Winter festivals happening across Melbourne and regional Victoria in 2023
From exhilarating fire twirling shows, colourful neon displays, inspiring art installations and magical live performances – there are plenty of winter festivals across the state.
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From exhilarating fire twirling shows, colourful neon displays, inspiring art installations and magical live performances – there are exciting winter festivals and events popping up all over the state.
Rug up in your winter woollies and embrace the many sights and sounds of festivals across Victoria, whether it be in the heart of the Melbourne CBD where you can warm up at Firelight Festival or take a road trip to explore the beautiful countryside at one of the many regional events.
One of the must-see events is a celebration of all things fire at Firelight Festival, where fire artists will transfix attendees with exhilarating acts.
Or spend a weekend away at the East Gippsland Winter Festival, a month-long celebration of regional art, food, culture and nature in cozy countryside settings.
There’s something for everyone and plenty of school holiday fun to be had, with lots of family-friendly activities to try.
Check out the guide below to find out more about the many festivals happening across Victoria.
Melbourne events:
Firelight Festival, Melbourne CBD
June 30 – July 2
There’s no better way to warm up this winter while getting out and about than heading to a festival that celebrates the magic of fire.
Firelight Festival will take over the Docklands in Melbourne for three nights from Friday June 30 to Sunday July 2, 2023, with fire sculptures, flame jets, fire twirlers and more.
The festival will also feature live music across the Docklands area, including African beats, New Orleans-style percussion and high-energy disco rhythms, with the resident Firelight DJ spinning hot tunes all night long.
Crowds will be treated to pop up performers roaming the festival, with dazzling fire performers, roving brass bands, Bollywood performers and hip hop dancing.
There will be plenty of delicious food to enjoy too, with a wide array of Melbourne‘s best wintry pop-up food and drink offerings across the festival.
Details here.
RISING, Melbourne CBD
June 7 – 18
The exhilarating Rising Festival will once again electrify Melbourne with its cutting-edge blend of art, music, and innovation right in the centre of the city.
This groundbreaking arts festival pushes boundaries and showcases the best premiere art and performance from around the world and across Australia.
Rising combines art, culture, food and music under moonlight, with 185 events featuring more than 400 artists across 12 inspiring nights.
Audiences can witness powerful theatre, dance, diverse music, large scale installation, public performance and outdoor works of mass participation – with free and low cost experiences accessible.
Highlights of the festival include the open invitation to join a 10,000 strong kazoo orchestra, the return of the huge CBD ice skating rink and the long abandoned upper level of the city‘s iconic Flinders Street Station will host the largest commissioned exhibition of contemporary First Peoples art in Victoria’s history.
Rising is sure to ignite Melbourne to come alive with creativity.
Details here.
Winter Lights Festival, Broadmeadows
June 17
Winter Lights festival is back on for a second year, the after-dark free event with astounding sound and light shows and live acts.
Held at Broadmeadows Town Hall in Melbourne’s northern suburbs, the festival will be highlighted by projections on buildings around the precinct and an ice-skating rink for some classic winter fun.
Headlining the event’s entertainment are big-time acts DJ Havana Brown and The Potbelleez.
There will also be exciting roving performers, art displays, family-fun activities, lots of tasty food, workshops and more.
The big finale of the festival will be a fireworks show, wrapping up the event with a bang.
Details here.
Glow Winter Arts Festival, Malvern East
June 15 – 18
A festival of lights in Melbourne’s southeastern suburbs promises never-seen-before installations and artworks that will create an immersive experience.
Glow Winter Arts Festival will light up Central Park in Malvern East for three winter nights, taking visitors on a magical journey of light, colour and art.
The free event invites attendees to explore large-scale illuminated artworks, a unique live performance and food trucks with tasty winter treats.
The festival will feature a winter wonderland adventure through a neon alpine forest and a giant snowman, thought-provoking art pieces as well as giant inflatable artworks and plenty of warming hot chocolates.
Details here.
Eynesbury Winter Festival
June 23 – July 9
A fortnight of winter fun will return to the western suburbs this year with the popular Eynesbury Winter Festival.
The event is highlighted by a classic ice rink, plus special activities, markets and more to create a fun winter outing for the whole family.
The free festival will also include live music and performances, winter-themed trivia nights, to free kids activities like cookie decorating, reptile encounters and circus entertainers.
The festival will hold a special solstice celebration on July 1, with a bonfire, African drumming, fire and glow performers as well as a spectacular fireworks display.
Details here.
