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. Use the contact or ticketing details listed with each event.
It’s free to submit your local events.
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.
Blending her lifelong passions of birding, ornithology, and knitting, Leanne Wicks
presents knitted portraits of artists associated with the artistic programs of Bathurst
Regional Art Gallery and the Cementa art festival. Each portrait merges the personality
and practice of artists with Australian birds to create a unique and whimsical knitted
installation.
Artist Mei Zhao, winner of the 2022 The Foundations Artist Residency Prize awarded to a National Art School Masters graduate, is running 2 workshops over the coming weekends to produce a collaborative community art work.
Bathurst Writers' & Readers' Festival: Helen Garner and Hedley Thomas discuss their approaches to writing about crime and how they grapple with questions of justice, in conversation with Sarah Krasnostein. A Sydney Writers’ Festival Live & Local Livestream event.
Helen Garner, Hedley Thomas and Sarah Krasnostein explore the nature of crime.
A SWF Live & Local event live-streamed to Orange Regional Gallery Theatre, hosted by Orange City Library.
Bathurst Writers' & Readers' Festival: The Cowra Breakout is a riveting read that brings to life the missing piece of Australia’s World War Two history- the story of the only battle of that war to be fought on Australian soil, told by bestselling historian Mat McLachlan. Mat will be In Conversation with Ex-serviceman and history buff Brett Kenworthy. An exclusive live event for Bathurst Writers’ & Readers’ Festival.
Bathurst Writers' & Readers' Festival: Bestselling authors Eleanor Catton, Holly Ringland and Tom Rob Smith share the ins and outs of bringing work from the page to the screen, in conversation with Benjamin Law. A Sydney Writers’ Festival Live & Local Livestream event.
Authors Eleanor Catton, Holly Ringland, Tom Robb Smith chat with Banjamin Law.
A SWF Live & Local event live-streamed to Orange Regional Gallery Theatre, hosted by Orange City Library.
Bathurst Writers' & Readers' Festival: Comedian, radio announcer and social media sensation Tanya Hennessy will sit down with local radio host Jac Underwood to talk all things writing and multimedia. As the best-selling author of three books, award winning radio announcer and award nominated comedian, Tanya’s success sees her in excess of 2.3 million social media followers. With a degree in Theatre Media from CSU Bathurst, hear Tanya discuss her writing and the inspiration behind her work. An exclusive live event for Bathurst Writers’ & Readers’ Festival.
Queer Art Exhibition: Music, photography, projections, Rainbow Families and Kids space, face painting, everybody is welcome!
Lithgow goes Rainbow against Homophobia, Biphobia, Interphobia and Transphobia.
Bathurst Writers' & Readers' Festival: Author of bestselling The Dictionary of Lost Words Pip Williams introduces her sweeping new novel, The Bookbinder of Jericho, in conversation with Cassie McCullagh. A Sydney Writers’ Festival Live & Local Livestream event.
Pip Willimas talks about her latest work The Bookbinder of Jericho
A SWF Live & Local event live-streamed to Orange Regional Gallery Theatre, hosted by Orange City Library.
Bathurst Writers' & Readers' Festival: Eleanor Catton, Richard Flanagan, Tracey Lien and Colson Whitehead discuss the state of the novel today and the future of fiction, in conversation with ABC RN’s Kate Evans. A Sydney Writers’ Festival Live & Local Livestream event.
Join Anna, Amy & Josie for a magical night of songs, stories, good food & wine!
The play questions our life choices, regrets and our moral and ethical compass. What price is ethics when the share price hits the floor?
Don't miss this touching piece of work which is sure to bring laughs, nostalgia and maybe some tears... and support our local talents.
Gerry Sorley, an Australian studying at Cambridge University, reads Seneca's "The Shortness of Life" as part of his philosophy degree. He knows he’s being indulged by his father who will insist on him joining the family firm soon, and he’s determined that, when he does, he will do things 'ethically.' It is the summer of 1976 and Gerry joins fellow students and best friends, Tim and Judith, to sing old music hall songs for fun in the back rooms of pub. This leads to their finding a spot in the Edinburgh Fringe by which time Gerry and Judith are falling in love.
Creep back to Lithgow after dark for the Lithgow State Mine Museum Interactive Ghost Hunt.
Your host Paranormal Pete has extensive knowledge of paranormal activity in the area and will lead you to the scene of several gut-wrenchi
Bathurst Writers' & Readers' Festival: Chloé Hayden, Sasha Kutabah Sarago and Grace Tame talk about breaking down barriers to allow women and girls to show their real selves in conversation with Hannah Diviney. A Sydney Writers’ Festival Live & Local Livestream event.
Get ready for another amazing month of live music, completely free of charge!
Austen Logan live at the Blind Pig Orange
Bathurst Writers' & Readers' Festival: Readers are invited to read the book prior to the Festival and participate in the Great Festival Read session at BMEC to hear a panel discussion and author talk. An exclusive live event for Bathurst Writers’ & Readers’ Festival.
Barrie Cassidy and Friends talk about the State of the Nation over the past year.
A SWF Live & Local event live-streamed to Orange Regional Gallery Theatre, hosted by Orange City Library.
A FREE workshop exploring a unique experience doodling on tin foil, creating abstract drawings.
Your children will make 2 artworks, one for you to keep and one for a collaborative art piece to enter in the Gulgong Arts Council's art show themed “unehed“ (happening this June long weekend
Bathurst Writers' & Readers' Festival: MP Helen Haines, Simon Holmes à Court and Margot Saville examine the ascension of independent candidates and how they might shape our politics, in conversation with Barrie Cassidy. A Sydney Writers’ Festival Live & Local Livestream event.
A SWF Live & Local event live-streamed to Orange Regional Gallery Theatre, hosted by Orange City Library.
Last year saw Teal candidates spectacularly oust Liberal Party stalwarts from once safe seats and upend the electoral rulebook. Hear from a panel with different perspectives as they consider the role of issues like climate action and political integrity in the independent candidates’ victories, what their ascension reveals about the country’s mood for change, and how they might shape our politics into the future.
Independent MP and The Indi Way contributor Helen Haines, The Big Teal author Simon Holmes à Court and The Teal Revolution: Inside the Movement Changing Australian Politics author Margot Saville speak with Barrie Cassidy.
Bathurst Writers' & Readers' Festival: For Kate Smith writing characters for stage and/or screen is a playful nuanced and embodied process. Using generative writing techniques this two-hour workshop will encourage you to draw on multiple sources of inspiration to generate character. An exclusive live event for Bathurst Writers’ & Readers’ Festival
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
‘Featured events‘ are those submitted directly online by presenters.
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’).