There’s no shortage of things to do in Australia this September
There are countless unique experiences to be had throughout Australia this month. Here’s what’s on in September.
Whether you’re up for an adventure, want to delve into culture and history with a First Nations experience, or prefer to eat and drink your way through the cities, there really is something for everyone. And you simply can’t go wrong.
To help you out, we have collated a guide of the best goings-on for the month of September, helping you plan your calendar accordingly. Thank us later.
NSW
Night at the Barracks
North Head, Manly
9 September – 9 October
Night at the Barracks is a brand-new concept, crafted to re-imagine the live event experience at a stunning venue which is a true hidden gem of Sydney.
The event has been crafted to ensure the perfect balance between iconic live outdoor performances with the historical, ecologically diverse and natural beauty of the Barracks Precinct and wider North Head Sanctuary.
Night at The Barracks will allow fans to confidently return to a diverse program of arts concerts, providing a much-needed kick start to the entertainment economy and support for local tourism businesses. The lineup is insane, so don’t miss out.
Come along for one of the nights over the month. (Image: Night at the Barracks)
Wanderer Festival
Pambula Beach
23–25 September
Wanderer is a festival that invites you to journey to a whole new dimension. Tearing down barriers, it presents a music line-up that transcends genre and demographic – and a truly diverse arts program that brings together theatre and comedy, circus and cultural workshops.
Set in gorgeous tree-lined fields and only a short walk to Pambula Beach, Wanderer is a festival for everyone and comprises three unique spaces: Wanderer, The Lost Lands and the Main Stage. Wanderer’s different stages, spaces and campgrounds are dedicated and created purposefully for the young, old and everyone in between.
From the DMA’s and Ziggy Alberts to Wolfmother and Sarah Blasko, trust us, you don’t want to miss this.
Emma Donovan & The Putbacks are performing at Wanderer.
Broken Heel Festival
Broken Hill
8–12 September
The Broken Heel Festival is a bucket list journey you won’t want to miss. Expect a lot of sequins, feather boas, glitter, disco balls, divas and drag queens inspired by the cult movie and stage musical, Priscilla, Queen of the Desert at this outback festival in Broken Hill, which includes comedy, cabaret and live music.
Visit the home of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert. (Image: Destination NSW)
Pave the Way to Gular Street Art Festival
Gulargambone
10–11 September
Head west this month and be a part of a festival where the gallery meets the street – outback style. Now in its fourth year, Pave the Way to Gular Street Art Festival presented by the Gular Co-op, will this year be using billboards as its canvas. The huge billboards will be erected along the Riverwalk providing six mural surfaces to be transformed by prominent visiting artists.
The line-up this year includes well-known artists Kasper, Suki, Zac Craig, Viki Murray, Manda Lane, Michael Bourke, Leo Uribe and local Gamileroi man Frank Wright. Artists have designed provocative concepts referencing mental health, climate change, animal extinction and other environmental and political issues, promising a myriad of interesting and exciting live paintings and large-scale works.
Entry is free and buses from Dubbo will be available.
Head west for Pave the Way to Gular Street Art Festival.
Orange Wine Festival Night Market
Orange
30 September
Join the winemakers and vignerons at Orange Wine Festival Night Market as they showcase their award-winning cool climate wines from the Orange Wine Region. All are paired with the finest cuisine prepared by Orange’s local chefs and cooks.
Orange Wine Festival begins with the Night Market.
Feast for the Senses
North Sydney
2–3 September and 9–10 September
The table is set for Nelly Robinson of Sydney’s award-winning nel. Restaurant to bring to life a Feast for the Senses at Greenwood Plaza this month. Celebrity chefs, innovative food and drink offerings, custom soundscapes, scented fogs, and theatrical presentations are some of the highlights of the festival, proceeds of which will support Plate it Forward. Expect cooking, tasting, and talks at the event, which is to be held on the first two Fridays and Saturdays of September.
The event, according to What Chefs Want TV, is a fresh take on the typical ‘food festival’ with mixologists working their magic in the Once Upon a Time zone and offering an icy experience in the world of Sub Zero. Fans of Nelly’s signature fried chicken with buttermilk snow chilli mayo will be able to wash it down with a hellfire mojito mocktail.
All proceeds will support Plate it Forward,
World Class Cocktail Festival
Sydney
9–18 September
The international renowned US chef Roy Choi who gifted the world with the joy that is the Korean taco will join this year’s World Class Cocktail Festival line-up as part of the Don Julio Food Truck Fiesta.
Best known as the co-host of Netflix series, The Chef Show, Choi is regarded as the so-called Godfather of the Food Truck Movement and is one of many reasons to start devising a game plan on how to approach the festivities.
