17 Aussie Events Worth Checking Out in the Final Months of 2023

Since the start of the year, we’ve been looking at the biggest bar and restaurant openings around Australia for 2o23. The Tourism Australia Hot List highlights a long list of venues worthy of your time and attention this year, and we thought we’d share that insight with you all. Now, we’re turning to festivals and events, too.

Referring back to the same Tourism Australia Hot List, we’ve got a list of the biggest and most exciting events coming to Australia between now and the end of the year (damn, that came around quickly). If you’re keen to get a cultural hit from one of these impressive events, we suggest you take a read-through.

Here’s what’s on the Aussie calendar for 2023.

Upcoming festivals and events in Australia

What’s on in December?

• National Cherry Festival – Young, New South Wales: December 1 – 3
• KFC Men’s Big Bash League commences – Brisbane/Meeanjin, Queensland: December 7
• Carols in the Park – Melbourne/Narrm, Victoria: December 24
• Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race – Sydney/Warrane, New South Wales & Hobart/Nipaluna, Tasmania: November 26
• United Cup – Perth/Boorloo, Western Australia: December 29 – January 3
• NRMA Insurance Boxing Day Test v Pakistan– Melbourne/Narrm, Victoria: December 26
• Sydney New Years Eve Fireworks -Sydney/Warrane, New South Wales: December 31

A couple of other events that didn’t make Tourism Australia’s Hot List but have certainly caught our attention include adults-only Christmas comedy A VERY NAUGHTY CHRISTMAS (running Melbourne from December 7 – 23), A Midsummer Night’s Dream at Melbourne’s Royal Botanic Gardens (from December 16 – February 11). There’s also a Christmas edition of Oz Comic Con in Melbourne kicking off on December 9.

What’s on in November?

• Women’s Olympic Football, Asian Qualifiers – Perth/Boorloo, Western Australia: November 1
• Perth International Jazz Festival – Perth/Boorloo, Western Australia November 3 – 5
• Effervescence Tasmania Sparkling Wine Festival – Launceston, Tasmania: November 10 – 12
• International Rose Garden Festival Morwell – Morwell, Victoria: November 11 – 12
• VAILO Adelaide 500 – Adelaide/Tarntanya, South Australia: November 23 – 26
• 2023 FIM World Supercross Championships – Melbourne/Narrm, Victoria: November 24 – 25
• Spring Bay Squid Festival – Triabunna, Tasmania: November 24 – 26

Another event that caught our attention for November is multi-sensory series, DARKFIELD, which is running in Sydney from November 23 – January 21).

Events from earlier in 2023

What’s on in February?

• Port Douglas Hot N Steamy Festival – Cairns & Great Barrier Reef, Queensland: February 16 – 19
• Agnes Blues, Roots & Rock Festival – Gladstone, Queensland: February 17 – 19
• Sydney WorldPride 2023 – Sydney/Warrane, New South Wales: February 17 – March 5
• Adelaide Fringe Festival – Adelaide/Tarntanya, South Australia: February 17 – March 19
• Mona Foma – Launceston, Tasmania: February 17 – 19 and Hobart/nipaluna, Tasmania: February 24 – 26
• Noosa Summer Swim Series – Sunshine Coast, Queensland: February 18 – 19
• &Juliet – Melbourne/Narrm, Victoria: From February 26
• Australian International Airshow – Geelong, Victoria: February 28 – March 5

What’s on in March?

• Melbourne Fashion Festival – Melbourne/Narrm, Victoria: March 3 – 11
• Adelaide Festival – Adelaide/Tarntanya, South Australia: March 3 – 19
• Andy Warhol & Photography: A Social Media – Adelaide/Tarntanya, South Australia: March 3 – May 14
• WOMADelaide – Adelaide/Tarntanya, South Australia: March 10 – 13
• Ten Days on the Island – Tasmania: March 10 – 19
• World Science Festival Brisbane and Curiocity -Brisbane/Meeanjin Queensland: March 22 – April 2
• Melbourne International Comedy Festival – Melbourne/Narrm, Victoria: March 29 – April 23
• Formula 1 Rolex Australian Grand Prix – Melbourne/Narrm, Victoria: March 30 – April 2

What’s on in April?

• Rip Curl Pro – Bells Beach, Victoria: April 4 – 14
• National Folk Festival – Canberra, Australian Capital Territory: April 6 – 10
• Parrtjima – A Festival in Light – Alice Springs, Northern Territory: April 7 – 16
• Sunshine Coast Multisport Festival TreX and MTB Festival – Sunshine Coast, Queensland: April 22 – 23
• Julia Creek Dirt n Dust Festival – Outback Queensland, Queensland: April 21 – 23
• Barossa Vintage Festival – Barossa Valley, South Australia: April 19 – 23
• LIV Golf Adelaide – Adelaide/Tarntanya, South Australia: April 21 – 23
• Tasting Australia – South Australia: April 28 – May 7

What’s on in May?

