Marathon teams event, the 6km Carcoar to Creek Dash, a Carcoar Cup for kids, and 10km run and walk events.
Woolgoolga Blues and Berries Festival
3 November 2019, Woolgoolga
The Woolgoolga Blues and Berries Festival is a celebration of the delicious berries grown throughout the Woolgoolga region. Berry-themed food stalls will provide delicious tasty treats throughout the day while other vendors will offer multicultural cuisine such as Moroccan, Turkish, Indian and Thai. The event will also offer farm tours to one of Australia’s largest blueberry farms.
The Mullum Music Festival
14 – 17 November 2019, Mullumbimby
The four-day Mullum Music Festival is one of Australia’s leading boutique music festivals showcasing artists from Australia, UK, USA, Ireland, Jamaica, Canada, New Zealand, West Guinea, Africa, Mali and many more as well as Mullumbimby.
Perricoota Pop & Pour Festival
23 November 2019, Moama
The Murray River’s Perricoota Pop & Pour Festival is a unique touring experience combining the best of the regions food, wine and live entertainment at river and rural venues, including paddle steamers, cellar doors and cafes. Visitors are shuttled between six venues, sampling some of the regions finest produce and feasting on culinary delights.
Great Australian Beer Festival
30 November 2019, Albury
The Great Australian Beer Festival is a celebration of the craftsmanship and artistry of great beer. Featuring more than 25 breweries and cideries, more than 50 per cent from within the Albury region, the festival promotes the appreciation of craft beer. The skill, passion and creativity that go into each brew is enjoyed in a family-friendly environment with attending brewers mingling throughout the event.
Borderville
30 November – 7 December 2019, Albury
Borderville is an emerging boutique festival of circus and cabaret presented each year in Albury-Wodonga by the Flying Fruit Fly Circus, Australia’s National Youth Circus. This year the company celebrates 40 years and will feature a Circus Big Top at Hovell Tree Reserve with every one of its 83 students. Other events include workshops, masterclasses, performances by emerging artists and a circus documentary shown at the Regent Cinema.
www.fruitflycircus.com.au/borderville
National Cherry Festival
6 – 8 December 2019, Young
The National Cherry Festival celebrates the local cherry season in Young, widely renowned for being the Cherry Capital of Australia. Now in its 70th year, the festival is home to the street parade, cherry pie eating and pip spitting competitions, massed pipes and drums spectacular, the coronation of the Cherry King or Queen and the Sunday Big Breakfast. Market stalls, farmers markets and live music in Anderson Park create a festival atmosphere and various orchards offer cherry and stone fruit picking to showcase the seasonal harvest.
www.nationalcherryfestival.com.au
* Please note that events and dates are subject to change and conditions such as ticketing fees. Please check relevant event websites for details.