Choi headlines an already packed food truck festival program that features Australia’s Beatbox Kitchen (Melbourne) and Ricos Tacos (Sydney) served up with ice cold Don Julio margaritas by El Loco who will curate the drinks menu.
The World Class Cocktail Festival will host more than 50 of the world’s best bartenders during the 10-day celebration of cocktail culture as they battle it out for the crown of World Class Global Bartender of the Year 2022.
Make your way to the Don Julio Food Truck Fiesta. (Image: Nikki To)
Festival of Dangerous Ideas
Carriageworks
17–18 September
Festival of Dangerous Ideas (FODI) is Australia’s original disruptive festival. FODI holds uncomfortable ideas up to the light and challenges thinking on some of the most persevering and difficult issues of our time, questioning our deepest held beliefs and desires.
It’ll touch on everything from environmental disasters, disease and war to identity, addiction, technology and the 24-hour news cycle. The line-up of outspoken and outrageous speakers, artists, disruptors and game-changers will ask audiences what we consume and are consumed by and what should and could consume us in the future.
Bernie Dieter’s Club Kabarett
Sydney Fringe Festival
Until 30 September
Bernie Dieter is back strutting her stuff in a series of glittering jumpsuits inside The Magic Mirrors Spiegeltent at First Fleet Park. The Spiegeltent spectacular is one of the highlights of this year’s Sydney Fringe Festival, guaranteed to delight in a night of full-frontal fabulousness.
Located in The Rocks, just a feather boa’s distance from Sydney’s CBD, the Spiegeltent has been erected inside the boutique-y Runaway Gardens, an open-air al fresco courtyard where Fringe-dwellers can indulge, before or after seeing a show, in lobster rolls and Champagne from The Lobster Social and a range of killer cocktails and craft beers.
Indulge in a lobster roll while you’re there.
Runaway Gardens is just one of the hubs that will support live entertainment during the Sydney Fringe Festival, which runs until 30 September. Get in quick for tickets to the Poof Doof Drag Brunch Club and Jimeoin, two of the headline acts at the Spiegeltent.
Bernie Dieter is on at Sydney Fringe. (Image: Theresa Harrison)
L’Hôtel
Sydney Opera House
12 October – 13 November
L’Hôtel, the immersive theatrical experience featuring the crème de la crème of performers from cabaret, burlesque, aerial and circus, will have its Sydney premiere season in the Opera House’s Studio next month.
Making its world premiere with a sold-out season at Adelaide Cabaret Festival in 2021, L’Hôtel reinvents the classic dinner theatre experience, fully immersing its audience in a world of French intrigue as they dine amongst the action.
L’Hotel is coming to Sydney in October 2022. (Image: Daniel Boud)
The Opera Gala Concert on New Year’s Eve
Sydney Opera House
31 December – Tickets on sale now!
Make this your most glamorous New Year ever at the Opera House. Enjoy a few drinks overlooking the magnificent Sydney Harbour before you take your seats to hear all the biggest arias in our opera gala performance.
Watch the 9pm fireworks sparkle during the interval, and after the show, make your evening even more special with tickets to the exclusive Midnight Party. Held in the Northern Foyers of the Opera House, this event includes drinks, canapés and entertainment — and of course, a great vantage point for Sydney’s famous NYE fireworks.
There’s nowhere in the world like Sydney on New Year’s Eve, and there’s nowhere closer to the action than the Sydney Opera House.
Have the ultimate NYE at the Opera Gala Concert. (Image: Destination NSW)
VIC
Midnight Oil
Palais Theatre
12 and 14 September
Melbourne will finally experience Midnight Oil playing their classic album 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 in its entirety under the banner “One For The Planet” and “One For The Road” on the two nights respectively. Midnight Oil will also put on both shows in Sydney, with the first at Luna Park Big Top on 28 September.
Midnight Oil will be playing at the Palais Theatre.
White Night
Bendigo
3 September
The light-beaming balconies of Bendigo are bringing the globally recognised late-night spectacle of culture, art and music, White Night, to life. This much-loved event is set to take over the streets with immersive projections, interactive installations, live music and street food.
This year the program is bigger, bolder, and bursting with creativity and colour in what will be a transformative celebration of this regional Victorian city.
White Night is coming to Bendigo. (Image: Guerilla Opera – DAE White Night and The Electric Canvas)
The Soprano
Melbourne Recital Centre
8, 10 and 11 September
The Australian Brandenburg Orchestra will perform with acclaimed Venezuelan-born Paris-based male soprano Samuel Mariño, as he makes his Australian debut for their next concert series The Soprano. Performing arias from the 17th and 18th centuries, Mariño joins the Orchestra to lend his rare voice to a program of works by Handel, Vivaldi, Hasse and Porpora.
