Suppose you’re still trying to fulfil your New Year’s resolution of being more active, going outside, and having more fun. In that case, you’re in luck: we’ve done the heavy lifting and plucked a few lovely festivals, exhibitions and other super-fun stuff to check out. Fire up the old group chat and send this to your mates so you can all plan, busyness be damned!

ART AND DESIGN

MELBOURNE INTERNATIONAL FLOWER AND GARDEN SHOW If you (or someone you know) are a green-thumbed florals lover then this event is not one to miss. It will be held at Melbourne’s Royal Exhibition Building from March 20th – 24th. Peep their website for deets.

ADELAIDE BIENNAL OF AUSTRALIAN ART Showing now until the 2nd of June, this event includes a lovely display of 24 leading Aussie artists and poets, exploring the theme of ‘Inner Sanctum.’ Check out their website.

ART OF THE BRICK IMMERSIVE EXPERIENCE LEGO is something that people from all ages and all walks of life have cherished since 1949, and artist Nathan Sawaya has transformed the childhood brick into 100+ sculptures and art pieces that you can see for yourself in April in Melbourne. Their website is this way.

AFFORDABLE ART FAIR SYDNEY Wanting to adorn your beloved abode with art, but you don’t have the means to spend your entire paycheck on one piece? Enter, The Affordable Art Fair. This will run in Sydney’s Royal Randwick Racecourse from June 13th to 16th.

MELBOURNE DESIGN WEEK From May 23rd to June 2nd, the city of Melbourne will become a tad bit artier. Exploring the theme of ‘design the world you want’, exhibitions, art, workshops and more will each offer unique perspectives on our collective future. Grab more info here.

ALISON FRIEND EXHIBITION If there’s an illustrator who we wish could decorate the cover of our autobiographies, we can only hope that someone like Alison Friend would be up to the task. You can view her works at Perth’s Northbridge Piazza until the end of April, read more here.

FAIRY TALES Now for something magical: this Brisbane art exhibition features all things related to classic fairy tales of yore through movies, art exhibits (like this one by Rachel Burke!) workshops and heaps more. Take a hop, skip and a jump here for the website.

COLLAGE WORKSHOP WITH MINNA GILLIGAN Held at Melbourne's own That Paper Joint in Brunswick, this fab workshop offers a hands-on guide to the art of collage, hosted by ace creative Minna Gilligan (who was the fab artist behind our issue 117 cover!) Peep more info here. 

AUTUMN SPECTACULAR This one is for our lovely Tassie pals. There’s nothing prettier than autumn, so enjoy some cosy vibes at Emu Valley on April 13th – there will be market stalls, food and live entertainment for the whole family. More info right here.

PHOTO 2024 This exhibition of more than 100 photographs throughout Victoria is a must-see for all shutterbugs, and since it ends this coming Sunday (the 24th of March) we recommend booking a time to see it all, stat! Here’s everything you’ll need to know.

WRITER’S FESTIVAL Coming up soon in Sydney, (8th – 26th of May) Melbourne, (6th – 12th May) Brisbane, (30th May – 2nd June) and Northern Territory, (27th – 30th June) so all bookworms should start planning everything they want to do, ASAP.

NGV: TRIENNIAL Just in case you haven’t yet popped into Melbourne’s NGV to see their annual Triennial, we suggest getting a bit of a move on. It’s still on for the moment, but it ends on the 7th of April. Look at the list of cool stuff that will be shown here.

AUSTRALASIAN QUILT CONVENTION From April 11th – 24th, crafty types can peruse through market stalls, workshops and more at this rad event at Melbourne’s Royal Exhibition Building. Check out the website for more info.

MUSIC AND CULTURE

MELBOURNE WOMEN IN FILM FESTIVAL We've already gushed about this rad event before, but we reckon it deserves more of a shoutout. This Melbourne event will take place from March 21st – 25th, more info here. 

ADELAIDE FRENCH FILM FESTIVAL Any film-loving Adelaidean should keep their dates free – March 21st – April 16th to be precise – for this one, especially because this event includes dazzling period dramas, animation, biopics and heaps more. Check out the full program and screening dates here.

RABBITS EAT LETTUCE Looking to spend the long Easter weekend grooving in the forest with some banging tunes? This festival – taking place in South Queensland from March 28th to April 1st – might just be what you need. Check out more on their website.  

FANTASTIC FILM FESTIVAL Taking place within both Sydney and Melbourne from April 17th to May 10th, film nerds can enjoy a wide range of domestic and international flicks about romance, horror, comedy and more. Peep the schedule here.

RISING To all Melburnians: you don’t want to miss out on this one. Including a wide array of awesome musos, (like Sky freakin’ Ferreira!) performance pieces, art galleries and much more, this arty event will take place from June 1st – 16th. Read more about it this way.

MELBOURNE INTERNATIONAL COMEDY FESTIVAL Here’s something we can laugh about: comedy! From Josh Thomas, Hannah Gadsby and other super-funny peeps performing from March 27th to April 21st, we can guarantee good times ahead. The full line-up is here.

M.I.A is a rad new play that explores identity, queerness, what happens when you fall in love with your best friend and is described as a "lesbian party on stage," which is exactly what we're here for. It will have its opening night at Melbourne's Chapel-off-Chapel theatre on April 30th until May 11th. Spy all the info here. 

FOOD AND DRINK

TWILIGHT FOOD AFFAIR Taking place at Adelaide’s Tatachilla Lutheran College, this event is perfect for all foodies who love all things sweet, sour, savoury and super-yum. Their website is here.

PORTSIDE WHARF EASTER MARKET This Brisbane event will take place on March 23rd (this coming Saturday, mark your calendars!) at Portside Wharf. There’s more info (as well as more Brissie food events over here.  

SYDNEY SPIRITS FESTIVAL A celebration for classic bevs? Count us in! From the 10th – 12th of May, you can keep your spirits high by enjoying a range of vodka, gin, rum, tequila and other grog, as well as learning more about them through workshops and tastings. Spy more info this-a-way.

TWILIGHT FOOD MARKET For all of our Perth pals, this food event is one to go to. This event has been going on since last October and will come to an end on April 4th, so we suggest making sure you don’t miss out on some good eats. Here’s the website.