13 Ways to Get Your Summer Thrills in Tasmania
Make the most of the longer days this summer with adrenaline-fueled adventures and nature-rich experiences, right on your doorstep.
What’s On In Hobart & Around The Island- May 2026
by James Marten
May
4 Head to St James Hall, New Town, for Monday night folk dancing. It’s on the first and third Monday of each month, with various bands and styles, usually Contra. 7:15pm for 7:30pm.
5 Explore the history of Recherche Bay with local historian Richie Woolley at the Maritime Museum’s lunchtime talk today, 12-1pm, Royal Society Room, TMAG.
6 Eddie Izzard –The Remix Tour Live is a chance for Eddie, inspired by her ever loyal audiences, to remix and re-imagine some of her own favourite, personal comedy highlights. The Odeon.
7 TSO Concertmaster (and past cover person) Emma McGrath performs part of the film score to The Red Violin with Australian conductor Nathan Aspinall, 6pm, Federation Concert Hall.
8 Mandela Mathia’s Lose to Win is his autobiographical story of his journey as a refugee from the Sudanese civil war to Australia. Theatre Royal, today and tomorrow, 7pm.
9 Bevs is turning into a vintage marketplace all day today for the very first Last Sip Market. Expect a treasure hunt mixed with a day party. 189 Elizabeth St, 9am-5pm.
10 Celebrate Mother’s Day with High Tea at Buscombe’s Restaurant, 12pm-3pm, or Nonna’s Sunday Lunch at Tesoro (for modern Italian).
12 Van Diemen’s Band’s next lunchbox concert is an international collaboration with Australians, a Czech violinist and a Danish harpsichordist. Czech Mate is on at 1:05pm, Hobart Town Hall.
13 Mountain lovers, get along to three hours of adventure stories with the Banff Mountain Film Festival World Tour, Wrest Point Casino, 7pm.
14 The Open Floor Dance Workshop offers an evening of ecstatic dance and community connection with Henry Fowkes, 6pm, Kingston Beach Hall.
15 In Promise and Promiscuity: A New Musical, Penny Ashton returns to Hobart bringing dozens of Jane Austen’s characters to the stage. 8pm, Salamanca Arts Centre.
16 Shotgun Karaoke is muso Paul Dempsey (Something for Kate)’s tour of stripped-back, singalong covers. Altar Bar, 7pm.
18 Law Week kicks off today, goes till the 24th. It’s our annual chance to learn more about the law and our legal rights through drop in sessions, chats, tours and more. www. lawweektas.com.au
19 Guy Sebastian is in town! He’s bringing his 100 Times Around The Sun Tour to Mystate Bank Arena tonight.
20 Learn how to create a flawless everyday makeup look with makeup artist Amber Maddison’s beginner-friendly Makeup Masterclass, Granton, 10am-12:30pm. Tix at Humanitix.
21 For something light, Dr Andrew Leigh explores the Economics of Human Extinction and what it will take to respond before it’s too late at the Sir Stanley Burbury Theatre, UTAS, 6pm.
22 Love watching films, but think they’re too long? You’ll love the Very Short Film Festival, today til Sunday, at the State Cinema.
23 Everything is really free at the Really Really Free Market, 12pm-1pm, Kingborough Community Hub. Later, don the line dancing boots for The Valley Hoedown, New Norfolk Memorial Hall, 6pm.
24 Don’t we all dream of taking up pottery? Well you can with a pottery painting workshop at the Harmony Garden Centre, Lauderdale, 9:30am-3:45pm
25 Get your blood pressure checked for free as a part of Australia’s Biggest Blood Pressure Check month, Kingborough Community Hub. 12:30pm- 2:30pm, book online.
27 Try Natural Dyeing and Printing to create samples with local plants, experiment with dye and start small projects. Tasty snacks provided! Kickstart Arts, New Town. Monthly, book at Humanitix.
28 The Island Readers & Writers Festival is a new five-day celebration of literature, story-telling and creating connection with in-conversations, panels, workshops, readings and performances.
29 Curious about UTAS’ The Forest building in the city? Take a lunchtime tour of the spaces and see what’s under the big dome. 12pm-1pm, book at Humanitix.
30 Django’s Tiger Trio returns to Salamanca Jazz with a deeply personal concert of gypsy jazz favourites: A Tribute to the Hot Club of France. The Founders Room, 7:30pm.
31 See the Aussie supergroup MONSTR (Jason Singh (Taxiride), Stu Rudd (The Superjesus), Pete Drummond (Dragon) and Jimi Hocking (The Screaming Jets)) at The Longley International, 2pm.
