Welcome to our list of arts and cultural events happening in the NSW Central West gathered from artists, event producers, great local venues and groups across the region.
It's free to submit your local events. (Use the 'Submit' option under the 'Whats On' menu at the top of the page).
For maps and details of museums, galleries, artist studios, historic sites, Aboriginal experiences and sites, craft shops, handmade retail outlets or public art go to the Culture Maps Central NSW menu.
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Get up! Stand up! Show up!

Orange Regional Museum 151 Byng Street, Orange, NSW

Meet some of our local achievers living this year’s national NAIDOC theme Get Up! Stand Up! Show Up! in a new photographic foyer exhibition from 29 October. Produced in conjunction with the Orange NAIDOC Week Committee, with photography by Jason French and artwork by Kylie Tarleton, this exhibition celebrates members of the Orange Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community working for justice, equality, community and culture, as well as those who are leading by example through achievements across a range of fields.

Summer Reading Club

Bathurst Library 70-78 Keppel Street, Bathurst, NSW
FREE

Next Gen Portrait Prize

Mudgee Arts Precinct Market St, Mudgee, NSW

This exhibition will run as a satellite show in the upstairs gallery spaces at Mudgee Arts Precinct in conjunction with the Inaugural MAP Portrait Prize 2022.

Free entry

Mudgee Arts Precinct Portrait Prize

Mudgee Arts Precinct Market St, Mudgee, NSW

MAP received nearly 400 entries for the inaugural MAP Portrait Prize. MAP Portrait Prize was open to submissions in all media to artists at any level of their artistic practice from beginners right through to arts professionals encouraged to enter.

Free entry

New family activities for the school holidays at the Age of Fishes Museum

Age of Fishes Museum 129 Gaskill Street, Canowindra, NSW

If you're planning for the long summer holidays, make sure you organise a visit to the Age of Fishes Museum in Canowindra. As well as all your existing favourites, we now have giant chess, a children's vegetable garden, a Pangaea jigsaw puzzle, spinning animal blocks as well as our world-famous fossils, garden area and well-stocked gift shop.

Recurring

Bathurst Arts Trail

Bathurst Bathurst, NSW

The Bathurst Arts Trail is a collective of artists throughout the Bathurst region who open their galleries and studios to visitors on the first weekend of each month.

Free

Millfest

Redmond Oval, Millthorpe Millthorpe, NSW

A fun filled yet relaxed afternoon in the shade of the London Plane Trees. This year at Redmond Oval the event will be full of fun games, live music and entertainment, food and beverage stalls.

Get On Board with PCYC

Lithgow Workies 3 - 7 Tank St, Lithgow, NSW

Lithgow PCYC looks forward to welcoming you to our charity art auction with a difference.
A wonderful array of artists, celebrities, musicians and local personalities have created a wide range of artworks for our auction - many utilising a skateboard deck as a canvas.

$43.29
Recurring

Mondays at the Museum

Orange Regional Museum 151 Byng Street, Orange, NSW

Mondays at the Museum is a free one-hour session designed for 3–5-year-olds and their grown-ups to explore and create at Orange Regional Museum.

Free

LEGO Club – Orange City Library

Orange City Library 147 Byng Street, Civic Precinct, Orange, NSW

Use our large collection of Lego bricks and your amazing creativity to build challenges from our weekly themes.

Thursday Storytime – Orange Library

Orange Library 147 Byng Street, Orange, NSW

Storytime at Orange City Library is lots of fun. We read stories, sing songs, play games and make craft.

Cinema Under the Stars – Orange

Orange Botanic Gardens s, Yellowbox Way (off Hill Street), Orange, NSW

Newcastle Permanent's 𝐂𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐦𝐚 𝐔𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐬 is returning to Orange in 2023.

Pirates of Penzance – Scots All Saints College Senior Musical

Bathurst Memorial Entertainment Centre 105 William Street, Bathurst, NSW

The Pirates of Penzance - is an amusing comic opera by Gilbert and Sullivan which was first performed in 1879. The tale unfolds with Frederic who, having almost completed his apprenticeship to a ship of tender-hearted pirates, meets and falls in love with Mabel, the daughter of the Major-General. Sadly, Frederic learns he was born on 29th February and so cannot complete the terms of his apprenticeship until he is 63, as he will only have a birthday every leap year.

Light Up The Night

Grenfell Grenfell, NSW

FREE EVENT: Live Music, Market Stalls + a spectacular Drone Light Show that will light up the night.

Free

Poets Brunch ‘n’ Lunch @ Yeoval

Yeoval Memorial Hall 25 Forbes St, Yeoval, NSW

ARTS OUTWEST are sponsoring a day of Music, Poetry, Prose and Bush Stories at the Banjo Paterson…more than a Poet Museum on Sunday 19th February.

