Sydney Lunar Festival 2025

Sydney Lunar Festival is set to provide thousands of residents and visitors with 2 weeks of family-friendly music, feasts and performances to welcome the Year of the Snake.

Sydney Lunar Festival runs from 29 January to 16 February, with program highlights including:

  • Sydney Lunar Streets, 1 February 5pm-10pm
    The first major event of the festival. Expect mouthwatering food along with traditional and contemporary cultural performances featuring the always popular lion dancing. This event has become so popular, it has been expanded with road closures on Ultimo Road and Thomas, Sussex and Harbour streets to accommodate more Haymarket businesses and growing audiences.
  • Lunar Lanterns
    Illuminated zodiac artworks designed by Erika Zhu snake their way along George Street, Haymarket showcasing the story of how 12 animals competed to come first in the Great Race.
  • Lion dancing
    Vibrant and colourful performances come to the streets during the festival.
  • Street performances in Haymarket, Thaitown and Darling Quarter
    Free pop-up cultural entertainment every Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 6pm.
  • Lunar Spectacular, 8 February 2pm and 5pm
    Free event at Sydney Town Hall celebrating Chinese, Korean, Thai, Malaysian and Vietnamese cultures through music and dance.
  • Dragon Boat Festival, 7-9 February
    As many as 3,500 paddlers take over Cockle Bay with dragon boats churning through the water. Enjoy food, performances and family-friendly events on the shore, presented by Dragon Boats NSW.

Associated events include art exhibitions, performances, food and drink offerings, talks, seminars, tours and workshops put on by a variety of organisations and businesses. Visit sydneylunarfestival.com for more information.

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July

Sydney’s iconic Bastille Festival returns this year from 17-20 July, drawing hundreds of thousands of food and wine lovers, music enthusiasts, and seekers of good vibes.

From the hottest chilli sauces to the smelliest cheese, the Margaret River to the Barossa, we scour the nation to find the most delicious and exciting products around and bring them all together in one place.

Discover the future of winemaking at WineTech 2025, Australia’s premier wine industry trade exhibition, taking place from 21-23 July at the Adelaide Convention Centre.

Hosted by Weld Australia, this year's National Manufacturing Summit will be held from 23-24 July 2025 at the Shangri-La Sydney, bringing together a diverse group of industry stakeholders.

August

The 2025 AIFST Convention (AIFST25) will bring together Australia’s agrifood science and technology community for two days of cutting-edge insights, industry connections, and professional growth.

The Gluten-Free Expo is the largest dedicated gluten-free event in Australia. It provides an ideal platform to showcase your gluten-free products to targeted, qualified gluten-free consumers. 

The Australian National University (ANU) Agrifood Innovation Institute has partnered with not-for-profit organisation, Cellular Agriculture Australia (CAA), to bring the future of food to the nation’s capital. Made & Grown: The Future of Food will take place in Canberra on 21 August, spotlighting the biotechnologies shaping the Australian food system.

September

Australia’s largest and most influential food trade event is back in Sydney this year. Fine Food Australia 2025 will take place from 8–11 September at the ICC Sydney, and bring together the full foodservice, hospitality, and retail industry for four powerful days of product discovery, education, and business connection.

The 13th ICSD 2025 will be an opportunity to share ideas and research findings relevant to the Sustainability Science, through the European network of academics.

drinktec 2025 will bring together experts from the beverage and liquid food industry in Munich from 15-19 September 2025. drinktec aims to be the premiere platform for world firsts, where exhibitors from all over the world present the entire value chain with their innovative solutions for beverage and liquid food production.