Winter Wonderland at Grazeland, Spotswood
June 23 - July 30
As the days get shorter and the nights get colder, the well-loved foodie haven Grazeland has invited Melburnians to explore the food precinct as it turns into a winter wonderland.
Each weekend, Grazeland will become the ultimate cozy night out, the winter takeover will feature neon lights and the biggest snowman in Melbourne.
Visitors can snap a pic in front of the 10-metre snowman, dance under the snow and warm up with a mulled wine by the fire, all while spoiling their taste buds with cuisines from around the world.
There will be a white Christmas in July with a snow machine for a night of wintery fun, with fire pits to warm up by on the chilly nights.
Grazeland has 50 food vendors to choose from, from French, to Chinese, to German, with something for everyone.
As well as roving performers, face painting and fun kid zones, visitors will also be treated to the sounds of live bands and interactive DJ’s.
Details here.
Regional Victorian events:
Winter Glow, Geelong
June 16 – July 16
Victorians can discover a winter wonderland at Adventure Park Geelong these school holidays, with the highly anticipated Winter Glow event.
Running almost every night from June 16 to July 16, the park will be transformed from a summer water park to a winter playground complete with snow.
There will be action-packed rides, epic light installations, amazing fire twirling and ice sculpting as well as heaps of activities to enjoy.
Attendees can build a snowman, play minigolf, roast marshmallows over the roaring open fire and warm up with yummy hot chocolates, spiced cider and mulled wine.
Live ice-sculpting and fire-twirling displays will dazzle audiences plus there will be millions of dazzling lights and hundreds of glittering installations to explore across the park.
Details here.
East Gippsland Winter Festival
June 9 – July 9
Embrace the enchantment of winter in the countryside at the East Gippsland Winter Festival, with a month-long spectacular celebration of regional art, food, culture and nature.
Hosted in the picturesque region of East Gippsland, the festival will feature more than 100 spectacular events across the region, as one of the largest winter festival programs in Australia.
This festival will bring locals and visitors together for memorable experiences, from Paynesville on the Gippsland Lakes to Omeo in the High Country and all the way to Mallacoota in the far east.
The program will be jam-packed full of family-friendly events, winter feasts, a wide variety of educational workshops, exciting activities and many beautiful art installations.
The East Gippsland Winter Festival is sure to warm hearts even in the coldest of seasons, with something for everyone to enjoy.
Details here.
Winter Sounds, Daylesford
August 17 – 20
Winter Sounds is a weekend of the finest music performances in intimate venues across Daylesford and surrounds.
From grand gold-rush-era buildings to village halls, historic churches and aboard art deco trains, we‘re lighting up the most unique and beautiful spaces in the region to present performances by
The festival will illuminate venues across the town with colourful displays to host top-tier musicians, from historic buildings to village halls, churches and more.
The music line up is headed by Tex Perkins and Matt Walker, with Mo‘Ju, Jen Cloher, Gareth Liddiard, Adalita, Watty Thompson, Leah Senior and more joining over an inspiring four day festival.
Details here.
Moama Lights Festival
June 30 – July 23
This regional festival of lights will celebrate its third year, after being created during the pandemic as a safe way to celebrate winter while being dazzled by an amazing sound and light display.
The event will be held in Horseshoe Lagoon this winter, with the exhibition of light and sound to be held every Thursday to Sunday from June 30 to July 23.
Created by the same producers behind Sydney’s Vivid festival, the display will take visitors on a journey through the elements of air, fire, water and earth.
There will also be an outdoor ice-skating rink, as well as a beer garden, food trucks and kids’ entertainment.
Details here.
Ballarat Winter Festival
June 24 – July 16
The picturesque city of Ballarat will celebrate winter by hosting several exciting events at key tourist attractions across the town.
Sovereign Hill will once again delight with the beloved Winter Wonderlights event, with a Christmas in July style celebration.
The historic site will be transformed with shimmering light projections with dazzling colour and falling snow.
The attraction will also have theatre shows and pantomimes, activities, visits from St. Nick and winter treats like delicious gingerbread.
Kryal Castle will also welcome visitors to a special winter event called ‘Knights of Fire’, featuring a dramatic tale of a battle to save the kingdom.
Attendees will enjoy a spectacular fire jousting live show with flaming swords, as well as workshops in sword fighting, potion-making, axe-throwing and more.
The ever-popular ice skating rink in the heart of the town will also return, offering wintry fun for all and even some disco-themed skating sessions.
Details here.
Winter Weekends, Port Fairy
June 9 - July 9
A beloved festival on Victoria‘s coastline returns for a sixteenth year, with the Port Fairy Winter Weekends Festival.
