Hobart Events and Festivals 2014 / 2015

(Hobart, Tasmania - TAS, Australia)

Hobart is a lively city with many well-supported annual events, meaning that it may well make sense to plan a visit to coincide with some festivals.

Sports fans may like to check out a game of cricket or Australian Rules Football at the Tasmanian Cricket Association Ground, the North Hobart Oval or the neighbouring Bellerive Oval, while the Tasmanian Cricket Association Ground is where the Moorilla Hobart International women's pro tennis tournament is staged.

The choice of things to do will vary greatly depending upon the season, with the Taste Festival both ending and starting the year, with its New Year's Eve waterfront party, week-long food and wine events, cooking classes and special 'Taste Plate' lunches at many participating restaurants within the Sullivans Cove precinct. In total, more than half a million people attend the various Taste events.

Another major happening at the beginning of the year in Hobart is Mona Foma, which serves as the biggest contemporary music festival in Tasmania.

National Public Holidays

• 1st January - New Year's Day
• 26th January - Australia Day
• 2nd Monday in March - Labour Day (VIC, TAS)
• Good Friday / Easter Monday March / April - Easter
• 25th April - Anzac Day
• 2nd Monday in June - Queen's birthday
• 25th December - Christmas Day
• 26th December - Boxing Day

Calendar of Festivals and Events 2014 / 2015

January

• International Tasmanian Women's Open Tennis Tournament - tennis event held at the Domain
• Moorilla Open Air Concerts - January / February, a festival of concerts at the vineyards
• Cadbury Marathon - sailing event for small boats
• Bikes and Spikes Carnival - fun sporting carnivals, where spectators enjoy a day of track cycling
• Cygnet Folk Festival - held at various locations in Cygnet, Tasmania, a popular music fest
• Great Tasmanian Bike Ride - January / February, over 400 cyclists compete in this 530-km / 331-mile race
• Kites out of Cupboards Festival - kite flying extravaganza
• Mona Foma - mid-January, a live music fest founded in 2008 by the Salamanca Arts Centre and the Museum of Old and New Art

February

• Royal Hobart Regatta, early February, a four-day event of boat races and aquatic carnival festivities
• Shakespeare in the Gardens - February / March, enjoy Shakespeare plays in the open air at the Royal Tasmanian Botanical Gardens
• Symphony under the Stars - a concert by the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra, where the audience can bring their own picnics
• South Australian Wooden Boat and Music Festival - late February, held every other year (odd-numbered years), being based around the Riverport of Goolwa and seeing the arrival of some 500 boats

March

• Australian Three Peaks Race - late March at Sandy Bay, Tasmania, this Easter weekend features boat racing around Flinders Island, Coles Bay and Hobart
• City of Hobart Art Prize - popular annual arts and craft exhibition
• Estia Greek Festival - 25th March, a two-week event celebrating Greek culture in the city

April

• Targa Tasmania - April / May, at Battery Point, an open-road rally that is considered to be one of the biggest of its kind

August

• Saxon Safari - exciting rally also known as the Australian National Rally Championship's Tasmania stage, with both Australian and New Zealand drivers

September

• Tulip Festival - at the Royal Tasmanian Botanical Gardens, annual Tulip spectacle with lots of colour to go around

October

• Royal Hobart Show - late-October, agricultural event featuring Tasmania's industries, show jumping and lots of entertainment

November

• Huon Valley Agricultural Show - with cattle, sheep and pet classes, agricultural machinery, local industries and wood chopping, as well as various side-show events
• Hobart Christmas Pageant - spectacular traditional street parade featuring Santa Claus
• Point to Pinnacle Run - popular half marathon race

December

• Hobart Summer Festival - late December to mid-January, highlights include a New Year's celebration, regatta, street theatre and a week-long food and wine gala
• Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race (also known as the Bluewater Classic) - celebrate the finish of the spectacular race at the city's waterfront
• Taste Festival - late December to early January, with much food and wine, live music and entertainment based around the Parliament House Lawns. Highlights include the Pier River Swim from the Princes Wharf and Twilight Cinema for all the family