What’s on in April? Here’s the month’s top events in Newcastle, Lake Macquarie & The Hunter specially selected for families. There is a mix of ticketed and free events for parents, grandparents and carers to enjoy some family fun.
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Mega Creatures
Mega Creatures is back for another bite! Let the fantastic creatures mesmerise you as you enter the Gardens with Land of Legends, then wander around to discover Dragon Den, Unicorn Meadow, Dragon Floresta, Carnivore Concourse, Herbivore Hectares, and so much more!
Date: Saturday 28 March – Sunday 26 April 2026
Time: Open 9am – 4pm (last entry 3pm), rides 10am – 3.30pm, ride ticket booth 10am – 3pm, last ride at 3.15pm
Location: Hunter Valley Gardens
Age Group: All ages
Cost: Day Pass: Kids (aged 4-15) $31, Kids (3 and under) FREE, Adults (16yrs+) $42, Family Passes Available, Day/Night Passes Available
Website
Mega Creatures Night Safari
Mega Creatures Night Safari is back. Take over the night and join Hunter Valley Gardens in an awe-inspiring after-dark experience where imagination knows no bounds! Explore & discover amazing prehistoric dinosaurs, crawling insects and mythical creatures. Prepare to be transported to The Land of Legends, a magical realm that blends fantasy and history. The fantastic creatures mesmerise you as you wander around the top of the Sunken Garden Waterfall.
Date: Weekends & School Holidays: 28-29 March, 3-19 April and 24-26 April.
Time: Open 5pm – 9.30pm (last entry 8.30pm), rides 5.30pm – 9pm, ride ticket booth 5.30pm – 8.30pm, last ride at 8.45pm
Location: Hunter Valley Gardens
Age Group: All ages
Cost: Night Pass: Kids (aged 4-15) $31, Kids (3 and under) FREE, Adults (16yrs+) $31, Family Passes Available, Day/Night Passes Available
Website
Gresford Billy Cart Derby
Get trackside for the exciting Gresford Billy Cart Derby. This free family-friendly event sees kids from just 10 years of age and adults who are young at heart, race homemade billy carts down the steep main street of the picturesque rural village of Gresford, just one hour from Newcastle. Other entertainment includes a gumboot tossing competition, market stalls, raffles, vintage cars and delicious food for everyone to enjoy.
Date: Saturday 4 April 2026
Time: TBA
Location: Park Street, East Gresford
Age Group: All ages
Cost: Free to spectate, Entry Fee TBA
Website
Circle of Illusion
Escape into a world where sawdust and sequins join cutting edge illusions and spectacular magic to create Circus of Illusion, a show that features death defying escapes, mind-blowing illusions, mime and magic.
Date: Tuesday 7 April 2026
Time: 2pm & 6.30pm
Location: Civic Theatre
Age Group: All ages
Cost: Standard $59, Under 17 $49, Family of 4 (2A+2C) per person $47.25
Website
Once Upon A One More Time
Presented by Hunter Drama. Powered by the iconic hits of Britney Spears, this bold and glittering jukebox musical flips the fairy-tale world on its head! Packed with pop anthems, dazzling choreography, and girl-power reinvention, Once Upon A One More Time is a hilarious, heart-filled adventure that asks: what if happily ever after isn’t the end of the story, but just the beginning?
Date: Thursday 9 – Sunday 19 April 2026
Time: Shows at 2pm & 7pm
Location: Civic Theatre Playhouse
Age Group: Recomended for ages 10+
Cost: Standard $59, Concession $49
Website
YPT Presents Shrek JR.
It’s a “big bright beautiful world” as everyone’s favorite ogre, Shrek, leads a cast of fairytale misfits on an adventure to rescue a princess and find true acceptance. Part romance and part twisted fairy tale, Shrek JR. is an irreverently fun show with a powerful message for the whole family.
Date: Monday 13 April – Saturday 23 May 2026
Time: Various
Location: Young People’s Theatre Hamilton
Age Group: All ages
Cost: $28
Website
Andy Griffiths’ YOU & ME and The Land of Lost Things
The team behind the 13-, 26-, 52-, 78- and 91-Storey Treehouses brings Andy Griffiths and Bill Hopes’ brilliantly bonkers book to the stage in a hilarious new theatrical adventure for children aged 6–12 and their adults.
Date: Tuesday 14 April 2026
Time: 1pm & 4pm
Location: Civic Theatre
Age Group: Recommended for ages 6 – 12
Cost: Standard $40, Under 15 $28, Family of 4 (2A+2C) per person $30
Website
The Next Step: Legacy World Tour 2026
The Next Step: Legacy World Tour is a brand-new live touring dance show featuring fan-favourite cast members from the original and current seasons of the hit teen drama, The Next Step. This is a must-see event for fans of the series and dance lovers alike!
Date: Wednesday 15 April 2026
Time: 7.30pm
Location: Civic Theatre
Age Group: All ages
Cost: A Reserve $79.90, B Reserve $69.90
Website
K-Pop Icons
Get ready to sing, dance, and party like never before with K-POP ICONS LIVE, the ultimate concert experience celebrating the global music phenomenon, K-Pop!
