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.

Event Series Mondays at the Museum

Mondays at the Museum

Orange Regional Museum 151 Byng Street, Orange, NSW, Australia

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.

Each week we explore a different part of the museum before getting into a craft activity based on what we've discovered.

Mondays at the Museum are a great opportunity for parents and carers to enjoy time with their children in an educational environment and meet up with other Orange families.

FREE
Event Series Steam Workshop

Steam Workshop

Marramarra Makerspace Studio, Parkes Shire Council Parkes Library, Bogan St, Parkes, NSW, Australia

All Things Paper STEAM workshop is for children in year 3 - 6 .

Explore paper circuitry art, construct paper boats and test their floating capacity and test the strength of paper in the paper bridge challenge.

FREE
Event Series Youth Workshops

Youth Workshops

30 Keane Drive, Kelso 30 Keane Drive, Kelso, NSW, Australia

Various workshops available in November for children including drawing, watercolour and paper beads.

$5.00

BMEC 2024 Launch Event

Bathurst Memorial Entertainment Centre 105 William Street, Bathurst, NSW, Australia

Join BMEC as they launch our programs for 2024 – a year that promises to entertain Bathurst and everyone who lives and visits here. Get your brightest, most colourful outfit ready for a fun, fresh night!

This event will be a celebration of the year to come, a year of incredible dance, comedy, theatre, music, festivals, words, drama, musicals and live performances on screen.

$15.00
Event Series Oberon Men’s Shed

Oberon Men’s Shed

Oberon Showground Oberon, NSW

Oberon Men's Shed is a neutral safe space to enjoy other bloke's company.

A range of activities and a great starting point for blokes new to Oberon to meet the locals or for locals to catch up with old mates. 

FREE
Event Series Mosaic’s at Orana House

Mosaic’s at Orana House

Orana House 32 Ferguson Street, Canowindra, NSW, Australia

Mosaic’s is on every Tuesday from 10-2pm.

The Community is welcome to come have a look or join in the fun and friendship morning each Tuesday.

Do something different and enjoy this experience

Event Series Storytime @ Parkes

Storytime @ Parkes

Parkes Library 25 Bogan Street, Parkes, NSW, Australia

Know a 3-5 year old? Come along to our FREE Story Time for a fun way to boost preschool children's confidence and reading-readiness skills. Make friends, enjoy stories, learn rhymes, do some craft.

Event Series The Uncooperative

The Uncooperative

WAYOUT ArtSpace, Kandos 71 Angus St, Kandos, NSW, Australia

The Uncooperative is returning! Cementa has a whole new program for young people aged 13 to 19 years old in Kandos and surrounds.

Each week, an awesome Cementa artist will show you how to make cool stuff, you’ll get FREE afternoon tea and a FREE ride home.

Aboriginal Dance Workshop

Headspace Orange 264 Peisley St, Orange, NSW, Australia

In this FREE 4 week workshop learn Aboriginal dance with Uncle Ricky Ah-See and perform for your family in week 4 at our special end of year event.

Build connections with our local Elders in a culturally safe and supported environment.

Open to young people aged 12-25 years.

Free

Family Violence Hurts Forum

Yoorana Gunya Family Healing Centre 40-70 Church Street, Forbes, NSW, Australia

Join Yoorana Gunya for our Family Violence Hurts Forum.

Please note this work is dedicated to survivors or victims of family violence and/or sexual assault. Community members encouraged to attend and join in on the conversations.

Adult Open Studio

The Little Art Company 11 Ryall Street, Canowindra, NSW, Australia

Open studio is a chance for all artists, beginner and advanced, to bring their own idea or project and use The Little Art Company's art materials at the studio and/or receive some advice from our mentors.

$40.00
Event Series Rankin Cottage Craft

Rankin Cottage Craft

Rankin Cottage Crafts, Bathurst 117 Rankin Street, Bathurst, NSW, Australia

Spring brings out all the colours of the rainbow, and we have every colour covered in the wonderful handmade items for you and your family. Closed Monday & Sunday and public holidays.  

FREE

Wednesday Book Club

Parkes Shire Library 25 Bogan Street, PARKES, NSW, Australia

Join Wednesday book club this month to read "The Crane Husband" by Kelly Barnhill, a disconcerting tale inspired by the Japanese folklore, "The Crane Wife". Pick up a copy today at Parkes Shire Library.

Started Out Just Drinking Beer – The Mental As Anything Story by Stuart Lloyd

Orange City Library 147 Byng Street, Orange, NSW, Australia

Join us for an entertaining yarn with a real raconteur of the classic Aussie band Mental As Anything - drummer Dave 'Bird’ Twohill - and local author and the band's biographer Stuart Lloyd.
The pair are meeting up for a lively and amusing chat with photos at Orange City Library to launch Started Out Just Drinking Beer – The Mental As Anything Story by local author Stuart Lloyd. These two will take you on the rollercoaster ride of one our most successful bands from 1976 to 2019.

Free
Event Series Cementa Studio Tours

Cementa Studio Tours

Online

You are invited to join us on our online Studio Tour adventure. We will be meeting fortnightly, every other Wednesday at 6pm on Zoom.

The program features a single artist talking for an hour about their practice to an audience of peers, other artists, curators, the occasional writer, close friend or family member. 

Bird Box Painting Workshop

little magpie gallery Cowra NSW, Australia, 53 Kendal St, Cowra, NSW, Australia

A fun and creative Bird Box Painting Workshop! Get ready to unleash your inner artist and bring some colour to the world of our feathered friends.

$125.00

U2 – A Chronology

Keystone 1889, Bathurst 99 Keppel St, Bathurst, NSW, Australia

Unleash Your Inner Rock Star: the Handpicked U2 Tribute Night Is Here!

Get ready for an incredible night of live music that will transport you to the iconic sounds of one of the greatest rock bands in history.

Presenting the ultimate U2 playlist, we’ll be channeling out inner Bono to bring you their early classics to their modern hits.

$45.00

Triceratop by Adam Deusien

Bathurst Memorial Entertainment Centre 105 William Street, Bathurst, NSW, Australia

A gay dinosaur climate change love story parable about loneliness and eco disaster.

Using cabaret, storytelling, performance lecture, sci-fi and camp, this rambunctious romp tells the story of the last days of the doomed Cretaceous Civilization asking: ARE THERE EVEN ANY (tricera)TOPS LEFT ANYMORE?!

Event Series Storytime @ Canowindra

Storytime @ Canowindra

Canowindra Library 70 Gaskill Street, Canowindra, NSW, Australia

Every Thursday during the school term.

They read stories, sing songs, play games and make craft. They are held during the school term and cater for preschool children and their carers.

Free

 

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’).