As one of the first major cities in the world to ring in the new year, Sydney gets her glam on every December 31st. At the stroke of 9pm and again at midnight (the former perfect for celebrating families), the twinkling harbour turns into a kaleidoscope of colour, thanks to the extravagant firework displays, which light up the sky in a bombastic neon celebration. See it from the water on a harbour cruise or from one of the dozen viewing spots around the shores, including the picnic-friendly reserves at Millers Point, Mrs Macquaries Chair and Kirribilli. Grab an Aussie classic – a bacon and egg roll – and hunker down from mid-morning to secure your position.

The annual Australian Open Tennis Grand Slam begins with Opening Week on 6 January at the Victorian capital’s Melbourne Park with qualifying matches, open practice sessions and Kids Tennis Day. Then, on 12 January, the men’s and women’s tournament begins with electrifying sets and plenty of off-court experiences, culminating in the grand final on 25 and 26 January. Here’s everything to know about attending the game. 

Drawing in over a million patrons each year, the Adelaide Fringe Festival is a cornucopia of stand up comedy, music and avant garde art events with 8000-plus artists descending on the South Australian capital. Spanning three weeks from 21 February to 23 March in 2025, this is your chance to catch the next Hannah Gadsby (a former Fringe regular) before they skyrocket. In between performances, pop into festival hotspots such as the Adelaide Botanic Gardens – or the ‘Garden of Unearthly Delights’ as it’s known during the season – for immersive experiences. 

Formula 1’s 2025 series kicks off at Melbourne’s Albert Park, with the 75th edition shaping up to be its most exciting yet. The adrenaline-soaked race weekend, held from 13-16 March, will see home-grown talent and Grand Prix winner Oscar Piastri zip around the track against the likes of seven-time championship winner Lewis Hamilton and three-time championship winner Max Verstappen. With plenty of merch, food and drink available, head to the family-friendly Pit Stop Park and The Fan Zone to soak up the atmosphere. 

Taking place in Alice Springs (Mparntwe), a two-hour flight from Darwin, Parrtjima (loosely translated as “to shed light on” in local Arrernte language) is a Red Centre “Festival in Light”  celebrating Country and a culture that dates back over 30,000 years. Over 10 nights in April, selected First Nations artists illuminate the surrounding desert and the over-300-million-year-old MacDonnell Ranges with light installations, performances, interactive workshops and live music. Attendance is free. 

Proving that Queensland is more than just a summer destination of endless sunshine and surf, the Noosa Eat and Drink Festival, to be held from 29 May to 1 June 2025, is fast gaining traction as one of the country’s greatest gourmet celebrations. Taking over the town of Noosa, a two-hour drive north of Brisbane, the event features wine tastings, long lunches, cooking classes and surprise cameos from some of Australia’s top chefs. 

The annual mid-winter arts and culture festival, organised by the Museum of Old and New Art (MONA) and held in Hobart every June, will celebrate its 12th year in 2025 after taking a break in 2024. Southern Tassie literally paints the town red over a two-week period, with businesses and households encouraged to deck themselves out in crimson hues in celebration of the various strange and wonderful exhibitions, interactive performances, parades and food and wine experiences that stack the schedule. Previous years have featured concerts by the likes of Ethel Cain and St. Vincent. Key events to keep an eye on include the Winter Feast, Nude Solstice Swim and the yearly gala.

The mild Sydney winter – where average night-time temperatures hover around eight degrees celsius – is a great reason to get out and about during Vivid, a celebration of light, music, ideas and food. The largest festival of its kind in the Southern Hemisphere, the 2025 iteration will run from Friday, 23 May to Saturday, 14 June and will centre on the theme of dreams. As well as stunning light installations throughout the CBD, Darling Harbour and Botanical Gardens, visitors can expect live music at venues across the city, innovative dining experiences, markets, notable appearances during this annual event (2024’s edition saw a panel hosted by writer, actor and director Amy Poehler, while singer Sky Ferreira performed at the Opera House).

A cohort of local and international artists arrive in Adelaide each July to set pathways, buildings and historical monuments aglow with light-strewn installations, art exhibitions and music. The 2024 calendar saw an interactive digital garden from Berlin-based studio flora&faunavisions take over Light Square while Festival Plaza hosted the ChronoHarp – an immersive installation that played music and lights in response to the bodies that moved through it. Dates for 2025 are yet to be announced. 

August is the Northern Territory’s dry season. It’s the perfect time (and temperature) to check out Australian musicians such as the Warumpi Band, Missy Higgins, The Cat Empire and more across two-and-a-half rocking weeks in Darwin, from 8 to 25 August 2024. In addition to musical performances, get a glimpse of Yolngu traditions and culture as interpreted through dance at Song Spirals or kick back at a comedy show. Dates for 2025 are yet to be announced. 

Held on glittering Hamilton Island in the tropical Whitsundays from 17 to 24 August 2024,  when the temperature is still a balmy average of 23 degrees celsius, Hamilton Island Race Week is Australia’s largest offshore keelboat regatta. Bringing yachties and scene-stealing glamour to the island over seven days and six action-packed races (with one dedicated day full of food, wine and revelry in the middle), the week is peppered with culinary delights and live entertainment – and if you’d like a change of pace, you’re footsteps away from the splendour of the Great Barrier Reef, too. 

Canberra’s Commonwealth Park, on the banks of Lake Burley Griffin, transforms into a sea of vibrant colour when over one million flowers bloom during Floriade, an annual festival held in spring (2024’s iteration runs from 14 September to 13 October). Wander through gardens of tulips, pansies and daffodils or check out art exhibitions, magic shows and performances by jazz bands and choirs before settling into a panel hosted by special guests, including landscape architect and beloved television host Costa Georgiadis, who will share his vast horticultural knowledge this year.

Launched in 2023, Evernow is a week-long festival of light, sound and fire in Perth that celebrates the natural beauty of Western Australia and the state’s First Nations heritage, coinciding with the Noongar season of birth and renewal, Kambarang. Spanning 3 to 7 October, the 2024 calendar will see the city’s Burswood Park cloaked in artistic light projections, dancing drones and immersive music at From the Light Flow: Bena Koorliny (light travelling), while Noongar musicians, singers and dancers perform at Song Circle. 

Spanning multiple destinations across Western Australia’s famed wine country – the Margaret River Region, three hours south of Perth – Pair’d puts a fresh spin on culinary festivals. From beach club parties with the former Blur bassist-turned-wine-maker Alex James at Castle Bay, to Hawker Night, a tribute to Asian street eats led by superstar chefs Dan Hong, Rosheen Kaul and Mal Chow and an exclusive long lunch at historic Gallop House, the three-day extravaganza from 14 to 17 November is the hottest long weekend this side of the Nullarbor. 

From 28 December until 4 January, the annual Taste of Summer Food festival will bring the best of Tasmania’s food and wine producers to Hobart’s Prince’s Wharf on the Castray Esplanade. Brimming with stalls stocking fresh produce (including freshly shucked oysters and the state’s renowned cool-climate wines), you’ll work up an appetite wandering between cellar doors and restaurants while being treated to live performances – previous  guests include INXS lead singer, Jon Stewart.