The most wonderful time of the year comes with a pretty spectacular summer backdrop in Wollongong. From Christmas celebrations and New Year’s Eve plans to school holiday adventures and summer specials, there’s plenty happening across the region. Start planning your festive season, round up your favourite people and make a little more room for summer fun.
Christmas Festivities
The festive season is in full swing, and Wollongong is getting into the Christmas spirit. From family-friendly celebrations and festive events to Christmas Day dining and seasonal specials, there’s plenty happening to help make your December a little more merry.
Towradgi Beach Hotel
Christmas lunch, minus the cooking and clean-up!
Towradgi Beach Hotel is serving up a festive buffet with chef-selected dishes, fresh seafood, a traditional Christmas carvery and plenty of delicious desserts.
Gather the family, leave the dishes behind and enjoy Christmas Day by the coast. Bookings esstential.
Date: Friday 25 December
Time: 12pm–4pm (two sittings: 12pm and 12:30pm)
Price: Adults $119 | Children $40
Novotel Northbeach
Make Christmas Day a seaside affair at Novotel Wollongong Northbeach.
Choose from The Deck, Palisade Kitchen & Bar or Level 4 for a festive feast featuring an extravagant seafood buffet, Christmas favourites, three hours of premium beverages.
Plus special activities and gifts for the kids, including a visit from Santa.
Date: Friday 25 December
Time: 1pm-4pm
Price: Adults $285 | Teen (13-17yrs) $149 | Child (5-12yrs) $89 | Child under 5 free
Harbourfront Seafood Restaurant
Celebrate Christmas Day by the water, without lifting a finger.
Harbourfront Seafood Restaurant is serving a festive waterfront feast, with a spectacular hot and cold seafood platter or a decadent three-course menu, both paired with three hours of select beverages.
All that’s left to do is relax, raise a glass and enjoy the day.
Date: Friday 25 December
Time: 12pm-3pm
Price: Three-course menu: $280 per person (18+) | $200 per person (12–17) | $125 per person (under 12). Includes beverages.
UOW Unibar
Get into the festive spirit at UniBar’s Merry & Bright Christmas Markets!
Shop for Christmas gifts, enjoy live entertainment, delicious food and drinks, festive photo opportunities and hourly raffles with Christmas hams and fruit hampers up for grabs.
Plus, get your gifts wrapped for a gold coin donation supporting Pulse Pantry.
Spend $5 at UniBar to score a raffle ticket!
Date: Tuesday 15 December
Time: 3pm-7pm
Price: Free entry
Headlands Austinmer Beach
Wollongong Golf Club
Get a head start on the festive feasting at Wollongong Golf Club.
Their Christmas buffet brings together fresh prawns, roast turkey, glazed ham, seasonal salads, hot favourites and all the Christmas desserts you’d expect.
Just bring your appetite and your favourite people!
Date: Wednesday 16 and Thursday 17 December
Time: from 5pm until sold out.
Price: $42.50 per person
Wollongong Conservatorium of Music
Celebrate the festive season with WollCon’s End of Year Musical Celebration at Anita’s Theatre on Saturday 12 December 2026.
This special evening will bring together musicians and ensembles from across WollCon for a celebration of music, community and the year’s achievements.
Audiences can look forward to a wonderful variety of performances, finishing with a special choir collaboration and a Christmas singalong.
Dates: Saturday 12 December 2026
Price: $30 per person
A Very Furnace Christmas
Santa, elves, a drumming snowman and six musical mischief-makers take Christmas cheer to another level.
A Very Furnace Christmas brings festive favourites, hilarious musical parodies, special effects, party games and plenty of audience participation for a Christmas show that’s anything but ordinary at Anita’s Theatre.
Date: Sunday 20 December 2026
Price: from $89.90 per person
Mount Kembla Village Hotel
Enjoy an early Christmas lunch with a festive feast at Mount Kembla Village Hotel.
Tuck into roast and glazed ham with vegetables and Yorkshire pudding, followed by Christmas pudding and custard.
Complimentary Christmas crackers included, naturally. Bookings essential. Mention Christmas Lunch when reserving.
Dates: Lunch available Wednesday to Friday from 3 November–24 December 2026
Price: $30 per person
Urban Legends Tour Co
Swap the boardroom for Wollongong’s craft beer scene with a Christmas party that takes care of everything with Urban Legends Tour Co.
Enjoy four local breweries, a behind-the-scenes brewery tour and lunch, plus your choice of axe throwing, go-karting or an escape room.
Luxury coach transfers included, with door-to-door pick-ups from Wollongong or Sydney.
Price: From $179 per person
Group size: 20–200 people
Warilla Bowls & Recreation Club
There’s $10,000 worth of toys up for grabs at Warilla Bowls and Recreation Club’s Kids Christmas Toy Raffle.
Get the family together, grab your tickets and see if you can take home an early Christmas surprise!
Date: Sunday 29 November 2026
Time: Tickets on sale 10am | Draw from 2pm
Warilla Bowls & Recreation Club
Ham it up this Christmas with 101 hams up for grabs at Warilla Bowls and Recreation Club.
Join the Wednesday raffles, pick up your tickets and you could have one less thing to worry about when planning the festive feast.
Dates: Wednesdays 25 November, 2, 9 and 16 December 2026
Time: Tickets on sale 4pm | Draw at 7:30pm
Warilla Bowls & Recreation Club
A little extra Christmas cheer could be coming your way with Santa’s Cash Stash.
Warilla Bowls and Recreation Club is giving members the chance to win a share of $15,000, with a preliminary $2,000 draw followed by the remaining draws.
