The 25 most exciting events happening in Australia in 2025

January 6-26, 2025

2025 is off to a smashing start in Australia, with the pre-tournament for the Australian Open – the Southern Hemisphere's largest annual sporting event – beginning on January 6. Last year, more than 1 million fans flocked to Melbourne Park to see the biggest names in tennis battle it out across the three-week tennis grand slam. In 2025, the action will be hotter than ever, featuring exhibition matches, giant screens, endless Aperols, pop-up activations and a live festival featuring Kesha – sounds ace!

February 7 - March 2, 2025

February 8-16, 2025

The rumours are true! Charli xcx is headed Down Under to headline one of the biggest festivals of summer 2025. This year, the vibe is very electro-dancey-pop-like, with a dash of indie garage rock. With music discovery at its core, 100 per cent of the Laneway line-up has released new music this year, and a third of the line-up will tour Australia for the very first time. 

February 14 – March 2, 2025

The Emerald City is set to sparkle with glitter and good times when Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras struts back into town from February 14 to March 2. The jewel in the festival’s crown, the Mardi Gras Parade, will light up Oxford Street in spectacular fashion on Saturday, March 1. Plus, the Mardi Gras Fair Day will be back in full swing at Victoria Park, bringing together more than 200 food, retail and community stalls.

February 21 – March 23, 2025

Adelaide Fringe is the largest arts festival in the Southern Hemisphere. From fire breathers to comedy to giant food tents devoted to all things gluttony, Adelaide Fringe brings together more than 8,000 diverse artists from all over the world in one place. Explore Adelaide over four weeks and stumble across hidden shows, curated experiences and epic eats that will be scattered across the city.

February 28 – March 10, 2025

For ten magical autumn nights, Canberra becomes a nocturnal playground, with colourful light projections on iconic national attractions like Parliament House, the National Library of Australia and Questacon. In fact, the full city comes alive as a full festival hub with past after-dark experiences, including silent discos, outdoor symphony concerts, night noodle markets and a short film festival. The highly-anticipated Canberra Balloon Spectacular will follow from March 15 to 23, taking flight from its original home – the John Dunmore Lang Lawns, East, West and North Lawns. 

March 7-10, 2025

This global celebration of music, dance and art is like no other, bringing together performers from more than 30 countries in Adelaide’s beautiful Botanic Garden. Almost 100,000 festival-goers grooved among the trees at the 32nd edition of WOMADelaide, with the 2025 event set to feature even bigger names. Alongside electrifying concerts, it features a huge array of multicultural food and drink, a three-day conversational forum Planet Talks, a KidZone, and interactive art workshops for when you’re, you know, really feeling the music.

March 14-23, 2025

March 26 – April 20, 2025

One of the largest comedy festivals in the world, this cacophony of chuckles is for all those who need a bloody good laugh. Running for a decent few weeks in autumn, you can expect to see some of the world's best comedians work their new material on stages across Melbourne city. With a line-up that includes a mix of (literally) hundreds of international and home-grown comics alike, this festival is guaranteed to be an extremely joyful highlight of your year.

April 17-20, 2025 

For more than three decades, Byron Bay Bluesfest has been drawing crowds by the thousands for five epic days of traditional bluesy rock, cult folk, indie pop and everything in between. Unfortunately, 2025 marks the festival's final year – but it’s going out with a bang, with a line-up featuring Crowded House, Hilltop Hoods, Vance Joy, and Tones and I.

April 4–13, 2025

Australia’s Red Centre is set to sparkle more than ever in 2025 thanks to the return of Parrtjima, A Festival in Light, from April 4 to 13. To mark its tenth anniversary, our nation’s biggest light and art spectacular will host its first-ever open-air orchestral performance, starring the Darwin Symphony Orchestra, alongside celebrated central Australian desert divas Catherine Satour, Casii Williams and Bronwyn Stuart. 

May 2–11, 2025

Prepare your palates for the country’s longest-running eating and drinking festival, which returns to South Australia every May. This ultimate gastronomic paradise spotlights the nation’s favourite culinary stars and local producers across 150 events in all 12 regions. From full-day degustations to regional pop-ups and hands-on cooking classes, this festival will be one your taste buds won't forget.

May 17, 2025

Every year at the start of the dry season, the epic Bass in the Grass festival arrives in Darwin, heralding in a perfect storm of sequins, disco and quality music acts that draw in great crowds and even greater times. Blazing sunsets, incredible street food, stunning music, a whole plethora of parties, silent discos and rainbows galore make Bass worth your salt. Although this one-day festival only happens once a year, if you're planning on making the trip up north, think about making it coincide with this big and fabulous day out.

May 23 – June 14, 2025

Australia’s flashiest and most glow-heavy festival attracts around 2.5 million people each year. With massive immersive light installations, colourful fine-dining experiences and the Southern Hemisphere's biggest-ever drone show, Vivid 2025 is guaranteed to be a spectacular affair. This year, all activations will be inspired by the new theme, ‘Dream’. 

May 29 – June 1, 2025

June 4–15, 2024

Reflect, rave and revel under the moonlight at Rising – Melbourne's flagship festival of music, food, art and culture. Returning in June, this two-week extravaganza promises a fully immersive journey through powerful theatre, exhilarating dance, mesmerising local and international music, and inspiring outdoor installations at the city’s landmark venues.

June 5-15 + 21, 2025

After taking a break in 2024 for a period of renewal, Tasmania’s darkly debaucherous festival Dark Mofo is making a spectacular return in June. The midwinter solstice festival will unleash a glorious whirlwind of artistic chaos, featuring rituals like the Nude Solstice Swim, Winter Feast, the Ogoh-Ogoh and Night Mass. 

July 2–20, 2025

Yes, it does feel like every capital city has a winter light and arts festival, but Illuminate is well worth the trip down south. More than 1.3 million attendees flocked to Adelaide in 2024, to see almost 150 global artists shine across a range of activations. Think free city lights trails, fascinating fire gardens, late-night music festivals and more. It’s big, bright, bold and the best way to shake off your winter blues.

August 12-19, 2025

September 5-27, 2025

Signature pink and white banners start generating Brisbane Fest excitement mid-year, given September is Brissy’s month in the spotlight. The bulk of the action takes place around the CBD and South Bank, with gigs, theatre performances, food trucks and art exhibitions. It culminates with Riverfire, when fireworks explode over the Brisbane River.

September 13 – October 12, 2025

You’ve probably heard about the rainbow wonders of Canberra’s Floriade, but if you haven’t been before, this is your year. Entry to the massive spring flower festival is totally free during the day, where you can marvel at the beauty of one million blooms that have been manicured into all sorts of shapes and patterns. As the sun sets, Floriade turns into NightFest, offering a magical atmosphere with live music, bright light shows and an adult’s only Spiegeltent.

September – October, 2025

Toowoomba has a reputation for being the ‘Garden City’ – so a few smart noggins thought that segued nicely into a celebration of such. Fair to say the idea was a good one, given the town’s flower carnival has been going strong since 1949. Throughout the festival, Toowoomba turns into a sea of colour and a waft of perfume with thousands of flowers blooming across major displays in the Botanic Gardens, Queens Park and Laurel Bank Park. The carnival has a series of side events, including twilight sessions, a teddy bears’ picnic, a floral parade, and a dedicated festival of food and wine.