Major events and festivals worth planning your trip around

The Festival of Busselton is synonymous with summertime. This great family-focused festival has been running for over 60 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 takes place on a unique purpose-built site, set in the picturesque surroundings 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 and 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 and 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 and iconic sporting events is the 3.6-kilometre Busselton Jetty Swim which this year turns 30! With a focus on participation, inclusion, affordability and community, the event welcomes novice, professional and disabled swimmers with swim times from 40 minutes to three hours. Thousands of spectators cheer from the foreshore, with live music and family-friendly activities keeping everyone entertained.

Get your froth on at this much-loved all-out beer party, with more than 120 craft beers from local breweries and cideries at the South West Craft Beer Fest. The day brings a focus to new releases and special brews, along with wines, gourmet bites, live acts and DJs.

This intimate event of established and emerging storytellers is unmissable for bibliophiles and lovers of the arts, culture and the Margaret River Region. With past guests including the likes of Germaine Greer, Michael Palin, Dr Karl Kruszelnicki, Kerry O’Brien and 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 and entertainment for the whole family.

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

The Margaret River Region becomes 80 kilometres of the racetrack for this event, with competitors of all levels bringing the ‘Ultra’ by traversing forest trails, cliff tops, beaches and vineyards. The course runs from Hamelin Bay in the south to Howard Park in the north, and has already sold out for 2024!

Western Australia’s world-class surfing event sees the World Surfing League’s male and 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 and a great way to see the legends of the surf battle it out in the flesh.

There’s nothing like the Cabin Fever Festival to see the Margaret River Region come alive in winter, surprising and delighting with its comfort food, cheese, fire and beverage events. Think secret suppers at clandestine locations, fondue, fireplaces and 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 and community events plus general screenings make up the illustrious program of Australian & international cinema with over 40 program activities. Enjoy immersive film experiences at cinemas, wineries, boutique breweries, small bars and galleries. Past luminaries include Hugo Weaving, David Wenham, Bryan Brown, Sigrid Thornton, Gillian Armstrong and more.

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

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 and bush.

Pair’d Margaret River is a world-class four-day wine and food celebration set in the stunning coastal wine region of Margaret River. Set at numerous locations within the glorious coast and rolling vineyards, Pair’d celebrates incredible local produce against some seriously stunning backdrops. From decadent canape cruises to fine dining on the sand or a long lunch in the middle of a forest, you can expect to head home with a full heart and stomach.

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 and pristine Geographe Bay beachfront, the Ironman Western Australia competition is renowned worldwide as the place to go for a personal best, with the bike and run legs of race being some of the flattest of the global Ironman circuit.

Good Day Sunshine brings iconic Australian and international music lineups to the heart of Margaret River. Supported by the region’s amazing musicians, Good Day Sunshine has become the pinnacle of WA’s music calendar, with past line-ups including Leon Bridges (USA), The Teskey Brothers, John Butler, The Cat Empire, Thelma Plum, Xavier Rudd, Josh Pyke, and Little Quirks (among many others).