May

5 The ArtsNational Lecture is on Charles Dickens: Man of the Theatre, at Stanley Burbury Theatre, 6pm.

6 Painter Jock Young’s new solo exhibition, Waterways – Plein Air to Abstraction, has just opened at Handmark Gallery in Salamanca.

7 National Family Violence Remembrance Day will be marked by a candle lighting ceremony at Parliament Square tonight from 5:30pm. Organised by the network of Southern Tasmanian Domestic and Family Violence Services (DVCC).

8 Bernard Fanning (Powderfinger) and Paul Dempsey (Something For Kate) are now duo Fanning Dempsey National Park, at The Odeon tonight, doors 7:30pm.

9 This year’s Uni Revue, (DIM) WITTED, will skewer society, newsworthy figures and pollies alike as they revisit the most outrageous and mundane events of the year. 7:30pm, Theatre Royal.

10 Celebrate Mums at the Mother’s Day Classic fun run to raise funds for breast and ovarian cancer research. Bellerive Beach Park, various start times. Later, join the Urban Wine Walk, a self-guided wine-tasting trail through Hobart.

11 Happy Mother’s Day to all the mums and mother-figures in our lives.

13 Join Dr David Charles in an improvised musical theatre workshop tonight from 6pm at the Founders Room, Salamanca Arts Centre.

14 Have you seen, heard or experienced racism in Tasmania? Share your experiences and ideas at a Let’s Talk About Racism session 5:15pm-6:30pm, MCOT Hub, Moonah.

15 Oh sh!t! Kevin Bloody Wilson is in town, playing The Goods Shed tonight from 6:30pm.

16 Muso, TV presenter and radio broadcaster (you may have seen him on Rockwiz or Spicks and Specks), Henry Wagons performs his show Stories from the Road at the Grand Poobah from 7pm.

17 There’s a new writers group in town. Join The Old Nick Company from 2pm-4:30pm today and monthly, 50a Letitia St, North Hobart. All welcome but rsvp via www.oldnick.com.au.

18 Try a Breathwork session with Kurt Tropiano from Alchemy Breathwork. 2-4pm at Eastern Shore Psychology today and other times.

19 The latest  Digital Skills Session at Glenorchy Library teaches how to create a travel journal. All ages, 9:30am – 10:30am.

21 The Peacock Theatre is the venue for the intimate and bold Kafka’s Monkey, directed by Jacob Golding. From today til 25th.

22 Join the Sydney Writers Festival via livestream at the Glenorchy Library today. Later, learn how to create a glam make-up look with the latest styles and trends with makeup artist and colour expert Adam Buechner. 6:30pm, Henry Jones Art Hotel.

23 ARIA chart topper Pete Murray plays at the Showroom at Wrest Point tonight from 7pm as part of his current Australia and New Zealand tour.

24 Dance music duo Peking Duk (aka Adam Hyde and Reuben Style) bring their musical style and epic hair dos to the Uni Bar for a last hurrah before it closes.

25 Inside Pompeii: Origins of a European Way of Life is a TMAG exhibition of photography by Luigi Spina who was able to capture the ancient city during the covid pandemic.

27 Did you know there are some simple things you can do to help reduce your cancer risk? Jane from Cancer Council Tasmania will share some tips at the Kingborough Community Hub from 10am.

28 Watch a three hour celebration of the mountain and adventure sports world with the 2025 Banff Mountain Film Festival World Tour. Wrest Point Casino. Info at www.banffaustralia.com.au.

29 At 7pm you can catch a show of Branwell and the other Brontës at Playhouse Theatre, presented by ExitLeft. This drama about the literary Brontë family runs 27 May to 1 June.

30 Rosny College students bring NEWSIES – a musical inspired by the real Newsboys Strike of 1899 in New York City, to life at 7:30pm, Dwight Brown Auditorium.

31 Learn to make your own knife in an introductory weekend course at Mattila Studio at Battery Point’s slip yards.

June

1 Now learn to make your own compost at home in a one hour workshop at Mathers House from 9am. Free, but bookings essential via www.goodlifepermaculture.com.au.

