Looking for what’s on in Newcastle, Lake Macquarie or the Hunter this May? We’ve rounded up the best family-friendly events happening across the region, from festivals and markets to theatre shows, exhibitions and free community events.
Events are listed by date so you can easily plan your week or weekend, whether you’re heading out during the school term, celebrating Mother’s Day or just looking for something fun to do with the kids.
Bookmark this page — we update it each month so you can easily find what’s on in Newcastle, Lake Macquarie and the Hunter.
⭐ Planning a weekend outing?
This guide includes events happening throughout May, so it’s a great place to start when planning your weekend. For more ideas, including special Mother’s Day events, see our What’s On for Mother’s Day 2026 guide or subscribe to our newsletter for weekly picks and last-minute ideas.
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Tocal Field Days
Head out to Tocal Field Days during the first weekend of May. Established in 1984, Tocal Field Days is the premier agricultural event in the Hunter, Newcastle and Central Coast Regions and has lots of fun things to do for the family, whether you’re from the city or the bush. Read more about Tocal Field Days.
Date: Friday 1, Saturday 2 & Sunday 3 May 2026
Time: 9am – 4pm daily
Location: Tocal Agricultural College
Age Group: All ages
Cost: Adult from $25, Kids (5-17) $10, 4 years and under free
Website
Level Up at The Levee
Get ready, Maitland! Level Up at The Levee is bringing an epic fusion of comics, gaming, and pop culture to the heart of the city. The Levee Shared Zone will transform into a vibrant hub of fandom, featuring cosplay, interactive experiences, collectibles, and more. Whether you’re a seasoned gamer, comic book enthusiast, or just love all things pop culture, this event is your ultimate playground.
Date: Saturday 2 May 2026
Time: 2 – 8pm
Location: The Levee Shared Zone, Maitland
Age Group: All ages
Cost: Free entry
Website
Singleton Firelight Festival
Singleton’s Firelight festival transforms the Civic Precinct into a vibrant autumn celebration featuring stunning lantern displays, live entertainment, and a fireworks finale. This free community event offers a diverse mix of family-friendly activities, from circus workshops and market stalls to local Hunter Valley wine and beer.
Date: Saturday 2 May 2026
Time: 6 – 9.30pm
Location: Singleton Civic Centre Precinct
Age Group: All ages
Cost: 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: Until Saturday 2 May 2026
Time: Various
Location: Civic Theatre Playhouse
Age Group: Recommended for persons aged 13+
Cost: $50
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 third 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: Competition closes Friday 8 May 2026
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) from Saturday 30 May to Sunday 19 July 2026
Age Group: 5 – 18 years
Cost: Free
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: Runs until Saturday 23 May 2026
Time: Various
Location: Young People’s Theatre Hamilton
Age Group: All ages
Cost: $28
Website
NSW Fire & Rescue – Station Open Day
Join your local Fire and Rescue NSW fire station for their annual Open Day. Meet the firefighters, see specialised equipment and fire trucks – all while learning about how a working smoke alarm can help save lives this winter.
Date: Saturday 9 May 2026
Time: 10am – 2pm
Location: Participating Fire & Rescue NSW fire stations. Here’s a list of local stations participating in Open Day.
Age Group: All ages
Cost: Free
Website
Mother’s Day Classic
The annual Mother’s Day Classic (MDC) on in Newcastle again. This year the MDC walk/run event is raising funds and awareness for vital breast and ovarian cancer research.
Date: Sunday 10 May 2026
Time: From 8am
Location: Stockton Foreshore
Age Group: All ages
Cost: Check website
Website
Footloose: The Musical
The smash hit musical Footloose, will have you on your feet – it’s bold, it’s electric – and it’s the first time Australia’s seen a professional production of Footloose in over 20 years.
Date: Thursday 14 May – Sunday 24 May 2026
Time: Various
Location: Civic Theatre
Age Group: Recommended for ages 10+
Cost: Tickets from $69.90 (C Reserve)
Website
The Bugs presented by Hunter Drama
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. With the help of a swashbuckling cockroach, a pessimistic pill bug, a cicada who loves to party, and a couple of smitten fireflies, can the honeybees do the impossible and ruin human construction plans? Or will they have to resort to asking their ancient enemies, the spiders, for help? What can a group of bugs actually do when their ecosystem is threatened?