Cowra Festival of International Understanding

Cowra Cowra, NSW

The 2023 Cowra Festival of International Understanding promises to be bigger than ever, with a free concert at the Carnival featuring multiple golden guitar winner, Beccy Cole, and award-winning children’s entertainment group as seen on ABC Kids, The Beanies!

Teddy Bear’s Picnic

As we continue to support our beautiful community and finish the clean-up of all our parks and gardens, we have moved Teddy Bear's Picnic to Saturday 11 March 2023. Pop this new date in your calendars!!

Battle of the Bands

Keystone 1889, Bathurst 99 Keppel St, Bathurst, NSW

For budding young acts aged 12 to 25 in the Bathurst, Orange, Blayney, Lithgow, Oberon and Cowra local government areas, this will be a fantastic opportunity to to get outside their bedrooms, garages and school music rooms to share their talent with wider audiences.

On – Circa

Bathurst Memorial Entertainment Centre 105 William Street, Bathurst, NSW

After the smash-hits of Humans 2.0, Carnival of the Animals and Peepshow, Brisbane’s globally renowned Circa returns with their newest creation On by Circa.  

Recurring

The Alphabet of Awesome Science

Bathurst Memorial Entertainment Centre 105 William Street, Bathurst, NSW

Join professors Lexi Con and Noel Edge (the Word Nerd and the Science Freak) for a thrilling voyage through the alphabet — where sesquipedalian words inspire mind-blowing scientific surprises! It's a tongue-twisting race from A to Z that's equal parts explosive, messy, hilarious, fascinating and gross. Brace yourself for an hour of carefully crafted alphabetical, scientifical (award-winning!) chaos — that floats, flies, squirts, sprays, ignites and erupts!

Cirque Mother Africa

Orange Civic Theatre Byng St, Orange, NSW

Celebrating 15 years and DIRECT from a sell-out BROADWAY SEASON, Cirque MOTHER AFRICA is returning to Australia in 2023 with an all NEW SHOW featuring the amazing hand to hand balancing act as seen on AUSTRALIA’S GOT TALENT performed by the RAMADHANI BROTHERS. The heartbeat of Africa pulsates throughout this jaw-dropping show as the musicians and artists transport audience members to the breath-taking continent of Africa.

The Twits

Orange Civic Theatre Byng St, Orange, NSW

Roald Dahl’s gruesome twosome The Twits are ready to delight and disgust, in equal measure.
Mr and Mrs Twit are the nastiest couple you could ever hope (not) to meet.
Both are on a quest to be meaner than the other – but, is there someone out there who can out-twit the Twits?

School of Rock

Orange Civic Theatre Byng St, Orange, NSW

Based on the hit film, this hilarious new musical follows Dewey Finn, a failed, wannabe rock star who decides to earn a few extra bucks by posing as a substitute teacher at a prestigious prep school. There he turns a class of straight-A students into a guitar-shredding, bass-slapping, mind-blowing rock band. While teaching these pint-sized prodigies what it means to truly rock, Dewey falls for the school’s beautiful, but uptight headmistress, helping her rediscover the wild child within.

The Alphabet of Awesome Science

Orange Civic Theatre Byng St, Orange, NSW

Join professors Lexi Con and Noel Edge (the Word Nerd and the Science Freak) for a thrilling voyage through the alphabet – where great big chewy sesquipedalian words inspire mind-blowing scientific surprises. Professor Lexi Con has curated a curious collection of her favourite words (one for every letter of the alphabet) with each word providing Professor Noel Edge with an inspirational jumping off point for 26 quirky scientific demonstrations – that squish and squirt, float and fly, erupt and explode.

 

The What’s On calendar covers arts and heritage events happening across the NSW Central West in the local government areas of Bathurst Region, Blayney, Cabonne, Cowra, Forbes, Lachlan, Lithgow, Mid-Western Region, Oberon, Orange, Parkes and Weddin.

Event listings are sourced or supplied from local venues and arts organisations. Many events listed here have been originally shared by the organisers on social media. Whilst all care is taken – and accuracy is our priority – we can take no responsibility for date changes or the content of contributed information. Contact the event organisers listed for more details or to book tickets.

The best way to include your event is to use our SUBMIT HERE form (under the What's On menu at the top of each page). These listings will be manually approved by the Arts OutWest team before publication.  Please allow a couple of days for listings to be published. If you have submitted an event and want to make changes just email us at artsoutwest@csu.edu.au

Event promotors are asked to only include their own original images / images that they have permission to use / copyright free stock images. For more information see our fact sheet on Using Images For Promoting Events (if you can't see this link look under 'Opportunities' then 'Resources').