Hobart has an assortment of exciting events ranging from theatre shows, seasonal events, concerts, festivals, markets, local community events and sporting events.
If you would like to explore Tasmania’s culture through art, food, collectibles and a variety of bric-a-brac, then head over to one of the local markets. The Salamanca Market happens every Saturday from 8.30am to 3.00pm that showcases the creative side of Tasmania with something different each week. Salamanca Market displays over 300 stalls featuring food, pottery, fine arts and buskers that span across a row of 19th-century sandstone warehouses. If you would like to purchase local fresh produce and try out artisan and street food, then check out Farm Gate Market on Bathurst Street in the CBD. Farm Gate Market is known as one of the top five farmer’s markets in Australia and are open every Sunday from 8.30am to 1.00pm. There are also markets that happen in certain times of the year such as Street Eats @ Franko and Hobart Twilight Market on Brooke Street Pier.
For the sports fans, the Ninja Stadium in Bellerive often hosts sporting events such as AFL and Cricket. If you’re a tennis fan, then you can attend the Hobart International during the summer and watch a series of professional matches with a view of the waterfront. Every year, there’s also an annual Supercars event called the Tasmania Super 440 where you can watch a thrilling car race.
Each season offers a variety of events you can attend around Tasmania. During the Summer, there are a variety of food events occurring such as the Beerfest and Tasmania’s Taste of Summer. There are also a variety of festivals such as the Cygnet Folk Festival (January), Tasmanian Wine Festival (February), Clarence Jazz Festival (February) and the Spoke Motorcycle Festival (February–March).
Autumn is the harvest season, so there’s many events that allow you to taste some locally made food and drink. Some events you could head to are TrailGraze, Tasmanian Autumn Festival and Stanley & Tarkine Forage Festival. If you’d like to witness Tasmanian’s agriculture scene, you can head to Agfest and the Bream Creek Show, where you can check out giant pumpkins, wood chopping and Blundstone boot-toss competitions.
There’s a variety of signature events around Hobart such as the Dark Mofo, Winter Feast and the Nude Solstice Swim. There’s also the annual Tasmanian Whisky Week and Chocolate Winterfest. The Beaker Street Festival happens in August that talks about science and art that offers workshops, thematic cruises and tours, live music and installations. There’s also the Tassie Scallop Fiesta in Bridport and a Jazz Festival in Devonport.
Springtime is when it starts to become more colourful. There are two tulip festivals you can visit during spring: Table Cape Tulip Farm on Tasmania’s north-west coast during September and the Tulip Festival Wynyard during October. These festivals are filled with food, music and art. If you feel creative, then you can attend the Tasmanian Craft Fair, the Tasmanian Chamber Music Festival (November) and Effervescence Tasmania Sparkling Wine Festival (November).