It wouldn’t be the end of the year and the beginning of another without fireworks going off somewhere, and the skies above Wagga Wagga and Batemans Bay will both light up for New Year’s Eve.
There’ll be dust (and people) flying in Jindabyne and Tumbarumba when two annual rodeos come to town, and a tribute show to country musicians Keith Urban and Bryan Adams on the NSW South Coast.
And if having the kids under the same roof during the holidays is doing your head in, help is at hand. The Kids Summer Adventure Festival is hitting Thredbo and the Bells Family Carnival promises plenty of fairly floss and rides at Batehaven.
Kids Summer Adventure Festival
When: Friday, 24 December, 2021, to Saturday, 15 January, 2022
Where: 1 Friday Drive, Thredbo
Cost: Free – see full list of activities here.
The Kids Summer Adventure Festival in Thredbo has a mountain of activities the whole family can enjoy, from treasure hunts and mountain bike races, to arts and crafts and rock climbing.
With the wildflowers out and about, it’s the best time of year to put on your walking shoes and explore the mountains. Or families can ride to the top of the Kosciuszko Express chairlift then head downhill on a bike.
Bell’s Carnival, Batehaven
When: From Friday, 26 December, 2021, to Wednesday, 5 January, 2022 – from 7 pm to 10 pm each night
Where: Corrigans Beach Reserve, Beach Road, Batehaven
Cost: Tickets available onsite.
Bell’s Family Carnival has been visiting Batehaven, on the NSW South Coast, for more than 30 years, providing endless enjoyment for families. Setting up at Corrigans Beach, there will be fireworks on New Year’s Eve plus nightly rides, the giant slide, dagwood dogs and fairy floss.
Man From Snowy River Rodeo
When: Friday, 28 December, 2021, from 11:30 am to 10:30 pm
Where: Park Road, Jindabyne Sports Ground, Jindabyne
Cost: $20 adult; $10 child; $50 family – tickets available onsite.
Jindabyne’s annual Man From Snowy River Rodeo has been running since 1943, originally in Old Jindabyne and now at the John Connors Jindabyne Sports Ground.
This year’s action includes open and novice bulls, saddle broncos, bareback horses, and the ladies barrel race. It’s a great day out for families with sideshows, food stalls and bar facilities available.
New Year’s Eve party at Moruya Waterfront Hotel
When: Friday, 31 December, 2021 from 6:30 pm to 12:30 am
Where: Moruya Waterfront Hotel Motel, 1-5 Princes Highway, Moruya
Cost: $45 – buy tickets here.
Moruya Waterfront Hotel will host a New Year’s Eve party with more than five hours of live music, including 19-Twenty, Genevieve Chadwick & The Stones Throw, Eklypse and Corey Legge!
Tickets are strictly limited so get in ASAP to avoid disappointment. This is an over-18 event.
Bonnie Kay and the Bonafides in Moruya
When: Friday, 31 December, 2021, from 8:30 pm to 11 pm
Where: Moruya Golf Club, 28A Evans Street, Moruya
Cost: $20 – buy tickets here.
Blues, jazz and alt-country outfit Bonnie Kay and the Bonafides will be playing Moruya Golf Club on New Year’s Eve. They will be performing songs from their hit album Fake It ‘Till You Make It.
‘Light the Lake’ at Lake Albert
When: Friday, 31 December, 2021, from 4 pm to 10 pm
Where: Lake Albert, Wagga Wagga
Cost: Free
Thousands of Wagga Wagga residents and visitors are expected to gather around the foreshore of Lake Albert when New Year’s Eve celebrations welcome in 2022. ‘Light the Lake’ will feature live music, food trucks and roving performers, with an on-water fireworks display at 9:30 pm.
Tumbarumba Rodeo
When: Saturday, 1 January, 2022, from 9 am
Where: Tumbarumba Showground, The Parade, Tumbarumba
Cost: $15 to $60 – buy tickets here.
Tumbarumba Rodeo is the oldest rodeo in NSW and the third oldest in Australia. The event is back bigger than ever in 2022 for its 75th birthday on New Years Day at Tumbarumba Showground.
‘Somebody Like You’ Tribute Show to Keith Urban and Bryan Adams
When: Friday, 7 January, 2022, from 6:30 pm o 11 pm,
Where: Club Tuross, 40 Monash Avenue, Tuross Head
Cost: $35 – buy tickets here.
Club Tuross hosts ‘Somebody Like You’, a brilliant tribute show to country rock artists Keith Urban and Bryan, who share more than five decades of hit music.