Armidale Light Festival
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Armidale Events

Click to view the Spring 2024 events calendar! (PDF 3MB), or view the list below.

No matter what time of year you visit, chances are there will be an event or festival in or around Armidale.

Events not to be missed include the Autumn Festival, Big Chill Festival, The Bach Festival, The New England Garden Festival, Armidale International Film Festival and Guyra Lamb and Potato Festival. Other great annual events include New England Sings, The Armidale Cup, Guyra Trout Festival, Armidale Youth Orchestra Garden Party, Vintage Truck, Machinery and Heavy Horse Show and the NEGS Equestrian events. The calendar is full with premier sport events including the TAS Rugby Carnivals, Tour de Rocks and the 12hr Mountain Bike Enduro.

Have an event to add to the calendar?

Travels with Mary – Stories from the Suitcases Exhibition

Saumarez Homestead 230 Saumarez Road, ARMIDALE, NSW, Australia

TIMES: 10.00am-4.00pm Wednesday, 4 May, Friday, 6 May and Sunday, 8 May only. The Mary White Saumarez Collection is made up of a newly discovered array of stunning art deco travel posters and original documents collected by Mary White throughout her voyages from 1939-1947 which were found inside a set of attaché cases, now on show for the first time. Redeem your NSW Discover voucher when you purchase your ticket on arrival.

$8 – $25

Pub Choir @ Impies

Imperial Hotel 103 Faulkner Street (cnr Beardy Street), ARMIDALE, NSW, Australia

For those of you yet to experience the delight of group singing - in harmony - with your mates - at a pub - here's the dealio. No experience needed, no commitment required - just you, some mates, some classic tunes and a cheeky bevie or three. Grab a meal if you are peckish and a bevie, pick up a lyric sheet and we will fill you up on solid gold classics and send you home before bedtime with a […]

“What We Know About Mary” Guided Tour

Saumarez Homestead 230 Saumarez Road, ARMIDALE, NSW, Australia

Tickets also available at door. Please note: You are welcome to use the Discover voucher from Service NSW, however, it cannot be processed with an online purchase at this time. Please present your voucher (printed or digitally on a device of your choice) on arrival and your ticket will be discounted. After viewing the Travels with Mary exhibition, join our ‘What we know about Mary’ tour set to delve into Mary White’s interests, works and deeds through various works and […]

$11.39 – $37.39

ADFAS: A Painter in Revolutionary Times: John Singleton Copley and the American Revolution, 1760-1780

Michael Hoskins Creative Arts Centre The Armidale School, 87 Douglas Street, ARMIDALE, NSW, Australia

This lecture will examine the harrowing story of an outstanding portraitist caught in the deadly divisions of Revolution.  Copley, born in 1783 to poor Irish parents in Boston, became a highly sought after painter of the professional and mercantile elite of this small colonial port.  Increasing friction between Britain and her American colonies after 1763 polarised this elite into warring camps.  Copley found himself caught between old friends and family and by 1774 had to make a choice which would […]

$5 – $25

Jazz, Blues & Alt. Grooves @ the Dog

Welder's Dog Bar cnr Marsh and Rusden Streets, ARMIDALE, NSW

Come and enjoy jazz at one of Armidale's grooviest venues. Buddy Knox - Born into an Aboriginal family of country rock performers, Tamworth-based musician, Buddy Knox, is a sensational funky blues artist. From Bridgetown to Bluesfest, Buddy has been carving up the Blues scene around Australia. Armed with his signature 335 Gibson, his devotion to the artform is genuine, playing with an authentic, effortless style of the old masters, though without losing his own unique identity.

