Southern Tasmania has you covered for summer events. Check out our HOT LIST of popular events to indulge in.
Southern Tasmania comes alive during summer with an array of vibrant events, offering locals and visitors an opportunity to immerse themselves in the region’s rich culture, breathtaking landscapes, history and diverse festivities. From eclectic music festivals to bustling food and wine extravaganzas showcasing the region’s culinary delights, southern Tasmania is set to be a hive of activity and entertainment during the summer months.
Join us as we explore the exciting lineup of events that promise to make this summer in southern Tasmania an unforgettable experience for all.
Southern Tasmania
Summer 2024 / 2025 Hot List
The Artisan’s Hand Christmas Market
6 December 2024
Enjoy the afternoon and evening with the Artisans in the beautiful historic Balfour House in Cygnet on Friday the 6th December from 3 pm to 7 pm.
The Artisan Christmas Market offers you the opportunity to purchase original and creative handmade gifts from local makers and creatives.
The market features ceramics, jewellery, art prints, leatherwork, handmade knives and textile items, home-baked Christmas puddings, beautiful art print tea towels and aprons, handmade cards and more!
An evening of Live Music with Ben Salter
8 December 2024
Sail on the Lady Nelson with Ben Salter. Ben is one of Australia’s most highly regarded performers and songwriters. He makes eclectic, esoteric music that defies easy classification, drawing on elements of indie rock, folk, jazz, electronica, country and beyond whilst maintaining a coherent and inimitable melodic style that coalesces around Salter’s powerful and emotive voice.
kipli takara – Bush tucker tour
13 December 2024
kipli Join Us for an Unforgettable Kipli Takara Experience! Learn the art of traditional food preparation.  Explore Aboriginal Cuisine
Palawa Kipli invites you to our last bush tucker tour of the year on Friday, December 13, 2024. Don’t miss this opportunity to immerse yourself in the richness of Aboriginal traditions.
Experience a day on Aboriginal land learning about and supporting the palawa community through our traditional foods. Even if you’ve been on one of our tours before, each experience is unique with new knowledge, flavors, and drinks awaiting you.
Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race
26 December 2024 – 2 January 2025
The Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race sails over 628 nautical miles through sometimes grueling ocean conditions. Over the past 79 years, the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race has become an icon of Australia’s summer sport.
Capturing the hearts of Australians and transforming into an international yachting classic, the race ranks in public interest with such national events as the Melbourne Cup, the Australian Open tennis and the Boxing Day cricket test.
No regular annual yachting event in the world attracts such huge media coverage than does the start on Sydney Harbour.
Tasmania’s Taste of Summer
28 December 2024 – 4 January 2025
Held annually across the festive New Year period on the picturesque waterfront of nipaluna/Hobart, Tasmania’s Taste of Summer is a celebration of the island’s world class food and drink, culture, community and summer.
A fun and inclusive family-friendly festival, Tasmania’s Taste of Summer provides patrons with an immersive Tasmanian food and drink experience, with more than 80 stalls to choose from.
The Taste of Summer stage showcases an eclectic line-up of well-known and emerging Tasmanian artists, and each year there is an iconic Australian act for the New Year’s Eve festivities on the waterfront, also offering one of the best vantage points to ring in the New Year with fireworks over the harbour.
EVE—A New Year’s Romp
31 December 2024
It’s that time of year again. As twilight embraces the eve of a new year, don your dreamiest garments, and assemble beneath our open Cathedral as we beckon 2025 under the stars.
Hobart International 2025
4 – 11 January 2025
Hobart’s ultimate summer festival is back! The 30th Hobart International tennis tournament is set to bring more than 50 of the world’s top women’s tennis players to Hobart, from Saturday 4 to Saturday 11 January 2025.
With views of Hobart’s stunning waterfront from Centre Court and the tournament buzzing with fabulous food and drinks from across Tasmania – the Hobart International is more than tennis, it’s your perfect day out!
Record crowds are expected again in 2025! Grab tickets to the first couple of days of the tournament before the playing field starts to reduce and then get ready for the action of Semi Finals and Finals!
The Hobart International Qualifying Weekend is FREE for the community to attend: Saturday 4 and Sunday 5, January 2025. Enjoy the fun activities in the Fan Zone and Kids Zone including competitions, face painting, games, player appearances and more!
Cygnet Folk Festival
10 – 12 January 2025
From the 10th – 12th of January 2025 the small town of Cygnet, located in Tasmania’s stunning Huon Valley will again play host to the annual Cygnet Folk Festival.