2 Hear presenters June Rosie and Mike Severs explain the colonial history of Norfolk Island in a talk, Norfolk Island: Paradise to Convict Hell, at Howrah Community Centre today from 1:30-3pm.

3 Looking for a new fun way to stay fit? Try drop-in dodgeball at the Hobart PCYC, Tuesdays 7:30- 8:30. For any level of fitness and experience, as long as you’re 16+.

5 Dark Mofo is back, find all the info and tickets at darkmofo.net.au. And in Psycho!, the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra features the music of Alfred Hitchcock’s classic film from 6pm, Federation Concert Hall.

6 Laugh out loud at Promise and Promiscuity: A New Musical by Jane Austen (yes, deceased) and Penny Ashton, 7pm, Moonah Arts Centre.

7 Love cars and coffee? Bring your car along to the monthly Cars and Coffee hangout at the Prince Of Wales Bay Marina in Lutana from 9am today. It’s friendly, with no tolerance for excessive revving or show ponying.

FURTHER AFIELD

9-11 May

The Supercars have driver south to our very own Symmons Plains Raceway for the annual Tassie round: the Tasmanian Super 440. See all the info on all the action here; www.supercars.com

10 May

See the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra’s new violinist, Tobias Chisnall, as he takes to the stage in the TSO’s second Woolmers concert for the year. Tobias, pianist Karen Smithies and horn player Claudia Leggett will present a trio that Brahms composed in honour of his mother. There will also be a Mozart sonota and a nocturne from French composer Lili Boulanger.

10 May

At Wilder Beat Whisky, gather by the fire for a night of Tasmania’s finest whisky, with a different local distillery taking the spotlight each evening, offering tastings and insights into their craft. With a curated menu to match and poets, musicians and dancers to entertain, sounds like a pretty nice way to spend a wintery night. Wilder Tasmania, Gorwie Park. 5-9pm

10 May

International musicians Passepartout Duo (made up of pianist NIcoletta Favari from Italy and the US) will be in redidence at Q Bank Gallery in Queenstown from today at 10am. More details: qbankgallery.com.au

Til 23 May

Perusing Oatlands is an exhibition of watercolour and ink portraits of the charming Georgian cottages in the township of Oatlands by artists Paricia Hopwood-Wade and Jean-Michel Brunet. The exhibition is held at the Weaver’s Cottage Studio on the main street and is open Thursday-Sunday, 10am-4pm.

AROUND THE ISLAND

May

5 Give line dancing a go at Buckland Hall, 7pm-8:30pm, set to toe-tappin’ country music. A great way to exercise and have fun.

7 Head to Burnie Regional Museum for the Greetings from Burnie exhibition, tracing the city’s transformation over the decades. On until 16 May

8 Attend a Q&A showing of the documentary Larapinta: End to End, about Tasmanians with disabilities traversing the Larapinta Trail. 5:30pm at St.Lukes Wellness Centre.

9 Supercars get revving at Symmons Plains Raceway from today to 11 May for the Tasmania Super 440, promising thrilling races and intense competition. Hear the engines roar.

10 Daredevils better prepare for The Devils Cardigan UCI Gravel World Series, a challenging gravel cycling race in the Derby bush.

11 Blues guitarist Brendan Wakely and pianist ade ishs play Communion Brewing Co in Burnie this afternoon from 4:30pm.

12 Join Tasmanian author Claire Van Ryn at Bayside Hotel in St Helens, 6pm-7pm, as she discusses her second novel, Where the Birds Call Her Name.

13 Improve your pastel drawing skills at the monthly Soft Pastel Drawing Group, held at Harmony on High Street Campbell Town, 1pm-3pm.

14 Grease is the word. Launceston Church Grammar School presents a stage production of the musical Grease until 17 May at Princess Theatre.

15 Join the Stanley & Tarkine Forage Festival to celebrate food and produce in the north west until 18 May.

16 Test your knowledge at Boathouse Centre Launceston for the Dead Right Quiz Night, marking the end of National Palliative Care Week 2025.

17 Dress warm and meet inside Christ Church Longford for the 45-minute Voices from the Graves tour. Explore the graveyard and learn its history. No bookings required. 5:45pm.