Date: Thursday 16 April 2026
Time: 3pm & 7pm
Location: Civic Theatre
Age Group: All ages
Cost: Tickets from $39 (C Reserve)
Website
Stroud Show
For over a century, the Stroud Show has celebrated its roots as a ‘real country show’. Our family love the smaller scale and the close-knit community vibe of the Stroud Show. Held annually on the weekend following Easter, expect to be impressed by the horse events and enjoy cheering on all the good boys at the dog show. There’s also cattle judging, produce, handicrafts, a scarecrow competition, demolition derby, fireworks and more to keep families of all ages entertained. The wacky and popular wife-carrying contest is always fun as well!
Date: Saturday 18 & Sunday 19 April 2026
Time: Saturday: 7am – midnight, Sunday 7am – 3pm
Location: Stroud Showground
Age Group: All ages
Cost: Saturday: Adults $20, Child (13-17) $5, Child (under 13) FREE, Sunday: Adults $10, Child (13-17) $5, Child (under 13) FREE,
Website
Burton Automotive Hunter Valley Steamfest
Steamfest features a diverse program of family friendly entertainment. Enjoy live music, roving performance, historic heritage walks, market stalls, gourmet food stalls and more. The heart and soul of Steamfest is its impressive assembly of steam trains
Date: Saturday 18 & Sunday 19 April 2025
Time: Times for 2026 TBA
Location: Maitland Station Precinct
Age Group: All ages
Cost: TBA
Website
Collector Con 2026
If you and your family love action figures, trading cards, die-cast and model cars, comics, gaming, plush, coins, pins, vintage dolls and toys, you’ll love Collector Con 2026. There will be 150+ trading tables at the Newcastle Entertainment Centre. Think comics, action figures, trading cards, vintage toys and collectables, anime, dolls, LEGO, artist alley and more! Fan groups are back, Dungeons & Dragons tabletop gamers are prepping, and cosplayers are returning! Kids aged 0-12 have free entry (must be accompanied by an adult).
Date: Sunday 19 April 2026
Time: 9.30am – 2.30pm
Location: Newcastle Entertainment Centre
Age Group: All ages
Cost: Early bird 8.30am entry $25, General admission 9.30am $15, General admission 11.30am $10
Website
The Bugs
Presented by Hunter Drama. What can a group of bugs actually do when their ecosystem is threatened? When a couple of disgruntled honeybees discover their habitat is going to be destroyed to make way for a swimming pool, there’s only one thing for them to do: forge an alliance with the other bugs who live in the yard and stop it.
Date: Monday 20 – Friday 24 April 2026
Time: Shows at 2pm & 7pm
Location: Civic Theatre Playhouse
Age Group: All ages
Cost: Opening Night Standard $55, Standard $59, Concession $49
Website
Drum Tao ‘Samurai of the Drum’
Fusing the thunderous power of taiko drumming with martial arts athleticism, choreography, and cinematic staging.
Date: Friday 24 April 2026
Time: 7.30pm
Location: Civic Theatre
Age Group: All ages
Cost: Premium from $79.90, Concession from $69.90, Under 17 from $49.90
Website
Edgeworth Trains
Ride on a miniature train. Lake Macquarie Live Steam Locomotive Society hosts monthly public ride days. There’s a variety of miniature trains such as steam and diesel and different rail routes (both elevated and ground-level) so you can easily spend a couple of hours watching and riding trains. Their public ride days run on the last Sunday of each month excluding December.
Date: Sunday 26 April 2026
Time: Trains running from 12:30pm till 3:30pm (weather permitting). The park is open from around 9:30am.
Location: Velinda Street, Edgeworth
Age Group: All ages
Cost: It costs $3 per train ride. Children under 2 years old are free.
Website
Ride the Cyclone
Step right up for a wildly original musical unlike anything you’ve seen before. When six Canadian chamber choir teens meet an untimely end on a rollercoaster, they awaken in a bizarre limbo where a mysterious mechanical fortune teller offers them one final challenge: tell the story of their life. Only one can return to the real world. A global cult sensation with over half a billion views on TikTok, it’s finally arriving in Newcastle.
Date: Wednesday 29 April – Saturday 2 May 2026
Time: Various
Location: Civic Theatre Playhouse
Age Group: Recommended for persons aged 13+
Cost: $50
Website
Ampol Women’s State of Origin 2026
This year’s Ampol Women’s State of Origin series kicks off in Newcastle, at McDonald Jones Stadium. Get along to experience the thrills live, as the Blues and Maroons clash for a spectacular Game I blockbuster on New South Wales’ home turf.
Date: Thursday 30 April 2026
Time: The match is set to kick off at 7.45pm
Location: McDonald Jones Stadium
Age Group: All ages
Cost: Tickets from $19 each
Website
Young Dobell Competition
If your child or teen loves to paint, get them to submit a portrait or landscape to the The Young Dobell competition. In its second year and in celebration of the Lake Macquarie Dobell Festival, the Museum of Art and Culture, yapang is inviting budding artists aged 5 – 18 to participate in the Young Dobell competition.
Date: Dates for 2026 TBA
Location: All artwork selected as finalists in the competition will be on display in the Young Dobell exhibition at the Museum of Art and Culture, yapang (MAC yapang)
Age Group: 5 – 18 years
Cost: Free
Website
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What’s On Next Month?
Looking for more events in Newcastle, Lake Macquarie & Hunter? Check out our What’s On Guide with information about events all year long. The guide provides a list of local family-friendly events organised by month.