Asia TOPA Festival 

Returning to Melbourne for the first time in five years is Asia TOPA, Australia’s leading triennial festival of  Asia-Pacific performance. The event opens with a onenight-only event celebrating 80-year-old pioneering artist William Yang who reflects on his life in a stage performance with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra. Another not-to-miss event is Gapu upan, a new crosscultural collaboration between First Nations Yolu, Paiwan and Amis artists from North East Arnhem Land and Taiwan, featuring song, dance and large-scale visuals; and in another one-off concert, catch the world premiere of Ane Ta Abia – musicians and singers from PNG and Australia.

Dates: 20 February to 10 March

Website: asiatopia.com.au

Enlighten Festival Canberra

Get ready to see Canberra in a whole new light. This outdoor annual art and cultural festival will see the country’s capital put under the spotlight. Some of the city’s most iconic buildings including Old Parliament House, Parliament House and the National Gallery of Australia will be illuminated to the soundtrack of local and international artists.

Dates: 28 February to 10 March 2025

Website: enlightencanberra.com

Perth Festival

From Midnight Oil’s frontman Peter Garrett giving a rare solo performance to contemporary ballet in an open-air setting, this year’s Perth Festival has something for even the most discerning festival-goer. There are 104 events featuring 380 artists including five world premieres, six Australian premieres, and the transformation of two of the city’s most iconic venues – the Perth Town Hall and the longdormant East Perth Power Station.

Dates: 7 February to 2 March 2025

Website: perthfestival.com.au 

Melbourne International Flower and Garden Show

What better way to celebrate spring than with five days exploring landscape designer gardens and floral displays at Melbourne’s heritage-listed Royal Exhibition Building and the Carlton Gardens. There’s also an outdoor sculpture gallery and workshops and demonstrations, so you can learn how to best manage your garden while you’re on the road.

Dates: 26 to 30 March 2025

Website: melbflowershow.com.au 

Canberra Balloon Spectacular

Nothing quite beats watching dozens of multi-coloured hot air balloons floating in a cloudless sky, unless of course you’re lucky enough to be in one. Enjoy the serenity while you take in a bird’s-eye view of Australia’s capital city. Running for 29 years, thousands come out to watch the nine-day phenomenon. Get in early so you can ensure your spot to go up, up and away.

Dates: 19 to 23 March 2025

Website: balloonaloftcanberra.com.au 

WOMADelaide

If you are a music enthusiast, WOMADelaide in Adelaide’s Botanic Park is sure to get your feet tapping. Kicking off from 7 to 10 March, there are a string of leading international artists including the Queen of Afropop, Grammy-winning singer, actor and activist Yemi Alade from Nigeria; Grammy-nominated reggae/dancehall star Protoje & The Indiggnation (Jamaica), and 90s hip-hop trio Digable Planets from the USA. Australian musicians also feature, including the Central Australian Aboriginal Women’s Choir, who blend baroque choral arrangements with ancient sacred songs in Western Arrarnta and Pitjantjatjara languages.

Dates: 7 to 10 March 2025

Website: womadelaide.com.au

Melbourne International Comedy Festival

Chuckle your way through the largest stand-alone comedy festival in the world in Australia’s cultural capital. First held in 1987, this almost month-long event kicks off at the end of March in Melbourne’s CBD. If you can’t choose from the long list of events, go for the opening ‘Comedy Allstars Supershow’ with a star-studded line-up of comedy royalty – you’ll be in a fit of laughter.

Dates: 26 March to 20 April 2025

Website: comedyfestival.com.au

Fabalice

The Red Centre will turn into a stage of elaborate multi-coloured performances during this four-day festival of live drag music and events. Paying homage to Priscilla Queen of the Desert – the 1994 film that gained cult status – events are held all around Alice Springs, including night markets, an interactive screening of Priscilla, comedy and cabaret. If you needed to feel alive, this event will do it.

Dates: 27 to 30 March 2025

Website: fabalice.com

Adelaide Festival

The opening event of this annual festival has been hailed the greatest opera of the 21st Century. Innocence, a thriller about a joyous wedding celebration that takes a shocking turn, is one of 65 events (including 11 world premieres) that will be showcased. Keen writers and readers should bookmark the theatre performance of Australian author Trent Dalton’s book Love Stories; while the Adelaide Writers’ Week will see some of the biggest names in literary fiction in attendance including Tim Winton, Markus Zuzak and Annabel Crabb. You can also take a deep dive into littleknown First Nations stories with ‘My Cousin Frank’, as Australian writer and performer Rhoda Roberts AO takes a seat onstage to share the remarkable journey of her cousin, Australia’s first Aboriginal Olympian, a boxer who competed at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics.

Dates: 28 February to 16 March 2025

Website: adelaidefestival.com.au

Formula 1 - Australian Grand Prix, Melbourne

Record-breaking crowds are expected to converge on Melbourne for the 2025 Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix as cars blaze around the Albert Park circuit framed by the city skyline. Tickets are in high demand and often sell out, so you’ll need to speed up to secure a spot. After kicking off in Melbourne, the event concludes (after visiting five continents) with the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix on 5 to 7 December.

Dates: 14 to 16 March 2025

Website: formula1.com

Adelaide Fringe Festival

An ‘open access’ arts festival, Adelaide Fringe Festival has been running for more than six decades. Held over a month in February and March, events aren’t curated; but rather the festival provides a platform for artists and producers who register their events. Expect everything from comedy to true crime conversations.

Dates: 21 February to 23 March 2025

Website: adelaidefringe.com.au

Category: Features
Written: Sat 01 Feb 2025
Printed: February, 2025
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