The ultimate student guide to New Annual festival 2025

Ultimate Student Guide to New Annual 25’

By New Annual’s University of Newcastle career-ready placement student, Aleisha.

The weather’s warming up, and if you’re anything like me, you know it’s time to come out of hibernation and have another hot girl summer. I’ve got just the ticket — New Annual Festival, a ten-day festival of art, music and ideas running from 26 Sep – 5 Oct. And the best part? It’s all local in Newcastle!

What better way to start spring officially than with New Annual, featuring a range of free and paid events guaranteed to help you see Newcastle from a new perspective. I’ve curated the must-see events for you that won’t break the budget.

This is your ultimate guide for students, by a student.

1. SOAK : Live at the Baths
Start it off right with free live music down at the ocean baths. Go for a swim, grab some hot chips from the kiosk, and settle down to enjoy a range of music over 5 sunsets from 5:30-6:30pm.

Starting off Sept 27th with DUST, a Newcastle local band whose members are students of the University of Newcastle. Described as post-punk quintet who have made it internationally, join them for this free performance and support your fellow students!

Sun 28 Sep Tom Thum, DOBBY, Freyja Garbett
This trio have joined together to bring you an exploration of themes around water conservation with beatboxing, rapping and jazz music. This combination has never been heard before, so come on down and hear it first.

Thu 02 Oct Joel Sunny
This one's for all my BookTok fans and lovers of ACOTAR, with viral TikToker Joel Sunny here to teleport you to the Night Court with his violin. Close your eyes and pretend you’re in the pages, and don’t miss this one night only opportunity!

Fri 03 Oct Finbar, A.Girl, Dean Brady, BOY SODA
4 artists, 4 genres, one night you can’t miss. Proud Maori woman, A.Girl joins forces with Dean Brady, descendant of Gugu Yalanji and Birrigubba people, and Samoan Australian, via Central Coast BOY SODA. All connected by acclaimed producer Finbar Stuart, enjoy the sunrays on your face as you witness an unmissable performance.

Sat 04 Oct DJ Jayteehazard, DJ GNGR
Finish off with a DJ set like no other, with DJ Jayteehazard and DJ GNGR’s massive sunset DJ session! Go for a dip and hear the beats under the water, shake off the winter and welcome the coming summer.
For more info on each set, click here

2. Global Gathering
🗓️October 4th 2PM - 9PM
📍Beaumont Street, Hamilton

Coming to you from Beaumont Street, join Global Gathering for a range of free live performances. Celebrate the heart and soul of our Newcastle community and feel the rhythm, with performances from Paco Lara, Minangay Dreaming, Samoan Dances, ILE ILU, GabzaK & Dance of Worlds. Grab a bite from the variety of food trucks and then grab a drink at any of the bars nearby. With cooking demonstrations, cultural workshops and makers tents and Eat Street, unwind and party with us.
Learn more about Global Gathering. 

3. Public Art Trail
🗓️Sep 26 - Sun Oct 5
⏰ Various Times across the exhibits

Need a break from your assessments? It’s time to get outside and go for a wander throughout the free Public Art Trail. Visit any of the 7 immersive art locations for some inspo, before chilling down and powering through the rest of that essay. Make sure you take in a round of mini-putt putt golf at The Station and visit the shipping containers brimming with contemporary art at Camp Shortland. The public art trail can be started at any point and takes you on a stroll around Newcastle’s foreshore and surrounding streets.
Read more about the Art Trail stops. 

4. Bio Assembly: Watt Space Gallery
🗓️Sep 26 - Sun Oct 5
⏰ 10AM - 5 PM daily

Want to support the University even more? Head over to the Watt Space Gallery, directly across from the University House, and view the Bio Assembly exhibition.
With 7 artists that challenge the way you view the landscape, space, ethics and entropy, enjoy this free exhibition that will have you thinking afterwards.
Check it out

5. First Night Art Party
🗓️Friday 26th September
⏰5-9PM
Get your tickets here

New Annual kicks off with First Night Art Party, a free night of music, movement and art on Laman Street. With festival favourites Haiku Hands, pop icon Kira Puru, and powerhouse DEVAURA, this one-night-only event turns Newcastle’s Art Gallery into a canvas of shared storytelling.
The University’s own lecturer, Ms Shellie Smith, will be there to lead the LED projections, so come along!
Get the details on First Night.

6. Anchor Heidi Axelsen x Hugo Moline
Wander over to Camp Shortland and enter Anchor. Find reflections, textures and sounds taken from the landscape that form together to create a camera obscura. Take a break in the dark room with a single beam of light, allowing you to watch a moving image of the very space you are in.
Heidi Axelsen and Hugo Moline, known for their work with art and architecture, have brought you Anchor to showcase their talents with this limited-edition exhibition.
Find out more here

7. First Rhythms : Adam Manning & Australian Art Orchestra
🎟️Student tickets start at $33
🗓️Thursday 2nd Oct
⏰7:30PM

For the music students out there, you may have been lucky enough to hear a lecture by Mr Adam Manning. For those who don’t know, Adam is a First Nations composer and musician who has joined forces with renowned creative music ensemble Australian Art Orchestra to perform at the Newcastle Conservatorium of Music.
First Rhythms brings you reimagined clapsticks and visual arts to explore the living pulse of Country in a new and unforgettable way.
🔗Limited tickets available here

8. Chicken : Sunday’s Child
🗓️Wednesday 1st- 7:30PM
Thursday 2nd- 7:30PM
Friday 3rd- 7:30PM
Saturday 4th- 4PM & 7:30PM
📍University House

After you’ve finished smashing out that assessment, give yourself an hour break and grab a ticket to Chicken. Held in University House, Chicken is a story of a proud Irish man & a hopeless ketamine addict, who also happens to be a chicken.
Telling the tales of his big break in Hollywood, to his first bird on bird sexual experience and his general struggle to navigate life, Chicken has a lot to say.

🎟️ Student tickets are only $23!
🔗Grab your tixs here

9. La Ronde: Strut & Fret
🗓️Thursday 25th Sep- Sunday 5th October
⏰Evening and Night Shows Available

Splurge a little and grab yourself a ticket to La Ronde: Strut & Fret at Civic Park. With a 15+ age limit, La Ronde is a perfect blend of seduction, comedy, and live music, with a dazzling performance to prove it. “Extravagant… Stunning… Magnificent… Fun…” - Play & Go. The tent won’t stay up for long. Get in while you can and experience the circus like never before.
🎟️Tickets are going like crazy

Don’t forget to follow us @newannual for the best behind-the-scenes info, and to see the daily what’s on update during the festival.

Plan the rest of your visit to New Annual 2025 here. Make sure you bring your friends and family, and I’ll see you there!

Photo: DJ Jayteehazard. Performing Sat 4 Oct at Newcastle Ocean Baths.