Date: Wednesday 20 May – Sunday 24 May 2026
Time: 2pm & 7pm
Location: Civic Theatre Playhouse
Age Group: All ages
Cost: Opening Night Standard $55, Standard$59, Concession$49, Hunter Drama Subscriber $49, Four Ticket Bundle (pp) $42.50
Website
Aladdin by Victoria State Ballet
The Victorian State Ballet presents Aladdin, a spectacular full-length production choreographed by Michelle Cassar de Sierra. This family-friendly performance follows Aladdin’s enchanting journey from the Cave of Wonders to the royal palace to win Princess Jasmine’s heart. Featuring dazzling costumes and a rich musical score, this timeless story is reimagined through elegant classical ballet to celebrate hope and the magic of believing in oneself.
Date: Friday 22 May 2026
Time: 7.30 – 9.30pm
Location: PACC, Cessnock
Age Group: All ages
Cost: Members $50, Adults $58, Concession $55, Groups 6+ $55, Children $35
Website
Repair Cafe at Wallsend Library
Repair your clothes, small electrical and household items or bikes. The Full Circle Collective team will help you repair items for free – because reducing waste starts with giving things a second life. Keep it out of landfill and keep it in use! No bookings required – just pop in!
Date: Saturday 23 May 2026
Time: 10am – 12.30pm
Location: Wallsend Library
Age Group: All ages
Cost: Free
Website
Pets Life Festival 2026
The Pets Life Festival is returning to The Station in 2026, offering a premier experience for pet lovers while supporting local animal rescues, featuring a vibrant mix of animal shows, market stalls, dog races, and family entertainment.
Date: Sunday 24 May 2026
Time: 9am – 2pm
Location: The Station, Newcastle East
Age Group: All ages
Cost: Online tickets $5 each for adults and kids (plus booking fee). Gate tickets $7 for adults and kids. Kids aged under 2 are free.
Website
ALIA National Simultaneous Storytime
Participate in this national storytime that encourages young Australians to read and enjoy books. Join storytime at your local library or read along at home. This year’s book is Luna Roo the Kangaroo Baller, written by Adam Jackson and Adrian Lloyd, and illustrated by Jake Minton. Read more about National Simultaneous Storytime.
Date: Wednesday 27 May 2026
Time: 12pm
Location: Various libraries
Age Group: All ages
Cost: Free
Website
A Midsummer Night’s Dream presented by Hunter Drama
Shakespeare’s most enchanting comedy, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, is a whimsical celebration of love in its wildest forms. When four young lovers and a troupe of amateur actors venture into an ancient forest, they become entangled in a chaotic web of mistaken identities, magic potions, and mischievous fairies. This vibrant production perfectly captures the magic and mayhem of the human and fairy worlds colliding.
Date: Thursday 28 May – Saturday 30 May 2026
Time: 2pm & 7pm
Location: Civic Theatre Playhouse
Age Group: All ages
Cost: Opening Night Standard $55, Standard$59, Concession$49, Hunter Drama Subscriber $49
Website
Young Dobell Exhibition 2026
Now in its third year, the Young Dobell is an annual exhibition celebrating the creativity of artists aged 5 to 18 from across the region. Named in honor of Lake Macquarie local and three-time Archibald Prize winner Sir William Dobell, the competition continues his legacy of portraiture and landscape art by showcasing the talent of our local youth.
Date: Saturday 30 May – Sunday 19 July 2026
Time: 9am – 3pm (Tuesday to Sunday)
Location: MAC, yapang, Booragul
Age Group: All ages
Cost: Free
Website
PBR Origin I 2026
The Professional Bull Riders Monster Energy Tour brings the fierce ‘State vs. State, Mate vs. Mate’ rivalry to Newcastle. Featuring Australia’s top riders facing off against All-Star Bulls in a heart-pounding test of grit and state pride.
Date: Saturday 30 May 2026
Time: Gates open 4.30pm, doors open 6pm
Location: Newcastle Entertainment Centre
Age Group: All ages
Cost: Tickets start from $74.50
Website
Memory Walk and Jog
Join the Memory Walk and Jog on the foreshore at Griffith Park, Stockton for a morning of family-friendly fun, fitness and fundraising for Dementia Australia. Select either 2.5km, 5km walk or jog or timed 9.5km run event as your preferred distance.
Date: Sunday 31 May 2026
Time: From 7.30am
Location: Griffith Park, Stockton
Age Group: All ages
Cost: Adult (18-59) $27.50, Child (6-17) $22, Junior (0-5) FREE, Senior (60+) $24.75, Family (2A+2C) $82.50
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 31 May 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
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.