The Soprano will also be on at Sydney’s City Recital Hall on 1, 6, 14, 16 and 17 September.
Samuel Mariño will be The Soprano. (Image: Olivier Allard)
TAS
Great Eastern Wine Week
East Coast Tasmania
9–18 September
Stretching along 221 kilometres of coastline envied for their cool-climate drops, The Great Eastern Wine Week is a 10-day festival and a collective of 60 events at the region’s boutique wineries and other local businesses. Meet the winemakers, the growers, the producers, and the people behind the wine.
It’s all about the people, the places, the natural beauty and the stories of the East Coast.
Taste Tasmania’s East Coast.
Junction Arts Festival
Launceston
14–18 September
Junction Arts Festival is an annual gathering of extraordinary arts experiences in unusual spaces throughout Launceston. Junction was first presented as a one-off event annexed to the 2010 Regional Arts Australia Conference. Junction filled a creative niche locally and prompted Events Tasmania and City of Launceston to support the creation of the annual festival, to the delight of Northern artists and audiences.
Convene at the fountain.
QLD
Summer Escape Fest
NightQuarter
3 September
Peach Fur, Hot Potato Band, Caravãna Sun, Steph Strings, Toxic Fox, Make the Moon and Olivia Ruth will be performing at this year’s inaugural Summer Escape Fest held at the NightQuarter in Birtinya on the Sunshine Coast.
Doors open at 2pm for the gig, which features an all-ages balcony for minors with guardians over the age of 25.
NightQuarter, which won Best Regional Venue at the Queensland Music Awards in 2022, also is a vibrant hub with eat streets and art and light installations as well as themed bars. Expect big brass sounds when acts such as Caravãna Sun and Hot Potato Band take to the stage at this zeitgeisty gathering for those in search of the upbeat.
Caravãna Sun is the headline act at this year’s Summer Fest on the Sunshine Coast.
Toowoomba Carnival of Flowers
Toowoomba
1–30 September
Toowoomba is known for two things: as the home of the Lamington, and as the home of the Carnival of Flowers, held every year in spring.
The event will be held from September 1-30 bringing together the very best of the region’s gardens, events, entertainment and food and wine experiences to aptly showcase all that Toowoomba and its surrounding regions have to offer.
Along with the beautiful blooms, the three-day Festival of Food and Wine will be held from 9–11 September, and a new event, Tipsy High Tea at Spring Bluff, will be staged on Saturday 3 September, and the first-ever Teddy Bear’s Picnic at Picnic Point on Saturday 24 September.
Toowoomba is known as the home of the Carnival of Flowers.
Under The Trees Music and Arts Festival
Boyne Island
16–17 September
Under The Trees continues to be a feast of the senses. On 16 September, sight, sound, taste and touch come alive with amazing art and lighting, rhythmic sounds skipping across reggae, pop rock, folk, blues and soul entrancing laid back, friendly crowds.
Under The Trees is a laid-back music and arts festival located under the trees at the soccer fields on Jacaranda Drive, Boyne Island.
Under The Trees continues to be a feast of the senses.
SWELL Sculpture Festival
Currumbin
9–18 September
September brings the return of the much-loved SWELL Sculpture Festival. Queensland’s largest outdoor sculpture exhibition runs over 10 days, with the main exhibition along Currumbin on the Gold Coast.
Come face to face with awe-inspiring sculptures by local, national and international artists at the 20th SWELL Sculpture Festival. Unique experiences such as guided twilight walks, chats with the artists, an outdoor cinema, masterclasses and various kids’ activities are sure to tickle your fancy.
SWELL is Queensland’s largest outdoor sculpture exhibition.
Long Lunch by Fish D’vine
The Whitsundays
9–11 September
Imagine yourself dining on one of the most pristine beaches, Whitehaven Beach as you overlook the turquoise blue waters of The Whitsundays at Long Lunch by Fish D’vine.
Your day starts in the tropical resort town of Airlie Beach, where you will begin your relaxing cruise through the azure blue waters. Upon arrival at Whitehaven Beach, you will be greeted with champagne and canapes, before indulging in a gourmet seafood buffet. Sounds irresistible, doesn’t it?
Savannah in the Round
Mareeba Rodeo Arena
30 September – 2 October
Lace-up your Blundstones to see homegrown acts such as The Waifs, Shannon Noll, Adam Brand and Tex Perkins at North Queensland’s largest music and camping festival, Savannah in the Round.
Located just 7 kilometres from the centre of Mareeba in the Cairns, Hinterland on State Route 27 – the main north/west road to the Gulf Country, and the start of the world-famous 3,700-kilometre road trip across the top of Australia from Cairns to Broome, the Savannah Way.