June
1 Marinelle Basson’s Mythographica is an exhibition inspired by the rich history of myths, made with spinning, weaving, threads, and webs. 10:15am-4pm at Sidespace Gallery.
2 I, Kitty’s Confessional is a workshop featuring a playful reimagining of well-known stories through ceramics at Moonah Arts Centre, 10am-5pm.
3 Take your little one to Rock and Rhyme and Storytime at Rosny Library at 10am or at Huonville Library at 11.
4 New Norfolk’s The Bush Inn hosts Nathan Cavaleri and his blues, rock and folk tonight from 8pm. Grab dinner at the steakhouse too.
SPOTLIGHT ON…
9 May Kingston’s Light Up the Dark fun run invites you to dress up in lights and glowing gear for a run or walk and help raise awareness for safer spaces at night. Presented by the Sandy Bay Harriers Athletic Club with the Tasmanian Sexual Assault Awareness Service (SASS). Kingston Park, 5:45pm. Funds raised will go towards support services for people affected by sexual assault.
9-15 May Maura Chamberlain’s new book, Saving Macquarie Island, is a collection of accounts by some of the many people who have played a role in eradicating invasive vermin from the place. She’s a botanical illustrator who undertook an Australia Antarctic Arts Fellowship to record the flora of the island. Chamberlain’s illustrations not only feature in the book but also in an exhibition at Mawson Waterside Pavilion this week.
9 May Singers of Southern Tasmania present An Operatic Afternoon, a selection of well-loved Italian opera choruses and songs at the Hobart College Theatre in Mount Nelson from 2:30pm (followed by a delicious afternoon tea). Book via Trybooking.
10 May Treat mum (or a mum-like-figure) to an afternoon high tea in the historic surrounds of Port Arthur. Enjoy high tea with beverages in the Visiting Magistrates House plus site entry to the Port Arthur Historic Site for the day. Adults $70, Kids under 12: $40, tickets at www.portarthur.org.au.
11-24 May Celebrate fungi season with the Tasmanian Mushroom Festival. With a lineup of events, workshops and exhibitions covering fungi in all its fabulousness, the festival culminates in the Mushroom Field Day on the 24th at BrewLab in Goodwood. Head to www.tasmanianmushroomfestival.com.au for more information and tickets to loads of events.
AROUND THE ISLAND
May
5 Historic Home Hill in Devonport hosts weekly talks this month. Today’s is End of Life Challenges and Comforts with Wendy Elsmore from Dying with Dignity Tasmania. Book via the National Trust.
6 Author Katherine Scholes discusses her new novel, One Night at Silver Lake, at Not Just Books in Burnie tonight from 6pm.
7 Quercus Park in Carrick will be transformed into Agfest – the agricultural field days – by Rural Youth Tasmania. Until the 9th.
8 Mothers Day can be tough for some – there’s a special Mothers Day Memorial Service at Carr Villa Chapel, Kings Meadows, 10am-11am.
9 Turns out birds are hard to photograph. Bird Photography for beginners is a hands-on workshop to help. 10am-4pm Dru Point, Margate, www.shutterbugwalkabouts.com.au.
10 There’s a Mothers Day High Tea at the Emu Valley Rhododendron Garden in Romaine, 12pm-4pm. Bookings essential. The Mother’s Day Classic starts at 8:30am, at The Bluff, Devonport.
11 Tassie author Katherine Johnson, inaugural recipient of the Australian Fiction Prize, chats about her new novel, Every Wild Soul, at UTAS West Park Campus, Burnie, 11:30am.
13 Auto-Tune is a rock opera – a regret-filled love letter to millennial culture – at Burnie Arts tonight from 7:30pm. Best for 15+.
14 The Stanley and Tarkine Forage Festival started yesterday until the 17th, celebrating the beauty and abundance of the north west, foragefestival.com.au.
15 Maltstock Down Under is a not-for-profit immersive whisky weekend set on Ratho Farm in Bothwell, with distillery visits, fireside chats, blind tastings and over 80 whiskies to sample. 18+ only
16 The Launceston Repair Cafe has volunteers mending broken household items. Pilgrim Church Hall, 1pm. Enjoy a Scottish Ceilidh at Sulphur Creek.
17 Deloraine’s British Hotel hosts Sundee Poetree, an open mic night on the third Sunday of the month, 2pm-4pm.
18 Check out one of the oldest Fords in the world at the Ransley Veteran Car Collection in the Wonders of Wynyard Exhibition and Visitor Centre. Open every day 10am- 4pm.
20 The Supercars are here, and there’s a fan fare community event in Devonport’s CBD this afternoon from 3pm, with driver signings from 4pm.
