Events / The event year
The Mid North Coast event year 2026
Twenty-five years of building marquees on showgrounds, ovals and headlands means we know the region's calendar the way the crew knows the roads. Here are some of the year's events, and the list grows as people tell us about the ones we've missed.
Dates are the ones each organiser has published for 2026. Where nothing is published yet, we show the usual timing. Check with the organiser before you plan around them.
January
Camp Creative
Bellingen · 11 to 16 January 2026
A week of music, theatre, dance and art courses that fills the town. Fortieth year in 2026.
Saltwater Freshwater Festival
North Coast Regional Botanic Garden, Coffs Harbour · 26 January 2026
Aboriginal cultural festival of the Gumbaynggirr, Dunghutti, Biripi and Worimi nations: music, dance, art and markets.
Australia Day Regatta
Hastings River, Port Macquarie · Australia Day weekend
Port Macquarie Yacht Club's river race and regatta alongside the Australia Day program.
February
Beach to Brother Trail Running Festival
Town Beach to North Brother, Port Macquarie · 7 February 2026
Marathon, half and 10 km trail runs. Moved to February for 2026; the 2027 date is not yet set.
Trial Bay Triathlon
Trial Bay Gaol, South West Rocks · 7 to 8 February 2026
Community triathlon with a junior event on the Saturday.
Nambucca Valley Open Streets Festival
River Street, Macksville · 14 February 2026
Youth-led riverside street festival: two stages, markets, parade and fireworks. Runs twice a year; the spring one is in September.
Macksville Music Muster
Macksville Showground, Macksville · 16 to 23 February 2026
A week of camping and country music at the showground.
NSW Oztag Junior State Championships
C.ex Coffs International Stadium, Coffs Harbour · 20 to 22 February 2026
Around 300 junior teams over three days.
March
Run Fest Port Macquarie
Town Green, Port Macquarie · 1 March 2026
Half marathon, 10 km and 5 km along the coast, with an event hub on the green.
The Championships, National Touch League
C.ex Coffs International Stadium, Coffs Harbour · 4 to 7 March 2026
Touch Football Australia's national adult championship, around 150 teams. Fourteenth year at Coffs.
Wingham Show
Wingham Showground, Wingham · 13 to 15 March 2026
Three-day agricultural show.
Wauchope Lasiandra Festival
Wauchope · Through March, from the second Saturday
A month of community events: street parade, markets and concerts.
Gloucester Show
Gloucester Showground, Gloucester · 20 to 21 March 2026
Agricultural show at the southern end of our run, with a demolition derby and fireworks.
NSW Oztag Senior State Championships
C.ex Coffs International Stadium, Coffs Harbour · 20 to 22 March 2026
Statewide senior Oztag championship.
Pittwater to Coffs Harbour Yacht Race
Coffs Harbour International Marina, Coffs Harbour · Late March; the 2026 race was cancelled, next edition March 2027
Ocean race from Sydney finishing at the marina, run by the Royal Prince Alfred Yacht Club.
April
Maclean Highland Gathering
Maclean Showground, Maclean · 3 to 4 April 2026
Scottish gathering over Easter: pipe bands, dancing, heavy athletics and a street parade.
Taree Easter Powerboat Classic
Manning River, Taree · 3 to 5 April 2026
Powerboat racing on the river over Easter.
Wauchope Show
Wauchope Showground, Wauchope · 10 to 11 April 2026
Agricultural show.
Kempsey Show
Kempsey Showground, Kempsey · 14 to 15 April 2026
Agricultural show; the Wednesday afternoon is a local half-day holiday.
Macksville Show
Macksville Showground, Macksville · 17 to 18 April 2026
The Nambucca Valley's agricultural show.
Grafton Show
Grafton Showground, Grafton · 24 to 25 April 2026
The Clarence Pastoral and Agricultural Society's show.
Australian Celtic Festival
Australian Standing Stones, Glen Innes · 30 April to 3 May 2026
National Celtic festival at the Standing Stones and through the town. Up on the tablelands, so plan for cold nights.
