Major Events & Festivals Worth Planning Your Trip Around

The Festival of Busselton is synonymous with summertime. This great family-focused festival has been running for more than 50 years providing locals and visitors with a fantastic program of events and activities to add value to a perfect holiday experience.

Held over two days in January, the world-class Karnidale Circus Festival take place on a unique purpose-built site, set in the picturesque surrounds of Karridale. The festival features an incredible line-up of Australian circus cabaret, comedy and magic, along with live bands, DJS, market stalls and bars. 

There is plenty of sunshine & salt spray to be had at Western Australia’s premier yachting regatta, Geographe Bay Race Week, which sees the Busselton-based yacht club come alive with competitors, spectators, family & friends. The festival atmosphere extends to the off-water schedule, entertaining racers with all levels of sailing ability.

One of Western Australia’s most unique & iconic sporting events is the 3.6 kilometre Busselton Jetty Swim. With a focus on participation, inclusion, affordability & community, the event welcomes novice, professional & disabled swimmers with swim times from 40 minutes through to three hours. Thousands of spectators cheer from the foreshore, with live music and family-friendly activities keeping everyone entertained.

Get your froth on (see what we did there?) at this much-loved all-out beer party, with more than 120 craft beers from 20 local breweries & cideries at the South West Craft Beer Fest. The day brings a focus to new release & special brews, along with wines, gourmet bites, live acts & DJs.

Back this year after a hiatus, the Augusta River Festival is a fantastic family day out. Head down to the regions southern cape to enjoy an action-packed program of events including 70+ market stalls, kids entertainment, food and drinks, plus live music featuring headline act Tex Perkins.

Western Australia’s world class surfing event sees the World Surfing League’s male & female heroes descend upon Surfer’s Point for up to 10 days of competition. The Pro is a calendar stop on the official World Champion Tour & a great way to see the legends of the surf battle it out in the flesh.

Celebrating over 20 years, the Busselton Festival of Triathlon attracts competitors aged seven to over-70, so there’s no excuses! A weekend encompassing the SunSmart Ironman 70.3, the SunSmart Kids Triathlon & the Funman Teams Triathlon, the events are free for spectators with food & entertainment available.

The Margaret River Region becomes 80 kilometres of racetrack for this event, with competitors of all levels bringing the ‘Ultra’ by traversing forest trails, cliff tops, beaches & vineyards. The course runs from Hamelin Bay in the south to Howard Park in the north, and has already sold out for 2023!

This intimate event of established & emerging storytellers is unmissable for bibliophiles & lovers of the arts, culture & Margaret River. With past guests including the likes of Germaine Greer, Michael Palin, Dr Karl Kruszelnicki, Kerry O’Brien & Geraldine Brooks, the Margaret River Readers & Writers Festival is a weekend of author talks, Q&A sessions, panel discussions, book signings, feature events, workshops as well as free events & entertainment for the whole family.

There’s nothing like the Cabin Fever Festival to see the Margaret River Region come alive in winter, surprising & delighting with its comfort food, cheese, fire & beverage events. Think secret suppers at clandestine locations, fondue, fireplaces & bonfires, cheese toasties, lush high-end food, wine pairings plus loads more.

Who needs Cannes, Venice or Sundance when the State’s own CinefestOZ Festival hits the South West? Red carpet events, gala nights, In Conversation winery lunches, Cosy Short Films, industry & community events plus general screenings make up the illustrious program of Australian & international cinema with over 40 program activities. Come for five days of immersive film experiences at cinemas, wineries, boutique breweries, small bars & galleries. Past luminaries include Hugo Weaving, David Wenham, Bryan Brown, Sigrid Thornton, Gillian Armstrong & more.

Galleries, sheds, art rooms & home studios have their doors fling open during this artful period of the year, where for 16 days a trail of discovery & over 100 artists await you. Meet the creators & peruse & purchase artwork from painting to drawings, sculpture, glass, printmaking, furniture, jewellery, ceramics & textiles.

A celebration dedicated to all things string! Well, guitars, basses, ukuleles, mandolins, banjos and the like, that is! Players, makers, collectors & enthusiasts unite for exhibitions, performances, masterclasses & workshops.

Fine Vines Festival invites you to take part in over 35 different wine-based experiences over the 10 day festival. Meet the makers of the regions most iconic wines, accompanied by fine dining and feasts, and venture out to some of the smaller cellar doors who are establishing themselves as ‘ones to watch’.

A spectacular mountain biking race, the Cape to Cape MTB is four days of off-road excitement, 210 kilometres with 45 to 65km legs per day. Beginning at the Cape Leeuwin Lighthouse in Augusta, the course covers private trails, vineyards, coastline, national parks, forest, farmland & bush.

The year finishes with a bang at this world-class sporting event – a stalwart of the Asia Pacific triathlon scene since 2004. Encompassing the iconic Busselton Jetty & pristine Geographe Bay beachfront, the Ironman Western Australia competition is renowned worldwide as the place to go for a personal best, with the bike & run legs of race being some of the flattest of the global Ironman circuit.