Armidale Light Festival
What’s on inArmidale?

Armidale Events

Click to view the Summer 2024/25 events calendar! (PDF 1MB), 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?

Annual Human Rights Lecture 2024

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

Building Unity through Hope: Creating a more Compassionate Society - Elijah Buol OAM, MAICD, CEO Act for Peace Elijah Buol OAM, was appointed CEO of Act for Peace in January 2024. Act for Peace is an organization, now in its 75th yea, that works to empower people displaced  by conflict and disasters across the globe. Elijah brings a deep understanding of the issues faced by people experiencing displacement. After losing his parents to conflict when he was a child, he spent many […]

Donation

Australian Haydn Ensemble

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

The Australian Haydn Ensemble, Australia's bravura Classical-era specialists, perform Mozart Quartets and Haydn’s London Symphony in an intimate display of historically-informed performance. An opportunity to hear this marvellous music played on period instruments - bringing, as close as possible, the sound-world the composers knew when these works were written. Progamme: Mozart - Flute Quartet in D major; Mozart - String Quartet in D minor; Haydn - Symphony No 104 in D major London (arr Salomon)

$50.50

Persian Arthouse Festival

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

Programme: Friday, 3 May - 7.00pm - Bashu, the little stranger by Bahram Beyzai; Saturday, 4 May - 2.00pm - The Runner by Amir Naderi; Saturday, 4 May - 7.00pm - Where is the friend's house by Abbas Kiarostami; Sunday, 5 May - 2.00pm - Breath by Narges Abyar. The inaugural edition of Persian Arthouse Festival, is themed around Childhood. Each film will be introduced by Dr Hadi Nojoumian and will conclude with a discussion featuring distinguished local personalities. Delicious traditional Iranian snacks will be […]

Free

The Appleton Ladies’ Potato Race

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

Welcome to Appleton, a tidy country town with a population of 1557. Stop in at the pub in the arvo, try your luck with the pokies and why not stay for the annual Potato Race? It’s the highlight of the year. Only this year Dr Penny Anderson is back home in Appleton, and she has a question. Why should the prize money for the race be more for the men than for the women? Cousin Nikki thinks Penny is up […]

$25.50 – $30.50

Ephen Stephen @ the Playhouse

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

With Armidale autumn just about upon us, there is no better time to celebrate the classical guitar’s orchestra-sized colour palette. EphenStephen has assembled this programme around a core selection of music by well-known guitar composers who weave their abilities in orchestral writing into their guitar music, as well as some arrangements of music perhaps more famous as guitar music than in its original form, and then a sprinkling of “guitarry” guitar music just for good measure! Come & join us […]

$25 – $30

“We’ve Got Rhythm”

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

The fourth show in a continuing variety concert series of hits from musicals past, present and future. See the best vocalists on offer in this fun-filled and spectacular musical tribute show. Created by Neil Horton, Bruce Menzies, Robyn Bradley and Kate Frazier.

$25.50 – $30.50

Baroque Curios, Gems and Genius

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

Come, sit back, relax and be taken on a journey through baroque curiosities and gems. Works by Bach, Baron and Weiss; some you may find familiar arranged in new ways, and some rarely heard, all framed by pertinent narratives. Sarah Lawrence – Narration; Alana Blackburn – Recorders; Steve Thorneycroft – Guitar; Sofia Debus - Cello

$25 – $30

Woodford Folk Festival @ the Playhouse

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

Plague and the Moonflower An 80-voice adult choir, 44-voice children's choir, 56-piece orchestra with didgeridoo, 24 dancers, 3 jugglers, 3 actors, a narrator, 5 soloists (2 sopranos, boy soprano, violin and guitar). The Gypsy Hot Club 5-piece band, fire eater, 5 tonne tip truck, a crew of 35 and 100 extra family and friends, 40 microphones, 4 cameras, a gigantic mixer; 3 huge props including a 6m-high Plague Demon built from 3,00 plastic shopping  bugs. Bill Hauritz: Armidale's Plague and […]

$20.50

Captains of Za’atari @ The Playhouse

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

Come down, watch a movie and be part of changing a Syrian family’s life. A fundraiser for Armidale Sanctuary's ISSA Family appeal. Donations welcomed. Wine and snacks available from 5.30pm. A documentary about two Syrian refugees living in Jordan's Za'atari camp, who dream of becoming professional football players.

