Carnivals, concerts and festivals — oh my! Photo: Joylands.
Ready to trade screen time for sunshine, sawdust and sculpture? This week’s guide is bursting with colour, creativity, and chestnut-fuelled fun.
Wander through wild ideas at the Make Good Festival, soak up seaside thrills at the Shellharbour Carnival, or let the little ones loose at KidsFest.
Prefer your outings leafy and leisurely? Botanic Gardens Week is blooming, and Castagne Day is roasting up something delicious. Wherever you land, it’s shaping up to be a week worth writing home about.
Here’s what’s on — and why you don’t want to miss a minute of it.
Multiple Days
Enjoy good thinking and good food and discover new skills. Image: Bundanon.
Bundanon’s Make Good Festival – Ideas for Better Living
When: Saturday 17 and Sunday 18 May, various times
Where: Bundanon, 170 Riversdale Road, Illaroo
Cost: Various | Book via Bundanon.
Shaped by a desire to create meaningful change, the Make Good Festival is a new festival with more than 20 events across two inspiring days, held at scenic and historic Bundanon along the Shoalhaven River. Expect to connect with a community passionate about living better for ourselves and the planet. Celebrating curious minds and skill-sharing with an inspiring line-up of authors and doers, the festival offers talks, workshops and hands-on experiences that explore ways to live thoughtfully and responsibly.
KidsFest is back with an array of new events this year. Image: KidsFest Shellharbour.
KidsFest Shellharbour 2025
When: Sunday 18 to Saturday 24 May, various times
Where: Various Shellharbour venues
Cost: Various.
Each year KidsFest organisers engage businesses, government and non-government organisations, volunteers and TAFE and university students to deliver a vibrant, free, week-long festival for children aged 0-12 and their families and carers. The event promotes the Shellharbour local government area and builds connected, child-friendly communities.
This year’s KidsFest theme is Growing Peace & Trust. Signature events include a celebration of Country, emergency services expo, nature play, picnic, sports and more, all culminating in a big KidsFest celebration by the marina. “Come and try” activities cover everything from arts to circus and nature craft. Events are free — bookings are required for the limited spots.
Celebrate Botanic Gardens Week in Wollongong from 19 to 25 May. Photo: Wollongong Botanic Garden.
Botanic Gardens Week
When: Monday 19 to Sunday 25 May
Where: Wollongong Botanic Garden, Murphys Avenue, Keiraville
Cost: Free but registrations are essential for some events.
From buggy tours to native plant sales, kids’ activities to behind-the-scenes looks, this week-long garden-centric program has something for all nature lovers. Some events will explore the fascinating world of bees, while others bring together poetry, music and nature. Most of the free community activities this week will take place on Sunday 25 May between 11 am and 3 pm. You don’t need to book, but numbers are limited for some activities.
You can visit anytime throughout the week to simply explore the garden’s amazing collections or enjoy a picnic with family and friends.
Full-blown carnival vibes are set to take over the Stockland Shellharbour outdoor carpark. Image: Joylands.
Shellharbour Carnival
When: Thursday 22 May to Sunday 1 June, Thursdays 4:30 to 8:30 pm, Fridays 5 to 9 pm, Saturdays 1 to 9 pm and Sundays 1 to 8 pm
Where: Stockland Shellharbour (Shellharbour Square) Outdoor Car Park, Lamerton Street, Shellharbour City Centre
Cost: Free Entry | Unlimited Ride Wristbands $40 (50 per cent early bird discount) | Book via Trybooking.
Joylands proudly presents the first Shellharbour Carnival over two massive weekends of fun and excitement. This all-ages event features four-hour unlimited ride armbands, carnival games, showbags and classic treats like fairy floss and popcorn.
Rides include the Auto Racer, Bungys, Dodgems, Fantasy Cups, Fantasy Flyer, Flying Elephants, Go Gator Coaster, Hurricane, Jurassic Family Coaster, Mini Ferris Wheel, Sizzler, Super Slide and more. Each ride has different height, weight and supervision requirements — consult the list ahead of time.
Saturday
It’s Guess Who? like you’ve never seen it — on stage, unscripted and out of control. Image: Side Door Theatre.
Guess Who? – An Improvised Night of Comedy
When: Saturday 17 May, 7:30 to 8:45 pm
Where: Side Door Theatre, 293-297 Crown Street, Wollongong
Cost: General $25 | Group Deal (4+ people) ticket $20 | Book via Humanitix.
