Public listings checked 25/10/2026. Dates use each event’s local time. Check organiser details before travelling.
Explore the region
Explore Coffs Harbour, Sawtell and surrounding Coffs Coast communities. Bellingen and Dorrigo are separate hinterland trips, not included as city suburbs.
Listings across Coffs Harbour, Corindi Beach, Sawtell, Woolgoolga.
Free things to do
21 matching events listed in the next 60 days. Admission prices are shown where supplied.
The 38th Rotary Cartoon Awards have been announced. Each year, they gather the best and brightest of cartoonists to compete across five categories: Caricature, Political, Sport, Comic Strip and a Special Category. This year, the special category is 'In The Future', with a question to all cartoonists, what would you tell your 10-year-old self about the future?
Get ready to witness some of the best cartoons and illustrations from talented artists. This year's exhibition boasts over 230 entries, and they'll display a selection alongside crowned winners of the competition.
Come celebrate the art of cartoons with them!
Enjoy the latest exhibition, The Circus, at the Coffs Harbour Showground Art Gallery & Studios, featuring artworks created by members of the Coffs Harbour Creative Arts Group.
What's not to like about the circus!? CHCAG members invite you to step into the colourful world of The Circus, where imagination takes centre stage. Expect playful characters, daring acts, vibrant colour and the magic, mystery and excitement of circus life.
An exhibition as fascinating and diverse as the Coffs Harbour Creative Arts Group's members themselves!
On display at the Coffs Harbour Showground Gallery, all artwork is for sale and is your chance to secure a unique, local, and original work of art.
Petrina Hicks: Snakes and Mirrors explores animal consciousness and the ways humans seek to understand the experiences of other living beings. Drawing on mythology, fables and art history, Hicks creates large-scale photographs that blur the boundaries between humans and animals, often pairing female figures with animals to explore identity, connection and perception.
Inspired in part by Rainer Maria Rilke's Eighth Elegy, the exhibition considers how animals may experience the world differently from humans. While humans perceive time as a sequence of past, present and future, Rilke suggests animals exist within a unified and immediate experience of the world.
Through striking, dreamlike imagery, Hicks challenges human-centred perspectives and emphasises the interconnectedness of humans and animals. Serpents, birds, monkeys and human figures appear together in carefully composed scenes that evoke stillness, mystery and a sense of shared existence.
Petrina Hicks: Snakes and Mirrors is a Museum of Australian Photography (MAPh) touring exhibition. Curator: Anouska Phizacklea, MAPh Director.
FLUX is an exhibition of work by members of Coastal ClayMakers that explores transformation, movement, and the imprint of memory through clay. In ceramics, flux is a substance that promotes melting, enabling the fusion of glaze and body. In a broader sense, it evokes movement, change, and the fluidity of artistic expression. This exhibition captures that spirit, showcasing works that explore the tension between permanence and impermanence, tradition and innovation, form and function.
Coastal ClayMakers is a collective of over 80 ceramic artists and makers based on the Mid North Coast of New South Wales. Since its establishment in 2003, the group has fostered a vibrant community dedicated to the exploration and advancement of ceramic arts. Through peer learning, expert-led workshops, and collaborative projects, members are encouraged to develop their practice, share their work, and engage with the broader arts community. Coastal ClayMakers plays an active role in promoting ceramics as both an artistic and cultural expression, contributing to the creative landscape of the region by providing opportunities for its members to exhibit their work, reach new audiences and connect professionally.
Murray Fredericks | The Salt Lake presents more than two decades of work by one of Australia's leading contemporary photographers. Since first visiting Kati Thanda–Lake Eyre in 2003, Fredericks has returned 31 times, creating photographic series that explore light, reflection, weather, space and perception.
The exhibition brings together four major bodies of work, Salt, Vanity, Array and Blaze, each responding to the vast salt lake landscape in different ways. Through the use of mirrors, fire and the natural conditions of the lake, Fredericks blurs the boundaries between land, sky and horizon, transforming the landscape into a contemplative and otherworldly space.
Located in the deserts of Central Australia, Kati Thanda–Lake Eyre is one of the world's largest salt lakes. Fredericks's images reflect the profound sense of scale, isolation and wonder found within this extraordinary environment, inviting audiences to consider their relationship with the natural world.
Murray Fredericks: The Salt Lake is a Museum of Australian Photography (MAPh) touring exhibition.