• Feared and Revered @ NMA – Canberra, Australian Capital Territory: Live until August 27
• IRONMAN Australia – Port Macquarie, New South Wales: May 7
• Afterpay Australian Fashion Week – Sydney/Warrane, New South Wales: May 15 – 19
• Australian Musical Theatre Festival – Launceston, Tasmania: May 17 – 21
• Blues on Broadbeach Music Festival – Gold Coast, Queensland: May 18 – 21
• Clare Valley SCA Gourmet Week – Clare Valley, South Australia: May 19 – 28
• Port Douglas Carnivale – Cairns & Great Barrier Reef, Queensland: May 19 – 21
• Vivid Sydney – Sydney/Warrane, New South Wales: May 26 – June 17

What’s on in June?

• Scenic Rim Eat Local Month – Brisbane/Meeanjin, Queensland: June
• Cooly Rocks On – Gold Coast, Queensland: June 7 – 11
• Rising – Melbourne/Narrm, Victoria: June 7 – 18
• National Celtic Folk Festival – Portarlington, Victoria: June 9 – 12
• Dark Mofo – Hobart/nipaluna, Tasmania: June 8 – 22
• LisAmore! – Lismore, New South Wales: June 17 – 18
• Frida & Diego: Love & Revolution – Adelaide/Tarntanya, South Australia: June 24 – September 17
• Illuminate Adelaide – Adelaide/Tarntanya, South Australia: June 28 – July 30
• Festival of Voices – Hobart/Nipaluna, Tasmania: June 30 – July 9

What’s on in July?

• Gold Coast Marathon – Gold Coast, Queensland: July 1 – 2
• Coonawarra Cellar Dwellers – South Australia: July 1 -31
• Laura Quinkan Indigenous Dance Festival – Laura, Queensland: July 6 – 9
• Cairns Indigenous Art Fair – Cairns, Queensland (CIAF): July 12 – 17
• Commbank Matildas vs France, Women’s World Cup Send-Off Match – Melbourne/Narrm, Victoria: July 14
• Huon Valley Mid Winter Festival – Huonville, Tasmania: July 14 – 15
• FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 – Adelaide/Tarntanya, Brisbane/Meeanjin, Melbourne/Narrm, Perth/Boorloo, Sydney/Warrane: July 20 – August 20
• Splendour In The Grass – Yelgun, New South Wales: July 21 – 24
• Bledisloe Cup – Wallabies vs All Blacks – Melbourne/Narrm, Victoria: July 29
• Tassie Scallop Fiesta – Bridport, Tasmania: July 3

What’s on in August?

• Hamilton Island Race Week – Whitsundays, Queensland: August 1 – 26
• BLEACH* Festival – Gold Coast, Queensland: August 3 – 13
• Canberra Writers Festival – Canberra, Australian Capital Territory: August 16 – 20
• Miss Saigon The Musical – Sydney/Warrane, New South Wales: From August 17
• Moulin Rouge! The Musical – Melbourne/Narrm, Victoria: From August 20
• Gympie Music Muster – Sunshine Coast, Queensland: August 24 – 27
• WICKED The Musical – Sydney/Warrane, New South Wales: From August 25
• 10th Ballarat International Foto Biennale – Ballarat, Victoria; August 26 – October 22
• Bells Beach Longboard Classic – Torquay, Victoria August 30 – September 2

What’s on in September?

• FAI Women’s World Hot Air Ballooning Championship – Northam, Western Australia: September: 4 – 9
• Floriade – Canberra, Australian Capital Territory: September 16 to October 15
• Tesselaar Tulip Festival – Silvan, Victoria: September 16 to October 15
• NHL Global Series Melbourne – Melbourne/Narrm, Victoria: September 23 – 24
• Haegue Yang: Changing from From to From @ NGA – Canberra, Australian Capital Territory: until September 24
• Coonawarra Cabernet Celebrations Wine Festival – Limestone Coast, South Australia: September 29 to October 31
• Kakadu Bird Week – Kakadu, Northern Territory: September 29 to October 8

What’s on in October?

• Celebrations Wine Festival – Coonawarra, South Australia: September 29 – October 3
• PAX Aus – Melbourne/Narrm, Victoria: October 6 – 8
• Australian Masters Games – Adelaide/Tarntanya, South Australia: October 7 – 14
• Wynyard Tulip Festival – Wynyard, Tasmania: October 14
• South by Southwest (SXSW Sydney) – Sydney/Warrane, New South Wales: October 15 – 22
• Adelaide Film Festival – Adelaide/Tarntanya, South Australia: October 18 – 29
• Oz Asia Festival – Adelaide/Tarntanya, South Australia: October 19 – November 5
• Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix – Phillip Island, Victoria: October 20 – 22 October
• Melbourne Fashion Week – Melbourne/Narrm, Victoria: October 23 – 29

From comedy and fashion to celebrations of First Nations culture, there is a lot coming to Australia in 2023 that is worth getting excited about.

Will you be heading over to check out any of the events listed in Tourism Australia’s Hot List? Let us know in the comments below.

This article originally stated that Parrtjima was set in Flynn, and has been corrected to state it is held in Alice Springs NT.

The article has been updated to reflect additional festivals in 2023, also. 

Lead image credit: Getty/Midsummer Night’s Dream Melbourne