Major Events in Australia

These are major events and holidays that affect travel plans on this page. 

For more general events, see the events pages on each of our regional sites Adelaide, Brisbane, Canberra, Darwin, Hobart, Melbourne, Sydney, Perth, Gold Coast, Sunshine Coast and North Queensland.

See also the BCL event forums for more local events. You can subscribe to forums for the cities and months of your choice to receive regular email updates by subscribing to the relevant subforums.

We've included the seasons to remind visitors from the northern hemisphere that winter is in June/July/August and summer is December/January/February.

January (Summer)

• 1 January - New Years Day (Public Holiday) 
   
• January - Tamworth Country Music Festival - An annual event with both free and ticketed shows in various venues in the town of Tamworth. (accommodation in Tamworth)
   
• January - Australian Open - International tennis tournament held in Melbourne
   
• 26 January - Australia Day (Public Holiday) 

February (Summer)

• February / March 2011 - Perth International Arts Festival
   
• 14 February - Valentine's Day - For flowers, gifts and experiences see BCL Shopping: Valentine's Day Gift Ideas. 

March (Autumn)

• March - Annual Sydney Gay & Lesbian Mardi Gras Parade - The parade will take place on Oxford Street (see accommodation in Sydney).
   
• March - Ten Days on the Island Australia’s only state-wide biennial arts festival, Ten Days is renowned for its rich programme across  a wide  range of arts  and for the uniqueness of venues across Tasmania, as well as commissioning some of Tasmania’s finest resident creatives to produce new work.

April (Autumn)

• First Sunday in April - Daylight saving ends 3.00 am in NSW, ACT, Victoria, South Australia, Tasmania only. Put your clocks back 1 hour. There is no daylight saving in QLD, WA or NT. See time zones for more information.
   
• Easter - (Public Holidays) (see AU school and public holiday dates).
   
• 25 April - Anzac Day  (Public Holiday) 

May (Autumn)

• Second Sunday in May - Mothers Day
   
• 26 May - Sorry Day
  
• May to August even numbered years - Biennale of Sydney - Aims to showcase contemporary art from Australia and around the world. The festival is held in museums and galleries throughout Sydney. The program includes tours, talks, film screenings, and special events. Most events are free. (See our BCL pages on Sydney accommodation.)  
   
• May - State of Origin Game 1

June (Winter)

• second Monday in June - Queen's Birthday - Public Holiday all states except WA (see AU school and public holiday dates).
   
• June State of Origin Game Two. (See Brisbane State of Origin.) 

July (Winter)

• July - State of Origin Game Three

August (Winter)

• August / September - Melbourne Writers Festival - - Featuring international, Australian and local writers in events such as debates, readings, interviews and more.
   
• Brisbane Ekka (Royal Queensland Show) in Brisbane

September (Spring)

• First Sunday in September - Father's Day: see BCL Shopping: Father's Day Gift ideas here
   
• Royal Adelaide Show
  
• September / October - Floriade - Canberra's annual flower festival to celebrate spring. Includes workshops, seminars and exhibitions, markets and concerts.
   
• September 2010 - Birdsville Races held at the township of Birdsville, on the Diamantina River, eight miles north of the South Australian border, since 1882. 
   
• September / October - Perth Royal Show

October (Spring)

• First Sunday in October - Daylight saving begins NSW, ACT, Victoria, South Australia, Tasmania only. There is no daylight saving in Qld, WA or NT. 
   
  
• October - Bathurst 1000 - V8 Supercar Racing - Mount Panorama Bathurst
   
• October - Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix - at Phillip Island 

November (Spring)

• First Tuesday in November - Melbourne Cup - Public Holiday Melbourne metro only (see our special Melbourne Cup page for links, accommodation, tours, party venues and more.) 

December (Summer)

• 25 December - Christmas Day (Public Holiday)
   
• 26 December - Boxing Day  (Public Holiday)
  •  Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race Start - Official site has yacht tracker, information about the yachts, people, race history and much more... and of course, it will have the results. 
     
• December / January - The Falls Festival - Two annual music festivals held over New Year; one is held in Lorne, Victoria (see accommodation in Lorne), while the second is held in Marion Bay, Tasmania.
   
• 31st December - New Year Eve - (book hotel and hostel accommodation well ahead for best choice) 

More What's On around Australia ~ events, festivals, theatre, cinema, tours and activities...

See what's on on each of our city event calendars plus attractions, tours and adventure, theatre, cinema and more in Adelaide, Brisbane, Canberra, Darwin, Hobart, Melbourne, Sydney, Perth, Gold Coast and Sunshine Coast.

... and much more. See the individual city home pages below.

Adelaide City Life - South Australia
Brisbane City Life - Queensland
Canberra City Life - Australian Capital Territory
Darwin City Life - Northern Territory
Hobart City Life - Tasmania
Melbourne City Life - Victoria
Sydney City Life - New South Wales
Perth City Life - Western Australia