“Big Chill” Ice Skating @ Curtis Park

Curtis Park 75 Faulkner Street, ARMIDALE, NSW, Australia

What screams winter wonderland more than an ice-skating rink? The Armidale region will be able to experience the magic of skating on ice and gliding under festoon lighting for two weeks in May, with a 25m ice-skating rink being installed at Armidale’s Curtis Park from 13 - 29 May. Grab your family and friends to share the winter wonderland experience which also includes a snow machine!. All ages and abilities are catered for including ‘quiet’ sessions and disability access. Sessions […]

The Big Chill Festival 2022

Civic Park Dumaresq Street, Armidale, NSW, Australia

Winter is not a season, it’s a celebration. The Big Chill Festival is coming - celebrating all that is beautiful and unique to our region; sampling local craft beers, boutique wines as you enjoy a succulent gourmet steak burger made with locally sourced beef. Come and spend the weekend with family and friends from near and far, around glowing fire-pits, enjoying the aromas of slow cooked BBQ and being entertained by a range of national and local artists. If that […]

$25 – $50

Keith Urban & Bryan Adams Tribute Show @ the Bowlo

Armidale City Bowling Club 92-96 Dumaresq Street, ARMIDALE, NSW, Australia

VENUE: Armidale City Bowling Club, 92-96 Dumaresq Street. TIME: 7.30 (doors open), 8.00-11.00pm (show). COST: $30pp - available at https://events.humanitix.com/somebody-like-you-bryan-adams-and-keith-urban-tribute/tickets - $1.19 booking fee applies). Somebody Like You Tribute Show, starring Craig Woodward. For more information, phone 02 6772 5666.  

$30

Travels with Mary – Stories from the Suitcases

Saumarez Homestead 230 Saumarez Road, ARMIDALE, NSW, Australia

TIMES: 10.00am-4.00pm -  Wednesday, 18 May, Friday, 20 May and Sunday, 22 May. The Mary White Saumarez Collection is made up of a newly discovered array of stunning art deco travel posters and original documents collected by Mary White throughout her voyages from 1939-1947 which were found inside a set of attaché cases, now on show for the first time. Redeem your NSW Discover voucher when you purchase your ticket on arrival.

$8 – $25

“The Catholics” @ NERAM

Hinton Gallery, New England Regional Art Museum 106-114 JKentucky Street, ARMIDALE, NSW, Australia

Formed in 1991, The Catholics are one of Australia’s most distinct contemporary ensembles. Over three decades, they have formed a unique body of beautifully crafted music that takes in various African, Caribbean, Latin, and Eastern influences. Band leader, composer and bassist, Lloyd Swanton, is well-known across Australia and internationally for his work with improvising legends, The Necks, as well as appearances on over 100 albums, many of them ARIA Award winners, for artists including Vince Jones, Wendy Matthews and Bernie […]

$25 – $30

Jazz, Blues & Alt. Grooves @ The Dog

Welder's Dog Bar cnr Marsh and Rusden Streets, ARMIDALE, NSW

Come and enjoy jazz at one of Armidale's grooviest venues. Kez & Steve  - Kez Watson (all kinds of fiddles/strings) and Stephen Tafra (guitar/banjo/accordion) draw on their classical roots and diverse musical heritage to explore instrumental music traditions from around the world. Their performances are infused with idiomatic essences and techniques from the Celtic regions, Spain, Scandinavia, Eastern Europe, Appalachia and beyond. Music washes away the dust of everyday life - Art Blakey

CanAssist Trivia Night

Armidale Golf Club Golf Links Road, ARMIDALE, NSW, Australia

Finger food, lots of prizes, raffles and auctions, bar and kitchen will be operating. Come join in the fun. All money raised goes to local cancer patients. Tables of 10, come and join the fun, for a good cause.

$25

Roger & Julie @ The Playhouse

The Armidale Playhouse 309 Beardy Street (cnr Ohio Street), ARMIDALE, NSW, Australia

TIME: 2.00pm (Sunday), 7.30pm (Friday, Saturday). We are never too old to fall in love. Roger & Julie is Armidale local, Benjamin Thorn’s rewrite of Shakespeare’s famous Romeo & Juliet. This much shorter and modernised play moves the age of the characters forward and into their lives in two nearby nursing homes. The play is suitable for teenage children. Producer: Diana Helmrich; Directors: Margaret Sims and Benjamin Thorn. Payment by NSW Government vouchers available by contacting the event organiser.