The Huxleys: Bad Sports is a vibrant exhibition by Melbourne-based collaborative artists Will and Garrett Huxley (AUS and Gumbaynggirr/Yorta Yorta). Created as part of the 2023 Wai Tang Commissioning Award, the exhibition combines photography, performance, costume and spectacle with the humour, wit and theatricality the duo are renowned for.
Reflecting on the sense of exclusion that can come from growing up in a culture that places sporting achievement above all else, Bad Sports explores the experiences of creative and queer young people searching for belonging. Through playful, extravagant imagery, the exhibition captures feelings of alienation while celebrating art, fashion, music and self-expression as forms of connection and empowerment.
Blending sport, performance and fantasy, Bad Sports transforms the playing field into a stage where creativity takes centre stage. The result is a bold and joyful exploration of identity, resilience and finding your place in the world.
The Huxleys: Bad Sports is a Museum of Australian Photography (MAPh) touring exhibition.
Set outdoors each Thursday in the heart of the Coffs City Centre, the Coffs Coast Growers Market brings City Square to life with fresh, seasonal produce and locally made goods.
Visitors can browse in the open air, meet growers and makers, and soak up a relaxed, alfresco atmosphere right in the middle of town.
Shoppers will find fresh fruit and vegetables direct from local farms alongside honey, free-range eggs and artisan sourdough. There is also a changing selection of small-batch condiments, preserves and other hand-made treats from regional producers, making it an ideal spot to discover the flavours of the Coffs Coast.
City Square is centrally located with plenty of parking available on Harbour Drive and Park Avenue, and additional street parking nearby.
The Australian Oztag Sports Association hosts the Junior Australian Championships annually and the event will be held at C.ex Coffs International Stadium.
The event showcases the talent of Junior teams from all over the nation as they compete against each other in the three-day tournament.
Advance your photography practice in a focused mentoring session with Australian artist Petrina Hicks.
Bring your work and explore portfolio development, cohesive bodies of work, artist statements, exhibition preparation and creative refinement. Receive constructive feedback from Petrina and fellow participants, with time to discuss artistic and professional practice.
This workshop is designed for emerging and professional photographers seeking portfolio mentoring; it is not suitable for beginners.
The workshop begins with a public tour and talk led by Petrina Hicks in her exhibition, Snakes and Mirrors, at Yarrila Arts and Museum.
Petrina Hicks is internationally recognised for photographs that blur the line between reality and fantasy. Exhibited worldwide, her work has earned her a distinguished place in contemporary art. This workshop is a rare opportunity to learn directly from her extensive expertise and experience.
For further information email yamprograms@chcc.nsw.gov.au
Petrina Hicks | Snakes and Mirrors is a Museum of Australian Photography (MAPh) touring exhibition. Curator: Anouska Phizacklea, MAPh Director.
Acknowledgements
Museum of Australian Photography (MAPh), City of Monash, Creative Victoria, MAPh Foundation.
Family of League Race Day – Coffs Harbour Racing Club
They invite you to join us for Family of League Race Day at the Coffs Harbour Racing Club – a day full of thrilling racing action and great atmosphere!
Enjoy 6 action-packed races, plenty of outdoor seating, and all the essentials for a great day at the track, including TAB facilities, bar access, and a variety of delicious food options.
General Admission grants access to the Merv Mercer Lounge and trackside areas, giving you prime spots to catch the racing action up close.
Gather your mates, plan your outfit, and get ready for a fantastic day out at the races – see you trackside!
Things are about to get spooktacular in Sawtell this Halloween, and they're pulling out all the tricks (and treats). From live music on the street to DJs that will have you dancing until the witching hour, this is one event you won't want to miss!
A boutique market by the beach is held every Sunday near the beautiful historic Jetty in Coffs Harbour.
You can't get more local than this! Your favourite food trucks, art, jewellery, clothing, beauty and lifestyle products, plants, vintage and collectible stalls. Harbourside Market's philosophy of ethical and fair-trade, locally made, and locally grown guarantees you a unique experience.
Harbourside Markets is an all-abilities market. There are extra wide footpaths and disabled toilets close by.
Dogs are permitted in the market space on a lead and our council-approved leash-free dog beach is a short walk away if they need a good run!
Harbourside Markets offers free live music with some of the coast's best artists on the main stage every Sunday! The market is also paying members of OneMusic Australia to support the people who make the music you love.
The market space also cohosts community events like the Coffs Harbour International Buskers Festival, Summer Beach Hop Show & Shine, Youth Week, NAIDOC Week, and more so keep an eye out on their website for the next special event.
Spend Sunday by the sea and soak up the beachside local vibe.