With community events, arts of all kinds, delectable food and wine and celebrations of nature, three winter weekends will celebrate all the region has to offer.
The festival is highlighted by the iconic, world-famous Daschund Dash event, where hundreds of tiny dogs race for glory in an adorable feat.
In addition to cute puppies, there’s outdoor light displays, markets, kids workshops and plenty of live music to enjoy.
Creativity will be celebrated with showcases in performance, music, painting, design, photography, craft, sculpture, fashion, ceramic, film, literature and more - not to mention, plenty of food and wine.
Details here.
Electric Wonderland, Bendigo
June 23 – July 9
A new, exciting after-dark experience is coming to Bendigo this winter.
Electric Wonderland will dazzle visitors with breathtaking light installations, including huge illuminated sculptures, a laser light show, a giant astronaut and an interactive flower garden – to name just a few of the jaw-dropping installations.
Set in Rosalind Park, as the sun sets the heart of Bendigo will transform into a light-filled wonderland.
This fun-filled event is sure to be a colourful, mesmerising evening.
Details here.
Nightide, Queenscliff
June 24
As the sun sets on a wintry Saturday, Queenscliff will enjoy an evening of enchanting soundscapes electrifying live music and decadent local delicacies to celebrate the solstice.
Attendees can warm up by bonfires or take an exhilarating plunge into a beachside ice bath to embrace the cold, with magical soundscapes playing by the waves creating a dreamy setting.
There will be a picturesque lantern parade, Burning Man-esque fire sculptures and a spectacular fireworks display with a live opera singer to make for a dazzling finale.
Designed to celebrate community spirit in the colder season, Nightide offers a setting to gather together, rug up and embrace the spirit of the solstice.
Details here.
Puffing Billy’s Train of Lights, Emerald
June 23 – July 9
Victoria’s beloved steam train has a special surprise for this winter, with a colourful revamp that will take riders on a magical journey.
Puffing Billy’s Train of Lights will dazzle as the train, adorned with thousands of dazzling lights and stunning visual effects, illuminates the trees, tracks and passing towns.
Departing at 6pm daily from Lakeside Station, the spectacularly lit train will embark on a Two-and-a-half-hour return journey that chugs along the historic track to Gembrook.
The amazing evening experience delight with sparkling lights, hypnotic patterns, projections and vivid colours that dance across the rolling hills of the Victorian countryside and the Wright Forest.
After the scenic ride, passengers will disembark at Gembrook Station to enjoy a stopover where they can warm up by the fire pits, sip hot chocolate and listen to the sounds of live music, before setting off on the return journey.
Details here.
Aurora Luna Light Journey, Albury
June 23 - July 16
An immersive, otherworldly show returns to Albury after a smash hit success last year, lighting up winter with magical sights.
Aurora takes visitors on a journey through a spectacle of light and sound in the heart of the Albury Botanic Gardens, with a bigger and better experience than before.
Explore unforgettable installations, including dazzling laser effects, light sculptures, interactive projections, and magical holograms.
The artistic displays, lush soundscapes and digital art experiences are sure to delight the senses while the gardens provide a beautiful backdrop for a spectacular show.
Details here.
Mansfield Lantern Festival
June 16 – 18
Celebrating the longest night of the year, the winter solstice, one of the most anticipated annual events in Victoria’s northeast will take shape at the Mansfield Lantern Festival this month.
This winter celebration held at the foot of snow-capped Mt Buller has run since 2015, with highlights including a light display, music, performance artists and exhibitions.
There will also be a plethora of market stalls featuring the amazing, food, wine, craft beer and spirits produced in and around the area.
The weekend will kick off with the annual lantern parade and open fires to warm up the crowds.
Free lantern-making workshops will run before the event to encourage attendees to get involved by getting creative.
Details here.
Solstice Search Party, Warrnambool
June 24
Celebrate the solstice after-dark adventures set by the coast, with magical sights to explore at the Solstice Search Party.
Set at the Warrnambool Botanic Gardens, the free event will feature interactive neon light displays as well as sound and light installations from local creatives.
Take a peek into a realm of magic and wonder by stepping into the Faerie Grotto, or take a journey to explore an enchanting nature trail by lantern light.
Live entertainment will include the musical delights of Leslie D King and the Trembling Shakes, Wade Northcott, Gabby Steel and more.
Attendees can enjoy tasty comfort foods and drinks to warm up or pack a picnic to enjoy at this family-friendly event.
Details here.
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