Darwin Festival (August)

The Darwin Festival is a celebration of the city's uniqueness, celebrating our multicultural community, youthful energy, tropical climate and our great lifestyle. The cultural program provides a feast of local, national and international performances to excite, inspire and entertain. It includes opera, cabaret, dance, music, film, comedy, the visual arts and workshops - incorporating music and dance from Indigenous, Indonesian and Pacific Island communities. There is also a strong visual arts component, with traditional land owners guiding visitors through the many galleries exhibiting Indigenous art.

Melbourne International Arts Festival (October)

Melbourne International Arts Festival has a reputation for presenting unique international and Australian events in the fields of dance, theatre, music, visual arts, multimedia, free and outdoor events over 17 days each October. First staged in 1986 under the direction of composer Gian Carlo Menotti it became the third in the Spoleto Festival series - joining Spoleto, Italy, and Charleston, United States. Melbourne's Spoleto Festival changed its name to the Melbourne International Festival of the Arts in 1990. In 2003, the Festival was renamed Melbourne International Arts Festival.

Independent festivals

Major independent national festivals include:

Chinese New Year (February)

Chinese New Year is the longest and most important celebration in the Chinese calendar. The New Year begins on the first day of the Chinese calendar, which usually falls in February, and the festivities continue for 15 days. During Chinese New Year celebrations, people wear red clothes, give children 'lucky money' in red envelopes and set off firecrackers. Chinese New Year ends with the lantern festival, where people hang decorated lanterns in temples and carry lanterns to an evening parade under the light of the full moon. The highlight of the lantern festival is often the dragon dance. The dragon can stretch over 30 metres long and is typically made of silk, paper and bamboo. In Sydney, more than 500,000 people crowd the streets to celebrate the Lunar New Year and all things Chinese.

WomaDelaide (March)

Over three days, WOMADelaide runs six outdoor stages featuring performances and workshops by around 35 groups from over 20 countries. It also presents a KidZone, visual arts and street theatre programs, and an amazing Global Village of 100 arts, craft and international cuisine. The magical ambience of WOMADelaide is indescribably lush; thousands of people of all ages bliss out as they enjoy the sounds of the planet while catching up with friends in the sunshine, lazing under the trees, shopping, eating, drinking and having fun with their family.

National Folk Festival, Canberra (April)

Held over the Easter weekend in Canberra every year, the National Folk Festival draws together people from all around Australia and the world. They come to share in the songs, dances, tunes and verse that have flowed through the ages from many communities into Australian folk culture. The festival includes over 100 concerts, poetry and storytelling sessions, various dance classes running all day, a kids program and of course lots of different food options. Camping is available and many people spend the whole five days and nights at the festival.