Events in Australia

Started in 1996 as a bi-annual festival, the now annual Brisbane Festival is one of the biggest festivals in Australia, attracting over 1.5 million people over the 3 week festival period. The Brisbane Festival celebrates local and international artists, musicians, writers and performing artists. The festival is themed around unique, cutting edge art, even border lining controversial, which seems to be the biggest draw for people. The festival kicks off on Saturday, September 4th with a huge celebration held in downtown Brisbane, but the festival expands to all parts of Brisbane in this 3 week long party!

With over 100 market and food stalls, a kids corner, street performers and lots of free entertainment it is guaranteed to be a fun-filled weekend for the whole family. Along with the market stalls, around 100 stores along the Cronulla Street are always open giving you plenty of shopping options.

Held over a month long period as part of Crave Sydney, the Sydney International Food Festival is made up of over 400 different events focused around the fine dining of Sydney. The events include street fairs, cooking classes, wine tastings, barbeques and themed fine dining nights at leading restaurants throughout the month. Each year over 300,000 local and international visitors attend the festival.

One of the most vibrant and exciting cultural vents of the year, the Darling Harbour Fiesta is Australia's largest celebration of Latin American music and culture. The event features a wide range of performers who each add their own spice to the blend of Hispanic music and dance from around the world.

This is a public holiday for the Melbourne metropolitan area, and is a major horse racing event for Australia. At 3pm Australians everywhere stop what they are doing for one of the world's most famous horse races - the Melbourne Cup.

2010 Will mark the 17th anniversary of the Homebake Music, Film & Arts Festival which is put on every year to showcase exclusively local Australian bands, musicians and artists in this outdoor music festival. Homebake is spread throughout multiple stages showcasing the best of local Australian music and culture. Tickets sell out fast so make sure you make proper travel arrangements and act quickly!

One of the highlights of the Australian summer, the event is a Boxing Day tradition in Sydney as people line Sydney harbor and watch the Yachts sail out of the harbor. The Race concludes in Hobart just in time for the New Year’s Eve celebrations. The start of the race is a golden opportunity for a picnic or a barbeque along Sydney’s picturesque harbor, if you’re lucky enough to get a spot close to the harbor. Or book a few seats on one of many Sydney Harbor Cruises and get right up close to the action as the yachts set sail.

Held for 7 days and 7 nights in conjunction with the Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race, the annual Tasmania Taste Festival is held on the historic waterfront of Hobart. The festival is focused around showcasing local food, produce and wine in over 70 vender stalls. Each year the festival expects in upwards of 500,000 locals and tourists over the one week festival. Aside from the food and wine, the festival also caters to local artists, musicians and performances as stages are set up along the picturesque waterfront. The festival highlight is always the grand New Year’s Eve festival complete with a magnificent fireworks display over Sullivan’s Cove.