May
Coffs Harbour Agricultural Show
Coffs Harbour Showground, Coffs Harbour · 1 to 2 May 2026
Running since 1914: woodchop, cattle, sideshow alley and fireworks. Equestrian events at Nana Glen.
Buluunggal Festival
V-Wall, Nambucca Heads · 2 May 2026
Gumbaynggirr cultural festival on the foreshore: storytelling, weaving, dance, music and a mullet barbecue.
Bellingen Show
Bellingen Showground, Bellingen · 9 to 10 May 2026
Agricultural show, ten minutes from our depot.
Wingham Beef Week
Wingham Showground, Wingham · 11 to 15 May 2026
A week of beef cattle competition and education, now in its thirty-ninth year.
River Sounds
Bellingen Showground, Bellingen · 15 to 16 May 2026
Camping music festival, around forty artists over four stages.
Crescent Head Malibu Classic
Crescent Head · 28 to 31 May 2026
Long-running longboard contest on the point.
Slice of Haven Food, Wine and Beer Festival
Camden Haven River foreshore, Laurieton · A Sunday in late May
Regional produce festival on the river.
June
ArtWalk Port Macquarie
Town centre, Port Macquarie · 5 June 2026
Council's night of light art, installations and performance through the streets. Tenth year.
Bellingen Readers and Writers Festival
Bellingen Memorial Hall and venues, Bellingen · 5 to 7 June 2026
Literary festival across the town.
Coffs Harbour Outdoor Living and Caravan Expo
Coffs Harbour Showground, Coffs Harbour · 19 to 21 June 2026
Caravan, camping and outdoor trade expo.
July
Sawtell Chilli Festival
First Avenue, Sawtell · 4 July 2026
Street food festival under the fig trees, around a hundred stalls and a chilli-eating contest.
Gloucester Mudrun
Gloucester Showground, Gloucester · 4 July 2026
The show society's obstacle mud run.
Grafton July Racing Carnival
Grafton Racecourse, Grafton · 5 to 19 July 2026, Grafton Cup on 16 July
Two weeks of racing built around the Ramornie Handicap and the Grafton Cup.
Bello Winter Music
Venues across town, Bellingen · Second weekend of July
Boutique music festival in halls, pubs and churches around Bellingen.
August
Coffs Cup
Coffs Harbour Racecourse, Coffs Harbour · 7 August 2026
Coffs Racing Club's feature day of the year.
Mid North Coast Caravan, Camping, 4WD, Fish and Boat Show
Wauchope Showground, Wauchope · 7 to 9 August 2026
The Wauchope caravan and camping show: dealers and exhibitors across the showground.
Taree Gold Cup Carnival
Taree Racecourse, Taree · Two days in the second half of August
The Manning Valley's feature race carnival.
Coffs Harbour Running Festival
Jetty Foreshores, Coffs Harbour · 30 August 2026
Marathon, half, 10 km, 5 km and a family run from the jetty.
September
Riverside Rhythms Festival
Riverside, Kempsey · 5 September 2026
Free music and river festival: raft regatta, lantern float and a main stage. Successor to the Macleay River Festival.
Kempsey Cup
Kempsey Racecourse, Kempsey · 5 September 2026
Kempsey Race Club's feature meeting.
Port Macquarie Offshore Regatta
Port Macquarie · Early September
Port Macquarie Yacht Club's two-day keelboat regatta.
National Old Mal Titles
Crescent Head · 11 to 13 September 2026
The Malibu Club's second contest of the year.
PBR Coffs Harbour Invitational
Coffs Harbour Showground, Coffs Harbour · 12 September 2026
Professional bull riding, one night, outdoors at the showground. First PBR event in Coffs.
Coffs Harbour Tiny Home Expo
Coffs Harbour Showground, Coffs Harbour · 18 to 20 September 2026
Tiny and modular home expo with a speaker marquee.
Nambucca Valley Open Streets Festival, spring
Nambucca Valley · 19 September 2026
The second Open Streets of the year, late afternoon into the evening.
