What’s on this summer

17 Dec 2019

From night markets to racing ferries, there’s plenty to keep you occupied over the summer.

Queen Victoria Night Market

Melbourne’s original and iconic Night Market returns to the Queen Victoria Market for its biggest summer yet. Explore over 130 global street food and shopping stalls, sample the freshest summer drinks and enjoy free live local entertainment.

Exciting new food offerings to try this summer include Portuguese tarts from Casa Nata, Israeli falafel pita pockets from Falafel Arayes, traditional Filipino cuisine by Kuya's Simply Pinoy, and African barbecue from Tasty Suya.

Melbourne, every Wednesday till March 11 (except Christmas and New Year's Day); qvm.com.au

Sydney Festival

Running throughout January, the Sydney Festival has plenty to offer, whether you’re getting a group together or taking the grandkids for the day.

This year you can expect the family fun of Laser Beak Man, a new production of Indigenous musical hit Bran Nue Dae, and the Ferrython. The latter is the festival’s most beloved event where the Sydney Ferries race from Barangaroo – you can watch from the foreshore or buy a ticket on the racing ferries themselves.

Check out the full program here.

Sydney, January 8-26; Sydney Festival

Water

What better time to get wet than in summer? Now, a new exhibition at the Queensland Art Gallery & Gallery of Modern Art (GOMA) is looking at summer’s most vital element.

“Water” opens this summer at GOMA, exploring the vital element that sustains life. From major immersive experiences to smaller-scale offerings by Australian and international artists, the exhibition will highlight this precious resource.

Dive deeper with guided tours of the exhibition at 11am every day from December 9, and at the Water Sundays events with tours for kids, talks and hands-on workshops. Or click here for the full range of offerings.

Brisbane, from December 7; QAGOMA

Perth Festival

The Perth Festival is a multi-faced arts festival with something for everyone, and this year it has everything from zombie movies to traditional Indigenous dance. Get a group together and experience the oldest arts festival in the Southern Hemisphere with major new works celebrating what it means to live in the west.

The festival started as a summer celebration at the University of Western Australian and has been growing since 1953.

Perth; February 7 to March 1; perthfestival.com.au