ElaineAs the year winds down, Australia is anything but quiet. From springtime gardens and smooth jazz evenings to wine weekends and sky-splitting fireworks, the final months of 2025 bring a calendar packed with festivals, food, music and new experiences. Alongside these celebrations, a wave of attractions and wellness retreats is opening its doors, giving travellers even more reasons to explore the country this season.
Also read: Year-End Holidays in Australia: Things to Do During Summer
Festivals and events
Floriade NightFest
Image credit: events.canberra Official Website
Floriade’s famous blooms take on a new life after dark during NightFest. Commonwealth Park will be illuminated with brilliant light displays, accompanied by live music, roving entertainment, markets, and food stalls. Gates open from 6.30pm to 10.30pm, offering visitors a dazzling evening to round out spring in the capital.
Dates: 2 Oct – 5 Oct 2025
State: Canberra, Australian Capital Territory
Melbourne International Jazz Festival
Image credit: melbournejazz Official Website
Melbourne once again proves its cultural credentials with ten days of world-class performances across the city. Highlights include Jazz at the Bowl featuring Harry Connick Jr., Hiromi: The Piano Quintet, and rising star Samara Joy. Alongside headline acts, the programme features intimate gigs, late-night crawls and a celebration of both local and international talent.
Dates: 17 Oct – 26 Oct 2025
State: Melbourne / Narrm, Victoria
The Great Eastern Wine Week Festival
Image credit: eastcoastwinetrail Official Website
Tasmania’s scenic east coast will host its 11th annual wine celebration, a four-day festival that stretches across 220 kilometres of vineyards, cellar doors and coastal towns. From launch parties in Swansea to vineyard concerts, degustation dinners and hands-on workshops, the event showcases award-winning cool-climate wines and the stories behind them. With plenty of food, music and spectacular landscapes, it’s a weekend where wine meets adventure.
Dates: 23 Oct – 26 Oct 2025
State: Tasmanian East Coast
Darwin International Laksa Festival
Image credit: darwinlaksafestival Official Website
Darwin’s month-long International Laksa Festival celebrates the city’s signature dish in all its spicy, aromatic glory. Visitors can follow a flavour trail across the Top End, sampling traditional bowls and inventive creations such as laksa ice cream, burgers and cocktails. The celebrations culminate with the Laksa Festival Finale on 1 November at Darwin Waterfront, complete with live entertainment, cooking demos and the hotly contested Laksa Awards.
Dates: 1 Oct– 1 Nov 2025
State: Darwin / Garramilla, Northern Territory
Feast Festival
Adelaide’s Feast Festival returns with a city-wide celebration of diversity, art and culture. Across three weeks, audiences can enjoy bold performances, thought-provoking exhibitions and vibrant community events that champion creativity and inclusivity. From cabaret and comedy to music, dance and visual arts, the programme transforms the city into a stage for unforgettable experiences.
Dates: 1 Nov –23 Nov 2025
State: Adelaide / Tarntanya, South Australia
Spirits at the Foreshore
Image credit: ginevents Official Website
Canberra’s Old Transport Depot transforms into a haven for spirit enthusiasts, with more than 40 Australian and international distillers offering over 200 flavours to sample. Across dedicated tasting sessions, guests can enjoy gins, whiskies, vodkas and liqueurs, complemented by food trucks and live masterclasses. Ticket holders also receive a tasting cup, mixers and a tote bag to take home.
Dates: 28 Nov –29 Nov 2025
State: Canberra, Australian Capital Territory
Hallyu! The Korean Wave
The National Museum of Australia welcomes Hallyu! The Korean Wave, the first exhibition of its kind in the Southern Hemisphere. Developed by London’s Victoria and Albert Museum, the showcase traces the meteoric rise of South Korean pop culture through more than 250 objects spanning music, film, fashion and design. Highlights include costumes and props from global sensations such as aespa, Squid Game, Parasite and PSY’s Gangnam Style. Visitors can try a K-pop dance challenge, explore K-fashion and fandom, and immerse themselves in the energy of a cultural movement that has taken the world by storm.
Dates: 12 Dec 2025 to 10 May 2026
State: Canberra, Australian Capital Territory
Sydney New Year’s Eve Fireworks
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Australia’s biggest annual celebration will once again light up Sydney Harbour to ring in the new year. With choreographed fireworks, themed illuminations and global broadcast, the event draws millions of viewers around the world. Whether you watch from the foreshore, a harbour cruise or a rooftop bar, it’s an unmissable way to farewell 2025.
Date: 31 Dec 2025
State: Sydney / Warrane, New South Wales
New Attractions
Soak Bathhouse South Yarra
Image credit: hotlist.australia Official Website
South Yarra welcomes Soak Bathhouse, a modern take on the traditional spa. Just 15 minutes from Melbourne’s centre, the venue encourages social wellness, with guests moving between magnesium pools, icy plunges, steam rooms and saunas. Treatments such as massages and LED facials enhance the experience, making it an accessible retreat for everyday well-being.
State: Melbourne / Narrm, Victoria
Ngaro Track & Thorsborne Trail Guided Walks
Image credit: hotlist.australia Official Website
Two of Queensland’s most spectacular coastal trails will soon be offered as guided experiences. On Whitsunday Island, the 32-kilometre Ngaro Track links Whitehaven Beach and Hill Inlet, enriched with stories from the Ngaro People. Meanwhile, Hinchinbrook Island’s famed Thorsborne Trail will also feature supported tours in partnership with the Bandjin and Girramay Peoples. Bookings are expected to open later in 2025.
Opening: mid-to-late 2025
State: Whitsunday Island & Hinchinbrook Island, Queensland
Sol Elements
Image credit: hotlist.australia Official Website
Set on a tranquil lake in the Gold Coast hinterland, Sol Elements is Australia’s first floating bathhouse. Combining natural materials, elemental rituals and mineral-rich pools, it offers a restorative rainforest escape. Guests can immerse themselves in float caves, steam rooms and wellness treatments in a phone-free sanctuary designed for deep relaxation.
State: Tamborine Mountain, Queensland
Night Sky Journey: Astronomy Tour
Image credit: mysticmountaintours Official Website
This new small-group tour blends fine food with cosmic exploration. Starting with Bavarian hospitality at King Ludwig’s Restaurant in Maleny, guests are then guided to a dark-sky site where astronomers share constellations, planets and galaxies through powerful telescopes. Running from October, the tour offers an enchanting way to experience the Sunshine Coast after sunset.
State: Sunshine Coast, Queensland
Whale Watching Tour & Scenic Flight
This new half-day adventure pairs barefoot luxury with breathtaking aerial views over the Gold Coast and North Stradbroke Island. Guests board a sleek Airbus EC130 for a scenic flight where dolphins and migrating whales can often be spotted from above. After touching down, an exclusive 4×4 tour explores rugged beaches, the dramatic cliffs of the North Gorge Walk and prime whale-watching vantage points, with chances to encounter native wildlife along the way. The experience ends with a gourmet oceanfront picnic before a spectacular coastal and hinterland return flight. In less than four hours, it blends indulgence, adventure and nature into a seamless escape.
State: Gold Coast, Queensland
Also read: How to Rent a Car in Australia: Essential Tips and What to Do in Case of an Accident
Final thoughts
From the buzz of festivals to the calm of new wellness escapes, Australia in late 2025 offers a journey for every mood. Whether you’re raising a glass on Tasmania’s east coast, soaking in a floating bathhouse, following a flavour trail in Darwin, or watching fireworks over Sydney Harbour, the final quarter of the year is set to end on a high note.