21 Join Cancer Council Australia’s beloved annual fundraiser, Australia’s Biggest Morning Tea at the heritage-listed Church Tasmania in Campbell Town. Tickets $39.95.
22 Supercars racing returns to Symmons Plains Raceway in Perth for Round 5 of the 2026 Repco Supercars Championship, with a full weekend of racing and family-friendly action. Until Sunday.
23 Celebrate Botanic Gardens Australia & New Zealand Week with a talk by psychologist and mindfulness teacher, Tracy Spencer and Pat Fleming. Tasmanian Arboretum, Eugenana. Bookings essential.
24 Join the Great Train Race, a family-friendly run and walk at Don River Railway. Race against a moving train, with entertainment, medals, or watch from on board. 7am–1pm.
26 QVMAG’s Northern Clay exhibition explores the rise of ceramics in northern Tassie and the story of two former Launceston pottery companies. Open every day.
27 Behind the Lines 2025: ‘Are We Rolling?’ is a touring exhibition celebrating the past year’s best political cartoons. Until 18 July at Burnie Arts.
28 NZ’s Salmonella Dub bring their full original line up to the Royal Oak tonight, 8pm. They’re also at Forth Pub tomorrow night.
29 Connect with your creative side exploring basic colour theory and painting techniques in Prickle, Paint and Sip with local artist Erin Pickle. 7pm – 9pm, South Arm Calverton Hall.
30 Now in its second year, the boutique Tamar Valley Film Festival celebrates Tasmanian filmmakers. Yesterday and today at SOTA School of the Arts, Invermay. Tix via their website.
31 The McGrath Launceston Running Festival returns to Launceston. It’s Australia’s fastest course and the only World Athletics Elite Label in the Southern Hemisphere – half mara, 10km, 5km and one-mile races.
June
1 George Town Library hosts the weekly Gaming for Youth sesh after school today, with PS4, VR, Switch and board games on hand, best for ages 10-18, 3:15pm.
2 Alastair Mooney’s striking contemporary exhibition, Funerea Procession was inspired by the yellow-tailed black cockatoo. Jim Mooney Gallery, George Town. Until 11 July.
3 Join Social Swim Club, a welcoming swim squad for people with physical or intellectual disabilities. Come and watch or dive straight in. Every Wed, 11am, Devonport Aquatic Centre.
4 George Town’s Watch House Gallery has an exhibition of Suemi Cheba’s thrown ceramics. Closed Tuesdays, every second Thursday and Sundays. Finishes on 21 June.
5 Devonport’s monthly Twilight Market and street food night is back at Market Square Pavilion, with shopping, eating and fun. 4pm–8pm, 13-17 Oldaker Street. Free entry.
MORE AROUND THE ISLAND
20-24 May The Australian Musical Theatre Festival returns to Launceston for five glittering days of performances, cabaret, concerts and late-night magic, centred on the historic Albert Hall. Highlights include the opening production of Well Behaved Women, Sondheim’s The Frogs, Broadway Showstoppers with the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra, Nadine Garner performing Pride and Prejudice at Clarendon Estate, Buskers Alley and the ever-popular Choir in the Pub with Travis Hennessy. Wednesday 20 – Sunday 24 May, Launceston. Full program and tickets at amtf.org.au.
21 May The Hawks bring AFL football back to Launceston for a Thursday night blockbuster under lights at University of Tasmania Stadium, as part of the Sir Doug Nicholls Round — the AFL’s annual celebration of the contribution of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander players and culture to the game. Catch the Hawthorn Hawks and Adelaide Crows in their specially designed Indigenous guernseys. 7:30pm. Tickets via Ticketmaster.
23 May The Bruny Island District School P&F is raising funds for a new bike track and outdoor classroom with a magical Indonesian Long Table Dinner evening of traditional Indonesian food, live music and community spirit at Alonnah Hall. Local resident Wina will prepare a four-course feast of authentic Indonesian dishes, with live music from Julius Schwing and Matilda Martin. Adults only. 5pm–9:30pm, Alonnah Hall, Bruny Island. Tickets via Humanitix.
30 May Tasmania’s annual fireworks and bonfire tradition Cracker Night marks what was originally a celebration of Queen Victoria’s birthday. It’s one of the few places in Australia where the tradition lives on. Whether you’re heading to a local display or hosting your own, remember that fireworks permits must be obtained at least 21 days in advance through WorkSafe Tasmania (that’s 8 May). And spare a thought for pets – keep them indoors with some music or TV on, gates secured, and make sure they’re microchipped just in case.