Bonnie Wingham Scottish Festival
Wingham Showground, Wingham · 26 September 2026
Highland fair: pipe bands, heavy events and haggis.
Woolgoolga Curryfest
Beach Reserve, Woolgoolga · 26 September 2026
Punjabi and Indian food and culture festival on the reserve, twentieth year in 2026. Around 20,000 people.
Coffs Harbour Big Boys Toys Expo
Coffs Harbour Showground, Coffs Harbour · 26 to 27 September 2026
Caravan, 4WD, boating and outdoor expo with a stunt show.
National Youth Championships, Touch Football
C.ex Coffs International Stadium, Coffs Harbour · 28 September to 1 October 2026
Touch Football Australia's national under-12 to under-18 championships. Third year at Coffs.
Bellingen Muse
Bellingen · September
Fine and classical music festival, formerly the Bellingen Fine Music Festival.
October
Old Bar Beach Festival
Old Bar · 2 to 4 October 2026
Volkswagen and Kombi festival with music, markets, fireworks and rides.
Port Macquarie Cup Carnival
Port Macquarie Racecourse, Port Macquarie · Prelude 27 September; Port Macquarie Cup 9 October; 10 October 2026
The race club's marquee and hospitality days of the year.
Taree Show
Taree Showground, Taree · 10 to 11 October 2026
Agricultural show.
Wingham Akoostik Music Festival
Wingham Showground, Wingham · Third weekend of October
Camping roots and acoustic music festival.
IRONMAN Australia and IRONMAN 70.3 Port Macquarie
Westport Park, Port Macquarie · 18 October 2026
Both distances on the same day from 2026, plus IRONKIDS. Around 9,500 visitors in town for the week.
Dorrigo Folk and Bluegrass Festival
Dorrigo Showground, Dorrigo · 23 to 25 October 2026
Camping folk and bluegrass festival, twenty-fourth year. Plateau weather, so walls and heating.
Camden Haven Show
Kendall Showground, Kendall · 24 to 25 October 2026
Agricultural show. The society lists October for 2026; it has run in March in earlier years, so check.
Grafton Jacaranda Festival
Grafton · 30 October to 8 November 2026, Jacaranda Thursday 5 November
Ten days of events under the purple. Australia's oldest floral festival.
Australian Oztag Junior Championships
C.ex Coffs International Stadium, Coffs Harbour · 30 October to 1 November 2026
National junior Oztag titles.
November
Barrington Coast Airshow
Taree Regional Airport, Cundletown, Taree · 7 November 2026
Regional airshow with ground displays.
Australian Oztag Senior Championships
C.ex Coffs International Stadium, Coffs Harbour · 13 to 15 November 2026
National senior Oztag titles.
Back to Bowra
High Street, Bowraville · 14 November 2026
Heritage street festival: billy carts, parade and markets. Revived for its fiftieth anniversary.
Dorrigo Show
Dorrigo Showground, Dorrigo · 27 to 28 November 2026
The plateau's agricultural show.
December
NSW Touch Senior State Cup
Port Macquarie Regional Stadium and Tuffins Lane, Port Macquarie · 4 to 6 December 2026
NSW's largest senior touch tournament, at Port Macquarie through 2027.
Festival of the Sun
Sundowner Breakwall Tourist Park, Port Macquarie · Second weekend of December
Camping music festival on the breakwall, capped at 3,000.
Christmas and New Year race meetings
Coffs Harbour and Port Macquarie · Coffs Harbour 3, 12 and 30 December 2026; Port Macquarie Boxing Day
Holiday meetings at both racecourses.
Coffs Jetty Carnival and New Year's Eve fireworks
Jetty Foreshores, Coffs Harbour · 21 December to 26 January, fireworks 31 December
Summer holiday carnival on the foreshore and the council fireworks.
Running one of these, or something like it? We carry $20 million public liability, quote itemised, and put the bump-in day in writing.
Putting on an event?
Send the run sheet and the site plan. We'll come back with an itemised quote and the day we'll be on site, in writing.