New ramps, new tricks, new memories — Port Kembla Skatepark is ready to roll, and you’re invited. Photo: Will Mitry.
Looking for a week packed with flavour, fun, and a little bit of fright? From coast-to-coast tastes and sips to brushstrokes and cocktails, live music and spine-tingling Halloween vibes, there’s something for everyone. Celebrate creativity, culture, and community across the South Coast this week — whether it’s discovering your next favourite local producer, cheering on the latest skatepark legends, or soaking in a night of powerful First Nations storytelling.
Kick off your weekend with a cosy, flavour-filled night by the sea, let your creativity run wild at a relaxed ‘paint and sip’, or get spooky with live bands, fancy dress and prizes at a Halloween fundraiser. Later in the week, enjoy community wellness events, free film screenings and unforgettable live music experiences that support great causes.
Whatever your vibe, the South Coast is serving up a feast for the senses and plenty of reasons to get out and enjoy what’s on.
Friday
Don’t miss this warm, flavour-filled night by the sea. Image: The Pavilion.
Crafted Kiama
When: Friday 22 August, 5:30 to 10 pm
Where: Kiama Pavilion, 2 Bong Bong Street, Kiama
Cost: Free (18+).
This winter, gather your friends for a cozy night out celebrating the very best of the South Coast’s local flavours. Under one roof you’ll be treated to boutique wines, small-batch spirits, craft brews and gourmet food from some of the region’s most exciting producers.
Enjoy live music as you sip and sample, meet the makers behind your new favourite drops, and tuck into delicious eats from artisan food trucks and local creators. With names such as South Coast Distillery, Artemis Winery, Stoic Brewing, Wolf & Woman Distillery, Kiama Chocolate Company and more on the line-up, it’s the perfect way to discover and support local talent.
Saturday
Sip, paint, laugh, repeat — unleash your inner artist at this fun-filled Paint & Sip session with Expressive Art Experience at Wests. Image: Wests Illawarra.
Paint and Sip at Wests
When: Saturday 23 August, 4 pm
Where: Wests Illawarra, 1 Hargreaves Street, Unanderra
Cost: $60 | Book via StickyTickets.
Get ready for an afternoon of colour, creativity, and cocktails! Join us for a relaxed Paint & Sip session where you’ll be guided by a talented artist from Expressive Art Experience to create your very own palette knife masterpiece. Whether you’re a total beginner or a seasoned painter, you’ll leave with a canvas you’ll be proud to hang at home.
All materials are provided — from high-quality paints and canvases to aprons and brushes — so all you need to bring is your imagination (and maybe a friend or two). Expect plenty of laughter, good company, and a glass in hand as you unwind and let the creativity flow.
Live bands, spooky costumes, prizes and more — all to raise funds for Port Kembla’s creepiest Halloween maze. Image: The Servo.
Monsters Ball at THE SERVO: A Fundraiser For Smiths Halloween Horror Maze
When: Saturday 23 August, 3 pm
Where: The Servo, Port Kembla, 6-8 Wentworth Street
Cost: $10 pre-sale | $15 at the door | Book via Humanitix.
Get spooky for a good cause: The Servo is hosting an afternoon of live bands, Halloween fancy dress, prizes, raffles, stalls and more — all to raise funds for Port Kembla’s creepiest attraction, Smith’s Haunted House Maze, part of this year’s FEARFEST. Expect a stacked line-up including Radio Rejects, The Limited, The Daptoids, Blast Module, Back By Unpopular Demand, Death By VHS and In The Crosshair. Come in your Halloween best — prizes await the most frightful costumes. Plus, browse local stalls and grab a bite from food vendors while soaking up the spooky vibes.
Don’t miss this stellar line-up set to celebrate NAIDOC. Image: Merringong, featuring art by David Cragg.
Blak, Bold & Deadly – NAIDOC Celebration
When: Saturday 23 August, 7 to 10 pm
Where: The Music Lounge, Wollongong Town Hall, corner Crown and Kembla streets, Wollongong
Cost: Premium $35, Standard $30, Standing $20 | Book via TicketSearch.
This show is inspired by the 2025 NAIDOC theme “The Next Generation: Strength, Vision and Legacy”, and will honour the artists and ancestors who came before while shining a spotlight on the future of Blak excellence. This is more than just a gig — it’s a space for connection, celebration and empowerment. Through bold storytelling and an immersive atmosphere, First Nations voices and perspectives are amplified in a night to remember.
The celebration will start with a smoking ceremony run by Layne Brown, a proud Yuin man. The stellar line-up includes Zipporah, Cooee, Jacob Morris, Zoe Brown-Holten and Fancy as MC, with more to be announced.
