Festival calendar: six trips worth locking in
If high quirk piques your curiosity, Australia has some decidedly niche festivals; from throwing boots (Tilba Easter Festival, NSW) to skiing on watermelons (Chinchilla Melon Festival, Qld), tossing tuna (Tunarama, SA) or taking a boat down a dry riverbed at the beloved, yet deeply odd Henley-on-Todd Regatta (Alice Springs, NT). Read on for six of the best festivals worth putting into the travel plans.
Mundi Mundi Bash, NSW
When: 20-22 August 2026
Where: 35 kilometres from Broken Hill, NSW
Billed as Australia’s biggest outback music festival, the 2026 line-up of the three-day festival includes Jon Stevens, Richard Claption, Jessica Mauboy and Tim Finn – to cherry-pick just a few. Camp onsite or stay in Broken Hill and buy day passes; the road to Mundiville is suitable for 2WDs. Kids and dogs are welcome – remember that it’s winter in the outback, so be prepared to rug up at night. Also be prepared to be self-sufficient, the festival website has a packing list and FAQs; tune into BashFM for updates and, more importantly, all the music!
Parrtjima, NT
When: 10-19 April 2026
Where: Tjoritja/West MacDonnell Ranges, NT
Heading into the Red Centre? Held on Arrernte Country just outside Alice Springs, Parrtjima is one of Australia’s most dynamic light shows. Now running for a decade, it has grown to include music, talks and workshops, but it all comes back to the light installations thrown across the ancient mountain ranges. Each year has a theme, in 2026, the theme is ‘language’,so while the light installations highlight language, you can also pick up words and phrases from Arrernte Country. Now in its 10th year, the festival is free.
Port Fairy Folk Festival, VIC
When: 6-9 March 2026
Where: Port Fairy, Vic
At the end (or the beginning) of the Great Ocean Road in south-western Victoria, folkies flock to this festival which takes over Victoria’s prettiest seaside town. In 2027, it celebrates its 50th anniversary of bringing musicians from around the world – expect performers from as far afield as Sweden and Morocco, Canada and Ireland. On the side, explore the dance, film and art programs, with offerings for children, a festival choir and instrument maker’s exhibition.
Parkes Elvis Festival, NSW
When: 6-10 January 2027
Where: Parkes, NSW
Pack the sequins! The central western city of Parkes, five hours west of Sydney, slips on its wigs and spangled jumpsuits on the second week of January every year. The festival started as a birthday party for The King (his birthday falls on 8 January) in a local restaurant. It now has a cult following; expect vertiginous beehives and cats-eye sunnies, high-gloss Studebakers and hubba-hubba, disco infernos, and lots of Elvis impersonators, from sweet young army Elvis and heartthrob Love-Me-Tender Elvis to Unchained-Melody-white-jumpsuit Elvis. Book your site early, parks in Parkes sell out for this fabulous celebration that draws impersonators from around the globe.
Barossa Vintage Festival, SA
When: April 2027
Where: Barossa Valley, SA
Held every two years, Australia’s premier red wine region opens up all its cellars, gardens, back rooms and vineyards for long lunches, concerts and wine, wine, wine. Held as the valley shifts gracefully into autumn, its line-up of more than 70 free and ticketed events include the Great Vintage Picnic, a fun run around the vines and the ultra-competitive Grapestomp, as well as the parade from Nuriootpa to Tanunda, continuing a tradition that started in 1948. The Barossa is just an hour’s drive north-east of Adelaide, with caravan parks in the valley and towns nearby.
Australian Wooden Boat Festival, TAS
Where: Hobart, Tas
When: 5-8 February 2027
For lovers of maritime culture and wooden boats, this free festival takes over Hobart’s waterfront and harbour in February. Boats of all shapes and sizes, from simple dinghies to imposing tall ships, fill the shore, in the water, on land and with a model boat display in the Waterside Pavilion. Hear from shipwrights, explore the maritime traditions of seafaring cultures across the world, from Maori to Japanese and Scandinavia, with talks, films, food and workshops all centred around the gathering of beautiful wooden boats.
