What’s on in January? 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.
For Australia Day Events see our article: Australia Day 2026: What’s On In Newcastle, Lake Macquarie & the Hunter
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Model Newcastle: Big Stories, Little Things
A captivating exhibition of models and miniatures that celebrate Newcastle’s history, creativity and community. From intricate railways and maritime marvels to dollhouses, puppetry and cinematic cityscapes, this exhibition brings together treasures from Newcastle Museum’s collection alongside contributions from local makers and storytellers. With playful, hands-on experiences, displays of technical brilliance and moments of nostalgia, this exhibition invites visitors of every age to discover the big stories told by these little things.
Date: Runs until February 2026
Time: Newcastle Museum is open from Tuesday to Sunday 10am – 5pm. It’s open 7 days a week during NSW school holidays and Public Holidays.
Location: Newcastle Museum
Age Group: All ages
Cost: $10 (adults), $8 (concession), $5 (children 5-16), FREE (children 4 and under). Family tickets for two adults and two children can be purchased for $25.
Website
Newcastle’s Lost World Exhibition
The sand at Newcastle’s Canoe Pool hides the secrets of a vanished map of the world. A unique pool was built in 1937 for children. It disappeared over time and today is remembered by many names: the Young Mariners’ Pool, the Map Pool and the World Pool. This exhibition resurfaces the lost world and its place in Newcastle’s history.
Date: Runs until 15 February 2026
Time: Newcastle Museum open from Tuesday to Sunday 10am – 5pm. It’s open 7 days a week during NSW school holidays and Public Holidays.
Location: Newcastle Museum
Age Group: All ages
Cost: Free entry
Website
Ocean of Stories from Down Under
This summer, The Lovett Gallery at Newcastle City Library has been transformed into a magical world of underwater stories and adventures. Discover the art of five award-winning Australian illustrators, Cindy Lane, Sami Bayly, Matt Ottley, Jenni Goodwin and Kim Mischelle Toft and get hands-on with sensory materials and activities for children and be inspired by the art and stories of our precious oceans.
Date: Until March 2026
Time: During Newcastle City Library opening hours
Location: Lovett Gallery, above Newcastle City Library
Age Group: 12 and under
Cost: Free entry
Website
Big Summer Read with NSW Libraries
Join. Borrow. Read. Win. The Big Summer Read Challenge runs from Monday 1 December 2025 to Saturday 31 January 2026. The aim of the challenge is for children to read and log as many books as they can over Summer. Ebooks, audiobooks and graphic novels count!
Date: Monday 1 December 2025 – Saturday 31 January 2026
Location: Visit the website or a Cessnock, Lake Mac, Maitland or Newcastle Libraries branch
Age Group: 0-18
Cost: Free
Website
Music in the Podium
Music in the Podium returns to Warners Bay Foreshore in January 2026 and runs until March 2026. The program, hosted by Lake Macquarie City Council will feature popular local musicians every Friday evening.
Date: Fridays in January to March 2026
Time: 6 – 9pm
Location: Warners Bay Foreshore
Age Group: All ages welcome
Cost: Free
Website
Summer Art Fest
Summer Art Fest arrives at Maitland Regional Art Gallery from Sunday 4 January with a jam-packed month of creative fun for all ages. From pom pom sculptures to pet portraits, clay workshops to cake making competitions, there’s a fun and creative experience for kids of all ages to enjoy! MRAG’s friendly artist educators will be hosting drop-in workshops, or book into a workshop online, or fly in at any time to enjoy a self-directed activity while you explore the current exhibitions.
Date: 4 – 31 January 2026
Location: Maitland Regional Art Gallery
Age Group: Kids and teens
Cost: Mixture of free and paid workshops
Website
Friday Chill
Friday Chill kicks off in January. On Friday nights through summer Soul engages local artists to perform chilled out tunes in a family-friendly setting. Food trucks and kids’ performers/activities add to the festival environment. Soul Hub would like to invite their friends and community to come along and join them for a picnic in the park! BYO picnic food and beverages or take advantage of the gourmet food served by a selection of local food vendors.