Sunday
Get down, get loud, and celebrate a new era for Port Kembla skate culture. Photo: Boden Smith.
Port Kembla Skatepark Launch
When: Sunday 24 August, noon to 2 pm
Where: Port Kembla Skate Park, 11 First Avenue, Port Kembla
Cost: Free.
A new chapter in Port Kembla’s skateboarding history kicks off with the official launch of the new Port Kembla Skatepark — a space forged by community grit and supported by significant public investment. Everyone is invited to this free celebratory event where you can skate, draw, make music and enjoy the fun and festivities at your new community skate park. This event is brought to you by Skate of Mind and Holy Pavlova, with support from BighART, Port Kembla Chamber of Commerce & Industry, Wollongong City Council and Pass~Port.
Celebrate NAIDOC with a powerful double-billing of First Nations films. Image: Merringong, featuring art by David Cragg.
First Nations Film Showing
When: Sunday 24 August, 2 pm
Where: Bruce Gordon Theatre, 32 Burelli Street,Wollongong
Cost: Free | Book via TicketSearch.
This double-billing includes two excellent First Nations Films to celebrate NAIDOC. First up at 2 pm is the short film Wallflowers and Evergreens. Created with Tad Souden, a celebrated filmmaker and advocate for mental health awareness, it is a poem from award-winning Gundungurra-born Gunai writer Kirli Saunders’ collection, Returning. It centres lived experience with mental health, and the power of connection to Country and community in healing.
At 2:30 pm is the feature film Satellite Boy. Written and directed by award-winning Indigenous Australian Catriona McKenzie (The Walking Dead, Supernatural, The Boys, Riverdale), Satellite Boy is a 2012 Australian adventure drama film about a young Aboriginal boy struggling to maintain the traditions of his heritage in the modern world when a mining company expands into the region.
Wednesday
Find out how to stay active, healthy and connected at this free community event with expert advice, local providers and helpful resources for older people and their families. Image: Warrigal.
‘Aging Well’ with Warrigal
When: Wednesday 27 August, 10 am to noon
Where: Jungah 2, Shellharbour Civic Centre, 76 Cygnet Avenue, Shellharbour City Centre
Cost: Free | Book via eventbrite.
This free event is designed to connect older people and their families with the services, advice and resources they need to live active, healthy and connected lives. Attendees will enjoy a short presentation on wellness services for older people, followed by an expo-style session where they can meet local providers, ask questions and collect helpful resources. The line-up includes Warrigal, Gateway Life, Dementia Australia, Hearing Australia, Treadright Podiatry, Shellharbour City Libraries, Australian Health Professionals, Country Care Group and Illawarra Shoalhaven Health. Light refreshments will be provided.
Thursday
Music4Medicine Fundraising Concert
When: Thursday 28 August, 7 pm
Where: Main Auditorium, Wollongong Town Hall, Crown and Kembla streets, Wollongong
Cost: Adult $40 | Concession/Group 10+ / $30 Under 13s/Student $22 | Book via TicketSearch.
Music4Medicine, the highly anticipated concert supporting Doctors Without Borders (Medecins Sans Frontieres) is set to return to Wollongong in 2025, with an extraordinary line-up and a truly heartfelt mission. Now in its fourth successful year, this powerful event promises an evening of exceptional music and community spirit, all for a crucial cause. Hosted by 2025 Wollongong Citizen of the Year Malika Reese, the evening offers a diverse and vibrant program, spanning classical, musical theatre and opera, and featuring a world-class line-up, including renowned classical pianist, Simon Tedeschi, and rising local vocalists Molly Stewart and Olive Cullen. Audiences will also be treated to the world premiere of A Children’s Hymn — a newly commissioned work by Ronhan Apcar.
All proceeds will go to Doctors Without Borders (Medecins Sans Frontieres) which provides essential medical care, food and shelter to people in crisis zones worldwide, delivering humanitarian aid where it’s needed most, regardless of politics, religion or ethnicity.
The Big Bike Film Night
When: Thursday 28 August, 7 to 9:30 pm
Where: Gala Cinema Warrawong, 204 Cowper Street, Warrawong
Cost: Adult $28 | Under 17 $19 | Under 12s $14 | Book via TryBooking.
Good times are rolling into Wollongong as The Big Bike Film Night brings its tour of the best short cycling films from around the world together. Cycle through 2.5 hours of thrilling and moving bike-related films that have everything a cycle-centric audience could want – action, drama, humour and plenty of inspiration. As always, the evening is unashamedly designed and devised for the two-wheel devotee.
Expect arguably the finest selection of films yet, from the exotic location of northern Pakistan to the suburban streets of Santa Barbara in America, the soaring mountain peaks of Austria to backcountry New Zealand and the captivating Scottish Highlands.
