What’s on in March? 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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First Class 24
The Museum of Art and Culture, yapang proudly presents First Class 24, continuing its tradition of showcasing and celebrating the creative achievements of students from the previous year’s HSC Visual Arts cohort.
Date: Runs until Sunday 6 April 2025
Time: 9 – 3pm
Location: Museum of Art and Culture (MAC) yapang, Lake Macquarie
Age Group: All ages
Cost: Free entry
Website
Newcastle Show
Where City Meets Country, experience an Unforgettable Newcastle Show. Enjoy entertainment, fireworks and events and activities for the whole family including carnival games, rides, animal nursery, equestrian events, showbags and much, much more!
Date: Friday 28 February – Sunday 2 March 2025
Time: Fri & Sat 9 – 10pm, Sunday 9 – 5pm
Location: Newcastle Showground
Age Group: All ages
Cost: Tickets from $15 (child 5-17, concession), $25 (adults 17+), FREE (Under 4), Family passes available
Website
Clean Up Australia Day 2025
This year, get your family involved in Clean Up Australia Day. This day is Australia’s largest annual national community-based litter clean up event. It’s on Sunday 2 March 2025 and there are a variety of different local activities you can do to help clean up our community.
Date: Sunday 2 March 2025
Location: Various
Cost: Free
Website
Newcastle Orienteering Mini Course – Croudace Bay
Newcastle Orienteering Club is offering FREE Mini courses for juniors, families and novices in local parks each Wednesday afternoon from 5 March through to 26 March. Mini orienteering courses feature beginner friendly, entry level navigation and remain entirely within park grounds. They are designed to be suitable for children and family groups.
Date: Wednesday 5 March 2025
Location: Parklea Ave, Croudace Bay
Cost: Free
Website
Women In Sport Festival
Celebrate women in sport with Lake Macquarie City Council’s week-long festival! Enjoy a variety of fun, empowering activities for girls and women. An all-female lineup will take to the foreshore, and local sports clubs will offer come-and-try sessions for sports like tennis, rugby, croquet, and aikido.
Date: Friday 7 – Sunday 16 March 2025
Location: Various locations in Lake Macquarie
Cost: Mixture of free and ticketed events
Website
Friday Chill
Enjoy Friday Chill. On Friday nights through summer, Soul Hub engages local artists to perform chilled out tunes in a family-friendly setting. Food trucks and kids’ performers/activities add to the festival environment.
Date: March 7, 14, 21 & 28
Time: 6.30 – 8.30pm
Location: Pacific Park, Newcastle East
Age Group: All ages
Cost: Free entry
Website
Music in the Podium
Music in the Podium returns to Warners Bay Foreshore. The program, hosted by Lake Macquarie City Council will feature popular local musicians every Friday evening.
Date: March 7, 14, 21 & 28
Time: 6 – 9pm
Location: Warners Bay Foreshore
Age Group: All ages welcome
Cost: Free
Website
Gresford Show
The Gresford Show offers classic country entertainment, from woodchopping and campdrafting competitions to horse ring events. Animal lovers will enjoy the poultry, rabbits, and the pet parade. Inside the pavilion, exhibits include local farm produce, jams and cooking, and art, craft, and photography.
Date: Friday 7 & Saturday 8 March 2025
Location: Gresford Showground
Age Group: All ages
Cost: Friday: Adults $15, Children FREE, Pensioners (aged and Invalid) $8 Saturday: Adults $20, Children under 6 FREE, Children 6-15 $5, Pensioners (aged and Invalid) $10, Family tickets and 2-day passes available
Website
Newcastle Orienteering Mini Course – Lambton
Newcastle Orienteering Club is offering FREE Mini courses for juniors, families and novices in local parks each Wednesday afternoon from 5 March through to 26 March. Mini orienteering courses feature beginner friendly, entry level navigation and remain entirely within park grounds. They are designed to be suitable for children and family groups.