$25 – $29

French Film Festival

Belgrave Twin Cinema 145 Dumaresq Street, ARMIDALE, NSW, Australia

$70 (Festival pass). All films are presented in their original language with English subtitles. 3.40pm - A Tale of Love and Desire Ahmed (the remarkable Sami Outalbali, Sex Education) is a talented 18-year-old Algerian from the outer Parisian suburbs, who has received a grant to study literature at the prestigious Sorbonne. Though the same city, it’s a disorientingly-foreign world for the conservative Ahmed, and he is rattled by the discovery of a rich canon of ancient, erotic Arabic texts in […]

$12.50 – $17.50

Travels with Mary – Stories from the Suitcases

Saumarez Homestead 230 Saumarez Road, ARMIDALE, NSW, Australia

TIMES: 10.00am-4.00pm -  Wednesday, 25 May, Friday, 27 May and Sunday, 29 May. The Mary White Saumarez Collection is made up of a newly discovered array of stunning art deco travel posters and original documents collected by Mary White throughout her voyages from 1939-1947 which were found inside a set of attaché cases, now on show for the first time. Redeem your NSW Discover voucher when you purchase your ticket on arrival.

$8 – $25

Glenn Skuthorpe @ Australian Poetry Hall of Fame

Australian Poetry Hall of Fame 144 Bradley Street, GUYRA, NSW, Australia

With his 7th album on the way and music featured in movies and documentaries such as The Emu Runner and John Pilger’s Utopia, Nhunggabarra, Kooma man and international touring singer-songwriter, Glenn Skuthorpe, is a powerful lyricist and composer who gives voice to those whose stories must be heard. A compelling performer whose playing style is captivating, engaging audiences in the stories behind his journeys. Prepare for an infusion of urban street blues to dusty plains and wide open skies.

$15 – $20

Jazz, Blues & Alt. Grooves @ The Dog

Welder's Dog Bar cnr Marsh and Rusden Streets, ARMIDALE, NSW

Come and enjoy jazz at one of Armidale's grooviest venues. The Gravy  - One of the most nascent groove collectives in the High Country, The Gravy features Dave Brown on bone, John Corcoran on guitar, Emily (EJ) Jane on vocals, Brendan Passey on bass and vocals and Ian (Mitch) Mitchell on skins. This succulent sauce has a base of contemporary soul, notes of 80s funk and naughties groove, topped with a healthy dollop of home-cooked original flavour. Music washes away […]

Roger & Julie @ The Playhouse

The Armidale Playhouse 309 Beardy Street (cnr Ohio Street), ARMIDALE, NSW, Australia

TIME: 2.00pm (Sunday), 7.30pm (Friday, Saturday). We are never too old to fall in love. Roger & Julie is Armidale local, Benjamin Thorn’s rewrite of Shakespeare’s famous Romeo & Juliet. This much shorter and modernised play moves the age of the characters forward and into their lives in two nearby nursing homes. The play is suitable for teenage children. Producer: Diana Helmrich; Directors: Margaret Sims and Benjamin Thorn. Payment by NSW Government vouchers available by contacting the event organiser.

$20 – $25

Armidale & New England Cat Club Pedigree and Companion Cat Show

New England Girls' School (NEGS) 13-83 Uralla Road, ARMIDALE, NSW, Australia

You never know what breed may be in attendance! You will see crowd favourites, 179 entries, such as the Persian, Ragdoll, Maine Coon, Siamese, Bengal, British Shorthair, Burmese and American Shorthair Cats. Discover the endless variety of cats. Stalls, all day BBQ, awesome raffles, vote for your favourite cat and best decorated show cage in The Teddy Bears' Picnic Theme. A great family day out.

$2 – $5

ANTaR Armidale Reconciliation Bridge Walk

The Bridge Walk is held every year during National Reconciliation Week – a time for all Australians to learn about our shared histories, cultures and achievements, and to explore how each of us can join the national reconciliation effort. This year’s national theme for Reconciliation Week ‘Be Brave. Make Change’. The event starts with a smoking ceremony, then we walk across Stephen’s Bridge, followed by a circuit of the park. We then listen to a couple of short speeches and […]

Free