Date: Friday 9 January – Friday 27 March 2026
Time: 6.30 – 8.30pm
Location: Pacific Park, Newcastle East
Age Group: All ages
Cost: Free entry
Website
Acquist
Civic Park comes alive this summer with a series of FREE performances of Acquist, a professional outdoor site-specific dance work by Catapult Dance Choreographic Hub, at Civic Park. This captivating production weaves together the elements of water, weather, and shifting surfaces, merging them seamlessly with the dancers’ bodies. This event will showcase contemporary dance performed by six outstanding professional dancers. Food from local restaurants will be available for purchase. This event is made possible thanks to funding from The City of Newcastle
Date: Thursday 22 – Saturday 24 January 2026
Time: 6.30 – 7.45pm
Location: Civic Park, Newcastle
Age Group: All ages
Cost: Free
Website
Harrington Circus Swansea
Enjoy some family fun at this 80-minute, action-packed Circus show. Featuring international performers, death-defying acts, beautiful aerials, hilarious clowns, magic illusions, and more! Tickets, food, games and rides open one hour before showtime.
Date: Friday 23 January – Sunday 1 February 2026
Time: Various
Location: Swansea Equestrian Grounds
Age Group: All ages
Cost: Tickets from $20-$40
Website
Summer CHILL-Out at Lambton Park
CHILL-Out! is coming back to Lambton Park for two big sessions of family-friendly fun, entertainment, rides, food, and market vibes.
Date: Friday 23 & Saturday 24 January 2026
Time: Friday 3 – 9pm, Saturday 12 – 9pm
Location: Lambton Park
Age Group: All ages
Cost: $2 entry fee, rides etc extra cost
Website
Sunflower Event
Little Tin Shed Medowie are opening their sunflower fields to the public. There will be lots of tractors, glasshouses, and accessories to take photos amongst the blooming sunflowers. It’s a great family day out.
Date: Saturday 24 January
Time: 8:30am – 1pm
Location: 54 Lisadell Road, Medowie
Age Group: All ages
Cost: There is a $5 entry fee to enter the sunflower paddocks (free entry for kids 12 years and under).
Website
Newcastle Museum Model Boat Regatta
Across three days, Museum Park will come alive with working model boats, hands-on activities for kids, live demonstrations, science shows and plenty for families to explore. Each day includes: Steam-period demonstrations, live sailing circuits, docking and manoeuvring demonstrations, tugboats. A Sailor’s Sunday Special on Sunday 25 January will include food trucks, make and sail sustainable bark canoes with Peter Melling from Hunter Innovation and Science Hub, science shows at 11.15am, 12.15pm and 1.15pm and craft and hands-on activities throughout the day.
Date: Friday 23 – Sunday 25 January 2026
Time: 10am – 3pm
Location: Museum Park, Newcastle Museum
Age Group: All ages
Cost: Free entry
Website
Australia Day Newcastle Harbour Swim
Celebrating the 30th Anniversary of the Australia Day Newcastle Harbour Swim, this year’s event is shaping up to be one of the biggest and most exciting events yet. Both swims will start from the Stockton side this year. There will be no Newcastle-side start due to the Queens Wharf demolition and ongoing works. Enter and get in on the action, or cheer from the swimmers on from land.
Date: Monday 26 January 2026
Time: Race times remain the same: 700m swim – 10am, 1400m swim – 11am.
Location: Stockton Ferry Wharf
Age Group: Ages 12+ can enter the swim
Cost: $40-$60
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 25 January 2026
Time: Trains running from 12:15pm 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
Kids Cube Disco at MAP mima
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. Children must be accompanied by an adult.
Date: Friday 30 January 2026
Time: 5 – 8pm
Location: MAP mima, Speers Point Park
Age Group: Suitable for ages 5-12
Cost: Free
Website
Stockton Island Triathalon Festival
Kick off the weekend with the Stockton Sunrise Run. Formerly the Friday night Sunset Run, it’s now on Saturday morning. Choose from 5km, 10.5km, or Half Marathon distances and enjoy the flat and stunning foreshore views. The profile is very flat and the event is conducted on mostly concrete paths along the Foreshore of Stockton.
Date: Saturday 31 January & Sunday 1 February 2026
Time: From 6.30am both days
Location: Griffith Park, Stockton
Age Group: All ages
Cost: Entry fees from $25 (child), $45 (Adult)
Website
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.