18 Experience a sonic odyssey at Sound in Space #1, the first of a new event series mixing live music with cosmic moving images, at the Ulverstone Planetarium at Hive.

19 Six Extinctions is a new exhibition at QVMAG that delves into the biggest events which drastically reshaped life on Earth. Dinosaur fans won’t want to miss it. Until 17 August.

20 Attend a Q&A with Karen Young, a leading authority on child and adolescent anxiety, at paranaple arts centre, Devonport. 10:30am-12pm.

21 Sing your heart out and enjoy a huge amount of performances and workshops at the Australian Theatre Music Festival which begins today in Launceston until 25 May

22 Ghostlight is a theatre tour mixing history, architecture, and performance at Launceston’s Princess Theatre, 4pm- 5pm.

23 Tyson Stelzer’s Tasmanian Wine Weekend brings together eight Tasmanian winemakers for lavish lunches and dinners and a two-night stay in the Coal River Valley.

24 Come and support Tassie producers and growers at Devonport Farmers Market today, 8:30am- 12pm. At the Devonport Showground.

25 Enjoy flavours from around the globe at World Street Eats. The cultural community market is from 11am- 3pm at Launceston Civic Square.

26 Whether you’re new to crochet or working on your own project, consider joining the weekly Crochet Group at George Town Library for a bit of fun, 10am- 12pm.

28 Wednesday night trivia at Easy Tiger St Helens starts at 6:30pm and is free. A great way to spend time with friends over a meal and drink.

29 The sowrong- it’sright Uni Revue returns in 2025 with [Dim] Witted – The Wicked Story of the Pollies of Aus, until 31 May at Princess Theatre.

30 The Campbell Town Show is happening today and tomorrow, featuring a fashion parade, shearing demonstrations, wood chopping, horses, and a fun sausage dog race.

31 Australian indie rock band Holy Holy bring their hiatus tour to Forth Pub tonight from 8pm. They also play Du Cane Brewery in Launceston on 29 May.

June

1 Launceston’s biggest fun run and walk event returns today. The McGrath Launceston Running Festival has four events of varying lengths available to join.

4 Du Cane Brewery hosts Warren Miller’s 75th Annual Ski Film, 7pm-9:30pm, stacked with footage of powder action from around the world.

5 Today’s the Geeveston Twilight Feast, a free family friendly event with an array of local food trucks and stalls in the historic Geeveston Town Hall. 5pm start

6 Over the June long weekend in the north east, the Bay of Fires Winter Arts Festival sees 30 finalists vying for a $20,000 prize. The public exhibition is open until 15 June.

7 Head to Beaconsfield Mine and Heritage Centre for their family- friendly after-dark tour, 4:30pm-6pm. Held every Saturday in June.

WHAT’S ON IN TASSIE

Mother’s Day events (11 May) Treat your mum to a special Mother’s Day celebration with a Breakfast at Tiffany’s-themed lunch at Woolmers Cafe and Restaurant. Channel your inner Holly Golightly with a little black dress, pearls, and jewels. Enjoy a bespoke menu featuring eggs benedict, French toast, brioche bagels, croissants, and more, plus a glass of sparkling on arrival. Or join the Mother’s Day Classic fun run and walk in Stanley to raise funds for breast and ovarian cancer research.

Tasmanian State Jigsaw Puzzle Competition (17 May) Join in or watch the second Tasmanian State Jigsaw Puzzle Competition at the Launceston Conference Centre. The event, open to all ages and abilities, celebrates the joy of puzzling. The solo competition kicks off at 10am with a 500-piece puzzle to be completed in two and a half hours. At 1:30pm, teams will tackle a 1000-piece puzzle in two hours. Tickets are available on Eventbrite. Participants compete for prizes, including 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place, plus spot and raffle prizes.

Redbanks Fireworks Festival & Light Show (24 May) Returning to the hills of Nugent for an unforgettable night of fire, light and entertainment is the Redbanks Fireworks Festival & Light Show. Happening from 4pm to 10pm (gates open at 3pm), this family-friendly event features live local music, roaming performers, interactive light installations, kid’s workshops, gourmet food, and a stunning fireworks finale. Kids under 16 get in free (but must book a ticket), abd limited camping passes are available.