About the festival

New Annual is ten days of art, culture and creativity in the centre of Newcastle.

New Annual offers immersive and interactive experience of visual art, contemporary dance, First Nations music and workshops, as well as theatre and comedy. There is something for everyone with a mix of free, ticketed and family-friendly events.

The full festival program will be announced at the end of June.

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

Outdoor events will proceed if light rain is forecast. Please read the 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 will 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 newannual@ncc.nsw.gov.au 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 newannual@ncc.nsw.gov.au and we will provide further information to you.

We will endeavour to make all events accessible and information around access will be updated on our website. Should you wish to discuss any access requirements or find out more about specific events, feel free to contact us via email newannual@ncc.nsw.gov.au 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.