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.
In 1923, Dubbo businessman, Lawrence Astley, donated a cup to promote sporting competition between local schools, Dubbo High School and Sacred Heart College. With disparate enrolment numbers, the schools were mismatched and just two years later competition was formalised between the three state schools west of the Blue Mountains – Bathurst, Orange, and Dubbo High Schools.
The Kangaroo holds a special place in our cultural psyche - from national emblem, a symbol of pride and economy to pop culture icon and totem animal of First Nations Australians - this native creature is celebrated internationally as the truest expression of Australia.
However, a dichotomy has developed as the Kangaroo comes under increased threat, through loss of natural habitat, farming practices, encroaching urbanisation and climate crisis to illegal baiting, gun sport and an (unregulated) kangaroo meat industry that represents the largest single sustained massacre of land-based wildlife in the world.
Claire Healy and Sean Cordeiro are a duo of Australian contemporary artists known for their large-scale immersive installations, sculptures, and mixed-media artworks that often incorporate found objects and repurposed materials. Working collaboratively since 2001, they have gained international recognition for their thought-provoking pieces that explore themes of consumerism, the human impact on the environment and the philosophies of flight.
A new digital, outdoor installation from the Australian Museum showcasing the incredible world of Australia's birdlife is coming to Orange Regional Museum. Presented on an interactive storytelling cube, The Birds of Australia STORYBOX brings to life the iconic bird illustrations of John and Elizabeth Gould together with First Nations storytelling and knowledges.
Spring in Jenolan is a great time of year to visit. Especially as we're open EVERY Friday and Saturday.
Enjoy a late afternoon tour, dinner at Chisholm’s Restaurant and/or evening tour.
Who in NSW loves old historic woolsheds? Come and explore the woolshed with a guided tour.
Exhibition of paintings, sculptures, drawings, printmaking and photography from artists age 5-19 years.
Over $1,000 in prizes.
A Little Bit of Blue is an interactive environmental detective story, told with puppetry.
As well as unravelling a mystery, it involves learning about the unique habits of an extraordinary Australian animal, the Satin Bowerbird, and their fascination for the color blue. It is a fun frolicking mix of Detective Noir, slapstick, combined with learning about this intriguing creature.
Cowra Civic Centre is hosting free lantern crafting workshops to create unique lanterns during September School Holidays.
Get a chase to learn lantern making with a professional puppet maker, that reflects one of the many colours of the Cowra landscape including cherry blossoms and canola fields.
The Condobolin Ceramics Group meets fortnightly on Sundays. Open to beginners and advanced.
Tuition is provided by the group as a whole and is needs based around what you want to create.
Experience the underground world of a goldminer at Bald Hill tourist mine.
A short walk or drive from Hill End, this guided tour is ideal for families and school groups.
Join us for a STEAM based story time and make some bouncy balls to take home.
Aimed at ages 3-5.
Get creative in this native bird foam printing workshop.
Inspired by our outdoor digital installation The Birds of Australia STORYBOX, create colourful prints of our local bird species and their habitats.
Join us to build some bridges using toothpicks. Will you bridge withstand the pressure and win the challenge?
Aimed at ages 9-12 years old.
Test your engineering skills and design a bridge that won't collapse under pressure.
Join us to use our science skills to make and test a range of different flying models and discover how the wind is affected by their shape.
Ages 6-8 years old.
Create a fun cross stitch bookmark featuring robots, to keep a track of your reading. Beep ! Boop! Beep!
For ages 11-14.
Join us for a STEAM based story time and make some bouncy balls to take home. A parent or carer is required to stay with their child for any sessions that are for ages 3-5 years. Storytime and Homemade Bouncy...
Design your own cake at the Museum this school holidays.
This activity is designed for children aged 3 and older and their adults.
Adults and kids can come and learn more about the history of our shows, explore the exhibition more closely with a scavenger hunt, and design their own show bag to fill with goodies to take home!
Suitable for kids and adults of all ages.
Use your measuring and mixing skills to create some colourful bath bombs.
Ages 9-12 years.
In the workshop you will get a short tour of the Dobell Drawing Prize #23 exhibition, followed by a drawing workshop where kids will learn different techniques of drawing and mark making.
Join the chemistry lab to brew some bath slime and bath jellies.
Ages 6-12 years.
Embrace your inner Einstein and join us for these fun and interactive science experiments.
Mudgee Library Chess Club offers a great opportunity to test your chess skills, make new friends and most importantly - have fun!
Held on the 2nd and 4th Wednesday of each month (ages 6-14).
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’).