$20

The Vampires Nightjar Tour @ the Playhouse

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

Immerse yourself in an evening of distinctive melodies and rhythms with The Vampires, an instrumental ensemble celebrated for what the Guardian UK calls their “genre-hopping creativity”. Having captivated audiences from the UK to Europe and their native Australia, The Vampires have received critical acclaim, an ARIA nomination, and stand out as the first instrumental act to be shortlisted for the Australian Music Prize, boasting a lineup of some of the most acclaimed and sought-after musicians of this generation. Nightjar, their […]

$37.63
Event Series Black Comedy @ the Playhouse

Black Comedy @ the Playhouse

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

Black Comedy is a one-act farce by Peter Shaffer, first performed in 1965. The premise of the piece is that light and dark are transposed, so that when the stage is lit the cast are supposed to be in darkness and only when the stage is dark are they supposed to be able to see each other and their surroundings. A young sculptor and his fiancée have borrowed some expensive antique furniture from a neighbour's flat without his permission to […]

$20.50 – $25.50

EphenStephen @ The Playhouse

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

There is an oft-quoted saying about there being “nothing more beautiful than a guitar, save for perhaps two…” Purely subjective of course, but if you enjoy your strings plucked, you’re in luck as the New England’s premier guitar duo, EphenStephen, is returning with a special programme to mark their 35 years of guitar collaboration. Please book early, and don’t miss out otherwise everyone’s going to have something to be highly strung about and fret over. EphenStephen: “35 years and STILL […]

$25.50 – $30.50

“Colour Me Love”

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

Colour Me Love - 1/10 VENUE: The Armidale Playhouse, 309 Beardy Street. TIME: 3.00-4.30pm. COST: $30 (adult), $25 (concession) – tickets available via www.trybooking.com (50₵ booking fee applies). For more information, visit www.adms.org.au/armidale-playhouse. Well-known, seasoned Australian jazz singer, pianist, composer and educator Sharny Russell, and her daughter Lauren Lucille, also a jazz and pop vocalist, songwriter, guitarist and pianist, are part of a rich musical family heritage, so music is in their DNA. Sharny is now resident in Armidale and […]

$25 – $30

“Breast Wishes” – An Uplifting Musical

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

Breast Wishes is an original concept by well-known Australian actor and producer Anne Looby, written after her sister was diagnosed with breast cancer.  Come and see a very funny show that deals with a serious issue. A musical comedy about love, life, loss and silicone; Breast Wishes is a witty, heart-warming journey about courage and determination through laughter to triumph. Meet five women - sisters, mothers, daughters, cousins. Add a fumbling boyfriend, a well-meaning husband, a bra-fitter who’s seen it […]

$35 – $40
Event Series Armidale “Gang Show”

Armidale “Gang Show”

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

2.30-4.00pm (Saturday), 6.30-8.00pm (Friday, Saturday). Gang Show has a long tradition in Scouting, dating back to 1932 in London. Armidale Gang Show is one of only a handful of regional Gang Shows in NSW & we are very excited to present it to you all.

$21

“The Message of the Lyrebird”

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

Co-hosted by Progressive Cinema and the Armidale National Parks Association as part of the campaign to Save Our Styx River and Forest which is home to lyrebirds. Mark Pearce, the producer of this stunning and heartwarming film, will join us for a discussion. It is a film about the relationship between people and birds, set in a natural wonderland where an exquisite forest faery has been performing his astonishing song and dance routines for millions of years. It is a […]

Donation

Rachmaninoff & Friends @ The Playhouse

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

A recital for cello and piano by well-known local musicians Robert Jackson (cello) and Keith Power (piano).

$30.50

Celebrating the Music of “The Beatles”

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

Get ready to experience an unforgettable musical journey with The Organismics as they bring their unique jazz-fusion sound to the iconic music of The Beatles. Featuring Warwick Dunham on Hammond Organ, Steve Thorneycroft on guitar, and Cary Bennett on drums and vocals. You love great music and can’t wait to "Get Back" to the magic of the '60s with some of The Beatles greatest songs, reimagined with passion and finesse by The Organismics! "With A Little Help From My Friends" […]

$25 – $35

White Rhino Club International Film Festival

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

Eight fabulous international movies will show at the Armidale Playhouse over a 48 hour period. Movies from China, Israel, Germany/Norway, Argentina/Spain, India, Sweden and France will delight movie goers. Friday, 28 July - 7.00pm Margrete - Queen of the North (Denmark 2021) - Run time: 2 hrs Saturday, 29 July - 10.30am Rosalie Blum (France 2015) - Run time: 1 hr 35 mins; 1.30pm The Quiet Girl (Ireland 2022) - Run time: 1 hr 36 mins; 3.30pm Heroic Losers (Argentina 2019); 7.00pm Farewell Mr […]

$70.50

Tribute to Nat King Cole – “Unforgettable”

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

A special treat for those who love fine music: Dorian Mode and his swinging trio presenting A Tribute to Nat King Cole! Since his early teens, Dorian Mode spent his pocket money on Nat King Cole records, imitating Nat’s dazzling piano and vocal stylings. A lifelong fan, Dorian has meticulously researched Nat’s catalogue in order to choose iconic original trio arrangements to transcribe and weave into his show about Nat Cole’s fascinating life. Since 2015, Dorian has performed his tribute to […]

$25.50 – $30.50