About the festival

New Annual is ten days of art, music and ideas in the centre of Newcastle.

New Annual festival is for everyone! Over 10 days the festival offers immersive and interactive art and performances throughout the heart of the CBD. There is something for everyone with a mix of free, ticketed and family-friendly events.

The full festival program is released in July each year. To explore the events and plan your festival visit: https://newannual.com/explore/events

Tickets are on sale via the website. There is a mix of free, low cost and ticketed events. 

Outdoor events will proceed if light rain is forecast. Please read the weather forecast and prepare accordingly. In the event of severe weather causing a cancellation to outdoor events, all booked ticket holders will be contacted via email and SMS. For paid events, you may be given an option to reschedule to another session.

Yes, all events happening as part of New Annual are being developed as COVID Safe in line with the current NSW Government Public Health Order and in consultation with our COVID Safe venues. The New Annual team will continue to follow the advice of the Australian and NSW Governments to deliver a festival that ensures the safety of our community. 

If you’re interested in getting more involved, feel free to contact the festival team at [email protected] and tell us:

1. If you wish to volunteer as a City of Newcastle ambassador during New Annual, register online to join the NEW Crew.
2. If you wish to be a Festival partner, please contact the festival team at [email protected] and we will provide further information to you.

We endeavour to make all events accessible and information around access is available on the individual event pages. Should you wish to discuss any access requirements or find out more about specific events, feel free to contact us via email [email protected] or phone (02) 4974 2000.

To help plan your visit and find out more about our beautiful city, head on over to the Visit Newcastle page.