Best Spring Festivals For Kids & Families In Sydney 2017

By: Phoebe Ackland, ellaslist

Welcome the blossoming of sweet-smelling flowers and the warm sunshine tickling your skin with a fabulous Spring festival! What better way to come out of hibernation than with food trucks, market stalls, carnival rides, and a plethora of live entertainment?

There is something for families of all ages at our top picks for festivals this Spring 2017, and they might even offer FREE entry. 

1. Taste of Coogee

This food and wine festival in Sydney's eastern suburbs is back for another year! This 2-day celebration will have food stalls from the popular Mr Bao and local Coogee favourite Poke, as well as boutique wines, farm fresh oysters from The Shuck Truck, a hot-dog competition to find the cutest pooch, workshops, stalls, and a long lunch for Father's Day. More information here. Saturday 2 September - Sunday 3 September, free entry. 

2. Camden Festival

Camden comes alive in September with a variety of fun, family-friendly events activities. Some highlights include Picnic in the Park where families can enjoy a park feast, live entertainment, flower crown workshops and a jumping castle, as well as Kid's Fun Day full of roving entertainment, a magic show, an animal farm, hair spraying, a free BBQ lunch and lots more. More information here. Friday 1 September- Saturday 30 September, free entry. 

3. Orange Blossom Festival

The biggest community event on The Hill's calendar! There are a huge range of exciting activities and events during the 2017 Orange Blossom Festival, the highlight being Zest Fest on 27 August which is a full day of family fun complete with live music, a youth zone with DJs and a photo booth, carnival rides, meet and greets with Sam the Fireman and Peppa Pig, circus skills workshops and lots more. More information here. Saturday 19 August- Monday 25 September, free entry. 

4. Spot On Children's Festival

Five full days of family entertainment in Parramatta during the September school holidays! There will be live theatre shows including Grug and the Rainbow, puppet shows, free courtyard activities, movie screenings, face painting, arts and crafts, and lots more. More information here. Tuesday 26 September- Saturday 30 September. 

5. Let's Go Greek Festival

Opa! This is Parramatta and Western Sydney's premier Greek cultural event showcasing all things Greek. There will be delicious and authentic Greek food, live Greek music and entertainment, Agora comprising of a variety of market stalls, carnival rides for all ages, children's entertainment including face painting, farm animals, science shows, fireworks and lots more! More information here. Sunday 10 September. 

6. Sydney Rides Festival

This four-week festival boasts more than 30 events celebrating bikes and family outdoor fun! At The Big Adventure in Sydney Park, there will be food trucks, free yoga, sports of all kinds, a petting zoo, BMX displays, and even a ballet performed on bikes! Another festival highlight is Spring Cycle, where you can hop on your bike and explore routes of Sydney that will go car-free for the day! More information here. Tuesday 3 October- Sunday 29 October, free entry. 

7. Emerge Festival

An exciting program of 30+ events has been announced for the much-loved Emerge Festival on Sydney's north shore. The highlight of the festival is StreetFair, the north shore's biggest street party! There will be a colourful street parade, market stalls, big bands, dance shows, kid's performances and so much more. More information here. Friday 1 September- Saturday 30 September, free & paid events available. 

8. The St Ives Medieval Faire

St Ives Showground will be transformed into a world of grand tournaments, lavish food, and brave knights across 2 days! There will be market stalls, trained hawks and other birds of prey, knights in full armour competing in Grand Tournaments and lots more. More information here. Saturday 23 September- Sunday 24 September. 

9. Festival of the Winds

Celebrate the arrival of Spring with the Festival of the Winds at Bondi Beach this September. Colourful cartoon characters, giant animals and flowers, fighter kites, box kites, delta kites and more make the skies come alive over Sydney's most famous beach! Join in and fly your own kite on the beach or make your own wonderful creation at one of the kite making workshops on offer throughout the day. More information here. Sunday 10 September, free. 

10. Cronulla Spring Festival

Sydney kids and families will have a ball at the Cronulla Spring Festival this September! The Sutherland Shire's largest annual festival brings you a street full of shopping joy, delicious food, rides, kids carnival, a car show and stacks of entertainment at five live sites, all within a stone's throw from Sydney's longest beach.  More information here. Saturday 9 - Sunday 10 September, free.  

11. Kidtopia Festival

Kidtopia Festival returns to Parramatta Park this October for another year of music, magic and kiddy mayhem. There will be amusement rides, dance workshops, coding classes, live music, acrobatic shows, market stalls, magic shows, a dedicated space for under 5s with animals and movies, and oh so much more. More information here. Friday 6 - Sunday 8 October.  

12. Southern Highlands Food & Wine Festival

Right in the heart of Bowral, the Southern Highlands most innovative and award-winning cool climate wine makers, artisan food producers and creative chefs will be back again to showcase the regions’ abundance and diversity of food and wine. The best part? Kids go FREE! More information here. Make it a mini family getaway: make the pleasant 70-minute drive south of Sydney for the festival, and while you're there, check out our family guide to the Southern Highlands for the best things to do and the most awesome places to go. Saturday 30 September - Sunday 1 October 2017. 

13. Surry Hills Festival

Experience all there is to love in Surry Hills this September! There will be light projections and art installations great food, lantern making workshops and lots more across Ward Park, Devonshire Street, Shannon Reserve, Crown Street & various laneways. More information here. Saturday 23 September 2017. 

14. Festival Of Mosman

A community week-long celebration of Mosman! There is a huge calendar of events including a screening of The Lego Batman Movie at Cinema Under the Stars, and a Children's Fair full of animals to pet, carnival rides to have fun on and shows to see. More information here. Friday 13- Sunday 22 October 2017

15. North Sydney Children's Festival Week

The theme for the 2017 North Sydney Children's Festival is 'Art Meets Science', where kids are encouraged to get creative and explore the world of science! Throughout the week, there will be a host of creative workshops for children aged 3-12 years, as well as a fun-filled festival day at Civic Park. More information here. Saturday 21- Saturday 28 October 2017.

 

16. The Artistry Festival Of Street Culture

The Overseas Passenger Terminal Circular Quay will be transformed into a vibrant stage for street culture, street food, artisan desserts, live centre stage entertainment, pop-up art gallery, live art and modified cars the world has never seen before on the October long weekend. More information here. Sunday 1 October 2017. 

17. Crows Nest Festival

A fun day out for family and friends on the leafy lower North Shore at the Crows Nest Festival this October. There will be communal tables, a variety of food and drink, market stalls with great shopping, a jet stimulator that dad can try out, live entertainment, carnival rides and kid's activities. More information here. Sunday 15 October 2017. 

18. Norton Street Italian Festa

A celebration of community spirit....with an Italian slant! There will be market stalls with great food, fashion & wine, and a long communal table for family and friends to get together. There are rides and fun activities for the ‘little kids’ and Auto Festa – Sydney’s largest collection of Italian cars – so the ‘big kids’ can dream about driving an Alfa Romeo, Ferrari or Lamborghini. More information here. Sunday 29 October 2017.