Australia and its festivals

Aussies love a party, so much so that they have dozens spread throughout
the year. Writer Erin Walton guides us through the options, season by
season.

hether in the north or

south, a metropolis or
a small town, at some
point in the year a festival is being
prepared. Around the world,
we love them. Festivals give us
the chance to come together en
masse and celebrate a region,
religious event, typical food, or
culture. Through festivals, for a
brief amount of time we step out
of the daily grind of everyday
routine, connect with others,
and remember what makes our
community, city, and culture
special.
Australias festival scene is
over 100 years old, and today
welcomes new and ever-varied
events to its cultural bag. From
film and gourmet foods to beach
culture and comedy, Australian
festivals truly come in all shapes
and sizes. Heres a selection of
great Aussie events throughout
the seasons.
Festival picks for Summer
Fresh fruit, sunshine, the beach,
floppy hats, and the smell of
sunscreen: Australias soaring
summer mercury immediately
conjures up a cocktail of
memories. What better way to
combat the heat than to head
down to a festival or three? After
all, whod ever think of spending
summer indoors and alone?
Billed

the

worlds

largest

short film festival, Tropfest

is a much-loved highlight on
filmmakers calendars. This
festival of humble beginnings
welcomes creativesregardless
of experienceto submit their
work and compete for prize
money. Now over 20 years old
and held throughout the world,
the Australian contingent is
hosted in Sydneys Centennial
Park and broadcast interstate to
fans gathered in other outdoor
locations throughout the country.
Attracting a true mix of
participants including hippie
families,
couples,
young
professionals, and the simply
curious, the annual Woodford
Folk Festival creates a postChristmas world away from
home in Queenslands hinterland
region. With a true village feel
cafes, restaurants, and stalls line
the streetsthe six-day festival
assaults the senses with a buffet
of concerts, performances,
jam sessions, talks, cabarets,
and parades alongside its own
childrens festival. For an even
more intense festival experience,
buy a weeks pass and camp out.
Throughout January, the wellestablished Sydney Festival
brings some of the worlds
most innovative, beautiful, or
downright odd performance
works to Australian shores.
Each year, 700 world-standard
performers punch life into over

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30 venues and make Sydney

pulse to the beat of their
energetic, contemporary works.
The three-week long Midsumma
Festival is a celebration of queer
culture. Music, art, theatre,
cabaret, sport, film, and parties
make up the festivals colourful
program, which has attracted
over 150,000 people annually
since its inaugural event in 1988.
Its success has led to a partner
event, Midwinta, heldyou
guessed it!in the cooler winter
months.
Inspired by similar movements
in Paris and beyond, for one night
only, White Night Melbourne
fills the citys streets with dining,
performance, film, music, and
installation experiences for
visitors to delve into from dusk
to dawn. The no-rules-apply
attitude to this event encourages
the public to visit when their
energy levels allow: after a
leisurely dinner, at midnight, or
as the sun starts to creep over the
horizon.
Festival picks for Autumn
As the temperature starts to
head downhill and a few sneaky
leaves take flight from the trees,
Australias festival calendar
remains healthy across the
country.
Beach culture in all its forms and
shapes is held in high esteem
at the Gold Coasts Bleach*
Festival. With the ocean as its
backdrop, beachgoers, families,
and sportsmen and women are
invited to join in three weekends
of theatre, pop-up art, and surfing

events.
The world-renowned Melbourne
International Comedy Festival
brings comedians of all shapes
and sizes, ready to delight
audiences (and offend some).
The festival is one of the worlds
three largest comedy events
and is attended by hundreds of
thousands of belly-laughing
locals in its Melbourne home,
as well as many more interstate,
when the annual Roadshow
takes festival highlights to other
Aussie hubs.
As if visitors needed another
reason to swing by adored
beach town Byron Bay, the
annual Bluesfest gives it to you,
combining soul-stirring blues
and roots with incredible food
and a relaxed atmosphere. Seven
stages and 200 performances
later, you can be sure to find a
perfect moment grooving to the
tunes of some of the planets
best folk, roots, blues, and world
artists.
Festival picks for Winter
As the temperatures drop, punters
are encouraged to punctuate their
late night movies and comfort
meals with cultural experiences.
Here are a few on winters menu:
For over a decade Tasmanias
Festival of Voices has filled the
islands picturesque historic
buildings, churches, pubs, streets,
and concert halls with song.
Tasmanias capital city, Hobart,
bursts at the seams with music
during this ten day celebration
of the voice and its musical
capacities; featuring choirs,

