The Festival of Busselton
Free, family-friendly fun celebrating Busselton
Our beautiful seaside town will come alive this summer with the annual Festival of Busselton, and best believe if you’re staying with us, you don’t want to miss out on all the festivities!
Before we get into it, we’d like to say a special thank you to the volunteer organisers who have been planning the festival all year, giving their time and energy to make it such a success. This includes our very own Carol Smith, who also does an amazing job working here at Mandalay. Congratulations, team, and thank you!
Celebrating its 61st anniversary this year, the Festival of Busselton begins with a bang on December 31st (fireworks, in fact!) and spans the entire month of January, showcasing the best of the region with something for the whole family to love. With a range of free events, including arts and crafts to sporting events, live entertainment, outdoor cinemas and more, Busselton will be a hive of energy, creativity, and joy.
Some of our favourite events that you need to add to your holiday calendar include:
New Year’s Eve Fireworks – 31st December
Say goodbye to 2024 and celebrate the official start to 2025 with the Festival of Busselton’s annual New Year’s Eve concert. The family-friendly event will be packed to the brim with fun events, local live music by Together in Time and fabulous food.
The best part? At 9pm, the sky above Busselton Jetty will light up with a wonderful firework display sponsored by Retravision.
The Big Water Fight – 5th January 3.00-4.30pm
What better way to soak up the summer sun than with an epic water fight battle! Get the gang together, BYO water pistols and head down to Busselton’s foreshore for an afternoon of fun. There’ll be free water slides and ice-creams for sale too.
Organisers kindly ask ‘please no water balloons’ – to help keep the beach litter-free.
Free Outdoor Cinema – 6th January from 7.30pm
Shark Tale is showing at the Cultural Precinct Courtyard, off Queen Street.
Sandcastle Competition – 8th January 10am-12pm
Bring your buckets, spades and creativity and head down for this all-ages competition – it’s bucket loads of fun! Free to enter, it’s organised by Busselton Jetty, who also kindly provide some prizes for the most amazing sandcastle creations.
It takes place between Busselton Jetty and the smaller U-shaped jetty to the west.
Vasse Lions Twilight Markets – 5-8pm 10th January
This year the festivities reach to the nearby town of Vasse, also close to Mandalay Resort. Wander Napoleon Boulevard as the sun sinks, discovering yummy food vans, entertainment and an array of market stalls.
Also new and worth checking out – Bunbury Farmers Market at Vasse Village just opened in December, and it’s wonderful for farm-fresh produce and ready-made meals.
Dogs Dayout – 11th January from 8.00am
A fun day out for our furry friends – Competitions and Prizes. Kaloorup Oval, Vasse
Free Outdoor Cinema – 13th January from 7.30pm
Free Willy is showing at the Cultural Precinct Courtyard, off Queen Street.
Art in the park – 18th and 19th January, 8.30am – 4.30 pm
The Busselton Art Society puts on this two-day event in Mitchell Park Busselton, and the best way to describe it is like “an art gallery in the park”. Browse and buy original artworks by our local creatives, many who don’t sell their work anywhere else!
The Main Event – 18th January 5pm
Our all-time favourite event throughout the festival featuring local musicians and a spectacular drone show! The evening will kick off with a Battle of the Bands where you’ll get the chance to watch the fantastic local talent we have in the region. There’ll also be a special performance from Afterglow – a local cover band that’ll be bringing all your favourite classics to the stage.
Best enjoyed over a picnic, you can bring your own or buy from the food trucks throughout the night.
The evening will finish with a special drone show sponsored by Roy Hill. It’s actually the show originally created for WA Day in June, that wasn’t able to go ahead due to rain. We are excited to see it now!
Free Outdoor Cinema – 20th January from 7.30pm
School of Rock is showing at the Cultural Precinct Courtyard, off Queen Street.
Community Open Water Swim – from 5.30pm 24 & 25 January
Cheer on competitors taking part in the Australian Open Water Championships and OceanSwim Festival, a 5 and 10km professional event.
There’s also the Community Swim on January 25, round 7 of the Open Water Swimming Series. It’s open to swimmers of all ages and abilities, from 500m to 10km, so anyone can join in the fun. Register at www.openwaterswimming.com.au
Apart from these, the festival has an array of events and workshops almost daily to enjoy throughout the month of January. It’s the perfect way to keep the kids happy and entertained these school holidays. For more information on the festival and to view the calendar of events, visit www.festivalofbusselton.com.au
Mandalay Resort is ideally located only a short 5km bike ride, or 5 minute drive way – so if you’re staying with us over January, be sure to see what’s on.
