Australian Celebrations

There are a lot of Australian Celebrations throughout the year.

Australians are happy and festive people, and the warm climate in Australia allows us to celebrate all year around. Here are some Australian celebrations, festivals and events that get us together at various times of the year.



Sydney New Year. Poster by AllPosters. Click on thumbnail to buy

Australian Festivals in January
In JANUARY, it is summer and we celebrate Big Day Out - a huge open-air rock concert a day each in Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide, Perth and the Gold Coast; Australian Country Music Festival in Tamworth in New South Wales; Midsumma Festival - Melbourne’s yearly gay festival, from Mid-January to mid-February; and Chinese New Year in Sydney.

On the 26 January which was the day when the First Fleet arrived from England and Captain Arthur Phillip docked his boats in the Circular Quay in Sydney, Australians all over the country celebrate Australia Day.


Sydney New Year. Poster by AllPosters. Click on thumbnail to buy

Australian Celebrations in February
FEBRUARY's festivities are International Surfing Competition on Bells Beach; Adelaide Festival from mid-February to mid-March in Adelaide; and Australia's oldest cultural festival - Festival of Perth in mid-February to mid-March in Perth. There's also the colourful gay festival, Mardi Gras, in Sydney; and the Tropfest, which is a short film festival held in Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra, Brisbane, Perth and Hobart in the last Sunday in February.


Adelaide Festival Square. Poster by AllPosters. Click on thumbnail to buy

March Festivals in Australia
In MARCH, autumn begins and we celebrate St Patrick’s Day on the 17 March with that green beer; but there are also the Australian Formula One Grand Prix in Melbourne; Targa Tasmania - a six-day exotic car rally on 2000km of roads in Tasmania; and Ten Days on the Island - a Tasmanian cultural festival, celebrated in odd-numbered years.


Melbourne Moomba Festival. By AllPosters. Click on thumbnail to buy

Australian Celebrations in April
In APRIL, there are the Royal Easter Show in Sydney; International Flower and Garden Show in Melbourne (five days during the Easter); Melbourne International Comedy Festival during the first three weeks of April; and ANZAC Day on 25 April which is celebrated all over the country.


Melbourne festival. Poster by AllPosters. Click on thumbnail to buy

Australian Celebrations in May
In MAY, there are the Australian Celtic Festival in Glen Innes; the Italian Festival in Ingham; and the Sorry Day on the 26 May when we acknowledge the suffering of Aboriginal people from the last century’s Aboriginal stolen generation.


Festival of Light Sydney. Poster by AllPosters. Click on thumbnail to buy

June Festivals in Australia
In JUNE, it is winter and we celebrate Darling Harbour Jazz Festival in Sydney (mid-June to mid-July); the Aboriginal Dance Festival in Laura in Cape York (every second year); Sydney Film Festival and Melbourne Film Festival (both during two weeks in the middle of June).


Aboriginal dance. Poster by AllPosters. Click on thumbnail to buy

Australian Festivals in July
It's mid-winter in JULY and we celebrate Yulefest in the Blue Mountains National Park west of Sydney; Cairns Show in Cairns; Naidoc Week, - National Aboriginal and Islander Day of Celebration; and Alice Springs Camel Cup in Alice Springs during the last weekend in July.


Sydney surf race. Poster by AllPosters. Click on thumbnail to buy

Australian Celebrations in August
AUGUST is often the coldest month in Australia when we celebrate City Surf Race in Sydney (which is a race from the city to Bondi Beach on second Sunday in August); Shinju Matsuri Festival in Broome - a pearl festival in last weekend in August; Almond Blossom Festival in Mount Lofty; and the biggest rodeo in Australia - Mount Isa Rodeo last weekend in August in Mount Isa in the outback Queensland.


Mt Isa Rodeo. Poster by AllPosters. Click on thumbnail to buy

September Festivals in Australia
In SEPTEMBER, the weather starts warming up and we celebrate Festival of the Winds on Bondi Beach in Sydney (second Sunday in September); Royal Melbourne Show (last two weeks in September); the funny Henley on Todd Regatta (last weekend of September) in Alice Springs; Australian Rugby League Grand Final (last weekend in September) in Sydney; and Australian Football League Grand Final on last Saturday in September in Melbourne.


Lygon Street. Poster by AllPosters. Click on thumbnail to buy

Australian Festivals in October
In OCTOBER, the spring is truly here and we celebrate Lygon Street Fiesta - Melbourne’s Italian Festival; Tulip Festival in Bowral (first two weeks in October) in New South Wales; Leura Garden Festival in Blue Mountains; as well as Melbourne Writers Festival; Melbourne Marathon (first weekend in October in Melbourne); Carnival of Flowers in Toowoomba in Queensland; and the famous Floriade during the first three weeks of October in Canberra.


Melbourne Cup. Poster by AllPosters. Click on thumbnail to buy

Australian Celebrations in November
In NOVEMBER, it's getting really hot and we celebrate Rose Festival (first two weeks in November) in Benalla in Victoria; Great Mountain Race of Victoria (first Saturday in November) in Mansfield; Maldon Folk Festival (first weekend in November); and Melbourne Cup on the first Tuesday in November.


Christmas in Australia. Poster by AllPosters. Click on thumbnail to buy

December Festivals in Australia
In DECEMBER, it's all about Christmas and the celebrations include Carols by Candlelight in the bigger cities on Christmas Eve; Australian Christmas Celebrations on Christmas Day; Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race and the Cricket Test Match in Melbourne on the Boxing Day (26 December); and the New Years Celebrations all over the country, but one to recommend is the New Years Eve in Sydney Harbour with fireworks on the Harbour Bridge and lots of picnickers having a drink and watching the fireworks from surrounding parks - it's absolutely beautiful.

More - Australian public holidays