One of Australia’s most iconic folk music events, the Cygnet Folk Festival is a showcase of eclectic music genres featuring both Australian and international talent, dance, poetry, masterclasses and workshops, circus and roving entertainment, children’s entertainment, food, wine, art and local handicrafts; all set in the breathtaking scenery of southern Tasmania.
Gin-uary Hobart Gin Festival
18 – 19 January 2025
Gin-uary Hobart Gin Festival was created to celebrate Tasmania’s amazing gin industry. Tassie is known for its high quality and locally made produce – and gin is no different. Tasmania is the birthplace of modern day distilling and, now in its fourth year, Gin-uary has become an important annual event for the Tasmanian spirits industry.
Shining a light on Tasmanian distilling, Gin-uary gives distillers, regardless of their size, the opportunity for visibility on a national scale. Ginuary is a vehicle for awareness of the abundance of Tasmanian distillers doing amazing things across the industry.
River Run Lodge Cray Bake 2025
25 January 2025
Join us on Saturday, 25th January 2025 from 12pm – 8pm to honour our maritime town & celebrate the lobster season!
There will again be something for everyone! Freshly caught lobster, cooked to perfection by local fisherman, tell us a more perfect way to celebrate this season! Plus of course our signature lobster rolls.
On site, we’ll have food trucks, an outdoor bar with local wines, beer & cocktails for purchase. While you’re enjoying our live bands, the kids can find games with our incredible kids entertainer Mel and face painting masterpieces with Vanessa!
Red Bull Hardline Tasmania 2025
7 – 8 February 2025
Widely recognised as the toughest downhill mountain bike event in the world, Red Bull Hardline is coming down under.
Globally renowned Maydena Bike Park in Tasmania with its massively diverse trail network will host the 2025 Red Bull Hardline edition.
The Bike Park is known for its steep and rugged terrain, used to develop some of the world’s most challenging mountain bike trails.
Red Bull Hardline will take place as the headline event of a 2-day mountain biking festival in Maydena, which includes several events and festivities for the community to be involved in.
Australian Wooden Boat Festival 2025
7 – 10 February 2025
Held across Hobart’s vibrant and bustling waterfront, the four-day festival brings together the largest and most beautiful collection of wooden boats in the southern hemisphere.
From its humble beginnings in 1994, it has grown to become the most significant event of its kind in Australia.
Tasmanian Wine Festival 2025
8 – 9 February 2025
Indulge your senses at the Tasmanian Wine Festival, a two-day celebration of the finest in Tasmanian wine, food, and live music, set against the breathtaking backdrop of the Royal Tasmanian Botanical Gardens.
Featuring over 35 Tasmanian vineyards and wine from all around Tasmania, including Frogmore Creek, Clover Hill, Derwent Estate, Lake Barrington, Boomer Creek, Small Island and many more. Some of the best Tassie foodies will compliment your drop of choice with delicious food. Why not pair Tasmanian Gourmet Seafood or perhaps some cheese from La Cantara to enjoy with your sparkling, a burger or pizza with your red or some freshly shucked Bruny Island Oysters with your white…
Koonya Garlic Festival
22 February 2025
The Koonya Garlic Festival is Australia’s longest-running garlic festival, and it has become one of Tasmania’s most widely anticipated annual harvest festival events, attracting a sizeable crowd of passionate gardeners, garlic growers and foodies from Tassie and Interstate.
The festival is held in the picturesque valley of Koonya on the beautiful Tasman Peninsula just over an hour southeast of Hobart.
At the heart of the festival is the Koonya Garlic Festival Garlic Grower’s Competition open to both amateur and professional growers of all ages. Some of the most popular elements of the festival are the free cooking masterclasses, expert talks and Gardening Q&A featuring some of Tasmania’s top chefs, cooks and gardening experts.
2025 Southern Open Vineyards Weekend
28 February – 2 March 2025
Over forty vineyards across Tasmania’s key southern wine regions, Derwent Valley, Coal River Valley and Huon Valley / D’Entrecasteaux Channel, will throw open their doors to guests in March 2025.
Wine lovers from around Australia come together to meet the masterminds behind some of Tasmania’s most loved wine labels, some of whom don’t usually operate a cellar door.
Southern Open Vineyards Weekend is a chance for winemakers to proudly showcase their work, but more than that, it gives our hardworking winemakers the opportunity to meet and get to know the people who enjoy their wine.
Winemakers are a jovial bunch so you can count on them to pull out all stops when it comes to hosting, with many vineyards offering live music and food options created especially for the weekend.
