Enjoy your weekend with live music around Newcastle, Lake Macquarie and Maitland. There’s free concerts across the region, offering relaxed outdoor fun for families.
Pack a picnic or pick up dinner from food trucks and local cafés, then sit back while local musicians provide the soundtrack to your evening. It’s simple, social and great fun for kids and adults alike.
Twilight Fridays
Get ready for Twilight Fridays at MAP mima, bringing a lively lineup of curated events that celebrate local talent and make art accessible to everyone.
Experience an electric atmosphere filled with diverse cultural experiences, featuring a rotating calendar of activities like Beats and Eats, Kids Cube Disco, and Art After Hours.
Twilight Fridays runs every Friday from 30 October 2026 to 30 April 2026, from 5 – 8pm. For more information visit the Lake Macquarie City Arts website.
Schedule:
- 30 October 2026: Kids Cube Disco – It’s kids’ night at MAP mima. The Cube will be transformed into a vibrant disco space, with upbeat family-friendly tracks and immersive projections. Kids are invited to dance, move, and play in an environment unlike any other.
- 6 November 2026: Rollertopia – Get your skates on and roll into the weekend with retro vibes, live music, and delicious eats at our annual celebration for 80s Skaties. DJ Ruby Red will be spinning feel-good tracks to set the tone for your Friday night.
- 13 November 2026: Art after Hours – Explore the gallery after hours on a Friday night, they’ll keep the lights on just for you. Audiences are invited to feel what darkness reveals and what we stand to lose when our bodies, environments, stories and skies no longer share the dark.
- 20 November 2026: Art after Hours – Explore the gallery after hours on a Friday night, they’ll keep the lights on just for you. Audiences are invited to feel what darkness reveals and what we stand to lose when our bodies, environments, stories and skies no longer share the dark.
- 27 November 2026: Kids Cube Disco – It’s kids’ night at MAP mima. The Cube will be transformed into a vibrant disco space, with upbeat family-friendly tracks and immersive projections. Kids are invited to dance, move, and play in an environment unlike any other.
Lakeside Sounds
Lakeside Sounds is a new free live music series bringing talented local musicians and emerging artists to the Warners Bay and Toronto foreshores every Friday night this summer.
Settle in by the lake, enjoy live music as the sun sets, and support local cafes, restaurants and businesses while discovering your next favourite artist.
With a different local act taking to the stage each week, Lakeside Sounds is the perfect way to ease into the weekend.
Lakeside Sounds runs every Friday from 8 January to 26 February 2027, from 6 – 8pm. For more information visit the Lake Macquarie City Arts website.
Lineup:
- 8 January (Warners Bay Foreshore) – TBA
- 15 January (Toronto Foreshore) – TBA
- 22 January (Warners Bay Foreshore) – TBA
- 29 January (Toronto Foreshore) – TBA
- 5 February (Warners Bay Foreshore) – TBA
- 12 February (Toronto Foreshore) – TBA
- 19 February (Warners Bay Foreshore) – TBA
- 26 February (Toronto Foreshore) – TBA
Friday Chill
Friday Chill is a free, family-friendly, live music event hosted by Soul Hub on Friday nights through summer in Pacific Park in Newcastle CBD. In 2026 Friday Chill ran every Friday from 9 January until 27 March.
Soul Hub engages popular local artists to perform chilled-out tunes from 6.30pm till 8.30pm in a family-friendly setting. Soul Hub invites their friends and community to BYO picnic to enjoy a picnic in the park or take advantage of the gourmet food and drinks served by a selection of local food vendors. Food trucks and children’s activities add to the festival environment.
Friday Chill runs from 6.30pm to 8.30pm. For more information visit the Soul Hub website or the Friday Chill Facebook page.
Lineup:
- 2027 lineup and dates TBA
LIVE at the Levee
Let loose and get down to some great live music at LIVE at The Levee, Maitland. LIVE at The Levee brings you live music by the best musicians from across the region.
More information to be announced. Keep up to date with what’s happening and who is playing by visiting The Levee website.
Lineup:
- 2027 lineup and dates TBA
Photo Credit: Friday Chil