See Shannon Noll and Adam Brand at Savannah in the Round. (Image: Tourism Tropical North Queensland)
Brisbane Festival
Brisbane
2–24 September
Brisbane Festival is unlike anything else you can experience in the world. The river and iconic Brisbane landmarks are the stages, as art is created to enliven, delight and disrupt.
With performances from Jessica Mauboy and The Whitlams, the renowned Riverfire event, comedy shows galore and all the mindblowing art forms you can imagine, Brisbane Festival has it all.
Riverfire at Brisbane Festival. (Image: W Hotel)
Good Love Festival
Gold Coast
4 February 2023 – Tickets on sale now!
Having completely sold out two years in the running, the highly anticipated return of the Good Love Festival will once again welcome more than 14,000 hungry music fans to the pristine shores of the Gold Coast for a full day of good music, good food and incredible Good Love vibes.
Joining New Zealand’s Six60 will be the son of legendary reggae icon Bob Marley, Julian Marley and the Uprising, Coterie, DMP, and Bradamon. Tickets are on sale now.
Six60 and Julian Marley and the Uprising are playing.
NT
Kakadu Bird Week
Kakadu National Park
30 September – 7 October
Kakadu National Park is a bird lover’s paradise – home to more than a third of Australia’s bird species. Kakadu is the perfect place to discover and learn all about the unique species of birds living in this magical part of the world, which is dual World Heritage-listed for both its natural and cultural values.
At Kakadu Bird Week, enjoy a host of exciting activities, including birdwatching, wetlands cruises, Aboriginal cultural experiences and much more.
See a Sacred Kingfisher at Kakadu Bird Week. (Image: Parks Australia)
WA
The Perth Royal Show
Perth
24 September – 1 October
The Perth Royal Show is Western Australia’s largest annual community event, welcoming hundreds of thousands of visitors from across the state and beyond since 1834.
The Perth Royal Show will continue to honour its traditional values of connecting the city and country, featuring a unique mix of a traditional agricultural fair, entertainment, fairground attractions, great Western Australian food and beverages and educational exhibits.
The Perth Royal Show is Western Australia’s largest annual community event.
Lost And Found Festival
Bunbury and Geographe region
8–11 September
Get Lost and Found in South West WA this spring. The bustling port city of Bunbury and its wine-loving neighbours come alive with special events made for lovers of great food, incredible wine, craft beer and live music.
Taste back vintages in cellars after hours, discover pop-up restaurants in barrel halls, wine workshops and artistic performances by mind-blowing talents. All jam-packed into four days of adventure.
Margaret River Open Studios
Margaret River
10–25 September
During Margaret River Region Open Studios, more than 100 artists across a rich array of mediums throw open the doors of their private studios and invite you in to meet, chat, be inspired and possibly purchase a piece for your collection.
Create your own artistic adventure from Cape Naturaliste to Cape Leeuwin following a trail of your favourite artists, styles, or discover new talent.
There’s a depth of artistic talent in the Margaret River region and this event is a celebration of its artists and their works.
See home studios like Rebecca Cool’s.
Gascoyne Food Festival
Gascoyne
Until 4 September
Brought to you by the Gascoyne Food Council, the Gascoyne Food Festival attracts both locals and tourists alike. With food lovers from near and far-flung places seeking out a unique culinary experience.
Set against the backdrop of the mighty Gascoyne River and the red dirt of the fertile horticultural lands and desert, the festival locations boast the idyllic, laid-back charm of regional Western Australia with all the modern amenities and the attractions needed to keep you comfortable and entertained through the festival weekend.
Set against the backdrop of the mighty Gascoyne river.
SA
Wildlands Festival
Adelaide
2 January 2023
Wildlands Festival will be returning to Brisbane next year, as well as expanding into Perth and Adelaide. The festival will kick off in Perth on 30 December, heading to Adelaide on 2 January and finally to Brisbane on 7 January.
Florida rapper Denzel Curry is locked in for all 3 shows, with Kaytranada, Dom Dolla, Diplo, Patrick Topping, Remi Wolf and more all confirmed in the lineup too.
Discover a vibrant oasis filled with the biggest and most exciting dance, electronic and hip-hop acts from Australia paired with Wildlands’ world-class stage designs, production and decor. Get your tickets before they sell out!
Wildlands Festival is coming to Brisbane, Perth and Adelaide. (Image: @mitchlowephoto)
ACT
Floriade
Canberra
17 September – 16 October
Follow the buzz to this year’s Floriade in Canberra, where you will find more than a million blooms tinted as loud as 1970s wallpaper. This year’s floral display has been designed like an immersive, living artwork and even includes a Sounds of Spring soundtrack.
See Floriade like never before.