Date: Wednesday 12 March 2025
Location: Barellan Street, Lambton
Cost: Free
Website
Lake Macquarie Triathlon Festival
The Lake Macquarie Triathlon Festival is a three-day multi-sport festival including running, swimming, cycling and triathlon events.
Date: Friday 14 – Sunday 16 March 2025
Location: Speers Point Park
Age Group: All ages can spectate, the Out of the Sun Run is for anyone who can run or walk 5km
Cost: Out of the Sun Run tickets from $50 adults, $35 children, $130 Family of 4
Website
Live at the Levee Street Party
Get ready for a night of live music, delicious drinks, and family-friendly fun at The Levee Street Party! Bring the whole family along for free entertainment, face painting, yard games, and plenty of surprises throughout the evening.
Date: Saturday 15 March 2025
Location: The Levee, High Street, Maitland
Age Group: All ages
Cost: Free entry
Website
Newcastle Orienteering Mini Course – Maryland
Newcastle Orienteering Club is offering FREE Mini courses for juniors, families and novices in local parks each Wednesday afternoon from 5 March through to 26 March. Mini orienteering courses feature beginner friendly, entry level navigation and remain entirely within park grounds. They are designed to be suitable for children and family groups.
Date: Wednesday 19 March 2025
Location: Tumpboaba Reserve, Maryland
Cost: Free
Website
Newcastle Fringe
Newcastle Fringe Festival is back for 2025 and celebrating their 10th Anniversary. The festival is a diverse, inspirational and super creative festival that showcases a smorgasbord of performing arts. As well as shows for adults, this year, there’s a huge line-up of exciting and interactive shows just for kids!
Date: Thursday 20 – Sunday 30 March 2025
Location: Various venues
Cost: Various costs
Website
Newcastle Orienteering Mini Course – Newcastle
Newcastle Orienteering Club is offering FREE Mini courses for juniors, families and novices in local parks each Wednesday afternoon from 5 March through to 26 March. Mini orienteering courses feature beginner friendly, entry level navigation and remain entirely within park grounds. They are designed to be suitable for children and family groups.
Date: Wednesday 26 March 2025
Location: King Edward Park, Newcastle
Cost: Free
Website
Hunter Sports Centre, kaiyu nungkiliko, Grand Opening
Celebrate the opening of the newly expanded Hunter Sports Centre, kaiyu nungkiliko in Glendale, the Hunter’s premier sporting facility. Lake Macquarie City Council invites you to a free Community Open Day where everyone is welcome to explore and enjoy the space.
Date: Saturday 8 March 2025 – POSTPONED to Saturday 29 March
Time: 12pm – 3pm
Location: Stockland Drive, Glendale
Age Group: All ages
Cost: Free entry
Website
Memory Walk and Jog
Join the Memory Walk and Jog on the foreshore at Warners Bay Foreshore Reserve in Warners Bay on Sunday 23 March 2025 for a morning of family-friendly fun, fitness and fundraising for Dementia Australia. Select either 2km, 5.5km walk or jog or timed 9km run event as your preferred distance.
Date: Sunday 23 March 2025
Time: From 7.30am
Location: Warners Bay Foreshore
Age Group: All ages
Cost: Adults $22.50, Child 6-17 $17.50, Family (2A+2C) $67.50
Website
Kurri Kurri Nostalgia Festival
The annual Kurri Kurri Nostalgia Festival is all about Rock n Roll, Classic Cars, Hot rods, Fashion, Music, Dancing and everything good about the 50’s and 60’s. There’ll be a classic car and hot rod ‘Show and Shine’, a huge range of quality retro market stalls and food vans, lots of free entertainment, rock n roll dance demonstrations, main stage performances, feature bands, fashion parades, best dressed competitions, side show alley and much more.
Date: Friday 28 – Sunday 30 March 2025
Time: From 8.30am daily
Location: Various locations around Kurri Kurri
Age Group: Something for all ages
Cost: Free entry and live entertainment, some ticketed events
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 30 March 2025
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
Feature Image: Newcastle Fringe
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.