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cabaret, gospel, a cappella, and

music theatre.
In a state where winter doesnt
come with woolly sweaters, the
Darwin Festival aims to bring
its community together through
18 days of cultural events in
Australias northernmost capital.
Festival organisers impose
nothing on the community, but
rather, engage them through
surveys and research to deepen
engagement in the festival.
Festival picks for Spring
Once spring has sprung, a sense
of happiness fills the air. The
rising temperatures tempt holedup hibernators out of their homes
and into the streets once again.
And what of springs festivals?

The luscious Margaret River

areaknown for surfing, wine,
rock climbing, restaurants, and
whale-watching opportunities
becomes even more delectable
during the Margaret River
Gourmet Escape festivities. Fans
of good food and wine sample
the regions produce while
exhibitors, professional chefs,
and food critics mingle.
Just like in their home countries,
visitors to Australia will find
a festival to suit their tastes.
From coast to coast, a wealth of
cultural events celebrating food,
comedy, the arts, music, wine,
minority cultures, and more
await the curious throughout the
calendar year. The hardest part is
deciding where to start!

Delight your senses with

Floriade, a Canberra festival
dedicated to that most important
spring element: flowers. For 30
days, a million flowers create a
kaleidoscopic carpet of colour
and remind locals and visitors
that spring has arrived. By
night, comedians, musicians,
and DJs come out to play during
Floriades NightFest program,
tempting visitors to cheer for
springs awakening.
Performance fans delight in
Melbournes iconic Fringe
Festival: a chance for around
4,000 independent and emerging
artists to develop and showcase
their work. Melbourne ignites
during the festival with a host
of ticketed and free events
for punters, all in the name of
promoting quality independent
performance.
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All Season Festivals

Summer festivals:

Falls Festival (Various

locations) A crowd favourite
and notable highlight on the
Australian
music
festival
calendar. Punters enjoy a packed
schedule of music, cabaret,
theatre, dance, and circus acts.
Camping out is a popular option.

The Dreaming (Woodford,

Queensland) An indigenous
culture festival held at the
grounds owned by the organisers
of the Woodford Folk Festival.
Celebrates indigenous culture
from dozens of Aboriginal
communities
throughout
Australia.

Adelaide Festival
(Adelaide, South Australia)
One of the worlds best-known
arts festivals. Held alongside the
annual Adelaide Fringe Festival
and Writers Week.

Melbourne Food and Wine

Festival (Melbourne, Victoria)
A premier culinary event held
in various locations throughout
Melbournes food districts, as
well as regionally.
Winter Festivals

Cairns Indigenous Art

Fair (Cairns, Queensland)
Australias premier art fair
focusing on Aboriginal and
Torres Strait artwork and culture.
Visitors can view or buy art.

Sydney Film Festival

(Sydney, New South Wales)
International film festival held in
Australias brightest capital city.

arts festival spilling from theatres

into bars and other public areas.
Art installations, talks, debates,
and workshops also form part of
the program.

Melbourne Festival
(Melbourne, Victoria) A
highlight on the international arts
calendar. Melbourne ignites as
critically acclaimed performers
and companies bring their works
to Australian audiences. Held
close to the Melbourne Fringe
Festival.

OzAsia Festival (South

Australia) Australians with
Asian backgrounds and Asian
artists collaborate to create art
and performance works for this
two week cultural event.
Autumn festivals:

Moomba (Melbourne,
Victoria) Held during Victorias
Labour Day long weekend,
brings life to Melbournes parks,
streets, and river with free arts
and sporting events, fireworks,
parades, and entertainment.

Aussie Wine Month

(National) A celebration of
wine with tastings, celebrations,
and showcases of Australian
wines from more than 60 wineproducing regions.

Noosa International
Food and Wine Festival
(Noosa, Queensland) Cooking
demonstrations,
tastings,
culinary exhibitions, and more
take over the famous beachfront
at this Queensland resort town.

Spring festivals:
Brisbane Festival (Brisbane,
Queensland) Queenslands
capital city hosts an international
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