Side Door Theatre’s quick-thinking improv crew brings the classic board game Guess Who? to life, complete with outrageous characters and audience-fuelled surprises. Your answers to their questions will inspire a cavalcade of bizarre characters that they’ll weave into a story that is sure to bring big laughs.
This is just one instalment of the Side Door Games Night, a monthly comedy show that takes inspiration from your favourite board games, video games and roleplaying games and brings them to life on stage. Whether or not they inspire nostalgia or you’re a newcomer to the game, you’re guaranteed a great laugh.
If you like live music, you’ll love Tune In. Image: Yours and Owls.
Tune In
When: Saturday 17 May, 1:45 to 8:30 pm
Where: Various venues, Wollongong CBD
Cost: Free.
Yours & Owls are bringing together unexpected venues and more than 30 local musicians for a free celebration of all things live and local. Head into the Wollongong CBD for an awesome free arvo and evening of gigs at some of Wollongong’s favourite venues, plus a few that might surprise you. From bars and burger joints to vintage shops and a tattoo parlour, Tune In has a killer line-up of live music across 10 venues all within walking distance of each other.
No tickets needed — just grab your mates, head into the city and enjoy some of the best live music the ‘Gong has to offer, programmed by the team at Yours & Owls.
Sunday
This day celebrated annually on the third Sunday of May is an initiative of the Australian Historic Motoring Federation, supported by heritage and historic motoring clubs throughout Australia. Photo: The Australian Motorlife Museum.
The 17th National Historic Motoring Heritage Day
When: Sunday 19 May, 9:30 am to 4 pm
Where: Australian Motorlife Museum, Integral Energy Recreation Park, 94 Darkes Road, Stream Hill
Cost: Adult $15 | Children free with a paying adult | Payable upon entry.
Owners of all types of vintage, veteran and classic vehicles are set to converge in and around the park surrounding the Australian Motorlife Museum, creating a car enthusiast’s mecca and a great day for the whole family. Aside from the spectacle, enjoy a sausage sizzle and refreshments available, as well as a special discounted admission to the museum on the day. Inside you’ll find main exhibits of veteran and vintage cars, motorcycles and bicycles and technology that helped change the face of Australia during the late 1800s including restored tools, gramophones, typewriters, scales, telephones and more.
Castagne Day has become a cherished annual event. Image: The Frat.
Castagne Day
When: Sunday 18 May, 10 am to 4 pm
Where: The Frat, 11 Bourke Street, Fairy Meadow
Cost: Free Entry | Pre-Purchase Unlimited Rides Pass $25 | Unlimited Rides Pass on the Day $35 | Book via The Frat.
Castagne Day returns bigger and better than ever. The centrepiece as always is the traditional roasting of the chestnuts, but this is against a massive backdrop of market and international food stalls, live entertainment and all your favourite carnival rides taking over The Frat’s carpark. Expect Dodgem Cars, Sizzler, Round Up, Giant Slide, Tea Cups, Children’s Chair-o-plane, Jurassic Park Castle, Wizard Flight, Windjammer and Pirate Boat Castle.
Entry is free, but prepurchase ride packages for the kids to save time and money. Tickets include unlimited rides, a packet of chips, a can of soft drink and fairy floss. There are more than 200 free parking spots in the rear carpark and on the surrounding streets, but public transport is also encouraged with Fairy Meadow train station and the Wollongong Free Shuttle Bus stopping a short distance from the club.
Cities Service Boston crashed into Bass Point on 16 May 1943. Image: Shellharbour City Museum.
Honouring Cities Service Boston Heroes
When: Sunday 18 May at 11 am
Where: Bass Point Reserve, Bass Point Tourist Road, Shell Cove
Cost: Free.
Shellharbour City Council, in partnership with the 6 Machine Gun Battalion Association, will host a commemorative ceremony this weekend to honour the bravery and sacrifice of four Australian soldiers who lost their lives during a World War II maritime rescue mission off the coast of Bass Point.
On 16 May 1943, to avoid attack by Japanese submarines, the Cities Service Boston tanker sailed closer to shore. That night, the tanker encountered very rough seas, and as the ship’s old compass gave inaccurate readings, the ship ploughed into rocks near Bass Point. Soldiers from the 6 Australian Machine Gun Battalion camped at Kembla Grange were sent to rescue the 62 American crewmen. All American lives were saved thanks to the rescuers’ efforts, but sadly a large wave swept four of the Australian rescue soldiers off the rocks and they were lost.
Community members are encouraged to attend the service and pay their respects to these fallen heroes.