Date: Thursday 10 December 2026
Time: Preliminary draw at 6:30pm | Remaining draws from 8pm
Conditions: Members only. One ticket per member.
Warilla Bowls & Recreation Club
Your Christmas feast could be sorted with Santa’s Festive Feast at Warilla Bowls and Recreation Club.
Each raffle features 30 hams, 30 meat trays and $2,000 worth of gift cards.
That’s plenty of reasons to get your tickets in!
Dates: Fridays 4, 11 and 18 December 2026
Time: Tickets on sale 4pm | Draw at 7:30pm
Georgia Rose Shell Cove
Gather your friends for a festive catch-up at Georgia Rose Shell Cove’s Create & Sip workshop.
Decorate a gingerbread house made with fresh gingerbread from the Gingerbread Folks, with lollies, savoury snacks and a glass of wine on arrival to enjoy as you craft your Christmas masterpiece.
Date: Saturday 12 December 2026
Time: 3pm–5:30pm
Price: $82 per person
New Years’ Eve Celebrations
Ready to see out the year in style? Whether you’re after a waterfront dinner, a lively party, live entertainment or a family-friendly countdown, Wollongong has plenty of ways to celebrate. Find your plans, gather your people and get ready to welcome the new year.
Towradgi Beach Hotel & Waves
Dance your way into 2027 at The Final Dance at Waves, Towradgi Beach Hotel.
International house music heavyweights Dusky, Huxley and Doorly headline a huge New Year’s Eve line-up, joined by SwitchJames and local DJs for an end-of-year party in Wollongong.
Date: Thursday 31 December 2026
Time: 4pm–12:30am
Conditions: Strictly 18+. Tickets required.
PEPE's on the Beach
Beachside beats and a big-name international DJ headline NYE on the Deck at Pepe’s on the Beach.
Laidback Luke leads an afternoon and evening of music alongside Clifford, Neon Ivy, Kowojay, Jon Nok and Gussy.
Free general entry, with VIP cabanas available to book.
Date: Thursday 31 December 2026
Time: From 4pm
Price: Free general entry
VIP: Cabanas available separately. Limited availability.
Harbourfront Seafood Restaurant
Welcome 2027 overlooking Belmore Basin at Harbourfront’s New Year’s Eve cocktail party.
Expect cocktails on arrival, a 12-course premium canapé menu, dessert grazing table and a 5.5-hour premium beverage package, accompanied by live acoustic music and a DJ.
Date: 31st December
Time: 7pm – 12am
Price: $295pp (18+), $200 (12 – 17), $125 (under 12)
YVES Social White Party
Dress in white and welcome 2027 at Yves Social’s New Year’s Eve White Party.
Enjoy a cocktail on arrival, roaming canapés, a grazing table and dessert buffet, with a DJ keeping the party going.
Overlooking Kiama Harbour, you’ll also have a front-row view of the 9pm fireworks.
Date: Thursday 31 December 2026
Time: From 7pm
Dress code: All white
Conditions: Strictly 18+
Jervis Bay Wild
Ring in 2027 on the water with Jervis Bay Wild’s New Year’s Eve Fireworks Cruise.
Enjoy a front-row seat to the 9pm fireworks from the bay, away from foreshore crowds and traffic.
With a complimentary arrival drink, licensed bar, indoor and outdoor decks, and the option to BYO food or pre-order from Fishermens Wharf, it’s a relaxed, family-friendly celebration afloat.
Date: Thursday 31 December 2026
Time: 7:30pm–10pm
Price: Adults $95, concession $90, children (2–14) $55
Novotel Northbeach
Cocktails, coastal views and a countdown worth dressing up for.
Ring in 2027 on The Deck at Novotel Wollongong Northbeach, with free-flowing beverages, festive food stations, freshly shucked oysters, a towering tiramisu dessert, five hours of DJ entertainment and late-night bites.
Dance your way into the new year overlooking North Beach and Wollongong Harbour.
Date: Thursday 31 December 2026
Time: 7:30pm–12:30am
Price: $249 per adult | $224.10 ALL Accor + Explorer members
Summer Holiday Fun
School’s out, summer’s on and Wollongong is calling. From outdoor adventures and family days out to special offers, holiday activities and new ways to explore the region, there’s plenty to fill those long summer days. Consider this your excuse to get out and make the most of it.
Jamberoo Action Park Dive In Movies
Keep the summer fun going after the rides with DIVE-IN Movies at Jamberoo Action Park.
Float around Outback Bay or settle into a sun lounge for a big-screen movie, with food, drinks and ice cream available nearby. Movie entry is free with paid park admission.
Dates: 19 Dec, 26 Dec, 2 Jan, 9 Jan, 16 Jan, 23 Jan
Time: From 5pm
Movies: Home Alone, Zootopia 2, Jurassic World Rebirth, Hoppers, The Magic Faraway Tree & How To Train Your Dragon
BIGWAVE Skydive
Ready to take your summer adventure to new heights?
Save on a tandem skydive with BIGWAVE Skydive and experience the Illawarra from a whole new perspective.
Enter the code HOLIDAYS when booking to claim your summer saving.
Offer: $40 off tandem skydives
Promo code: HOLIDAYS
Valid: 15 November 2026–8 January 2027
Astra Apartments Wollongong
Make yourself at home in Wollongong this summer at Astra Apartments.
Choose from two accommodation offers: stay seven nights and pay for six, or book direct and save 15% off the standard rate.
Spacious, self-contained apartments come with secure parking and are just a short walk from the beach and city centre.
Valid for stays: 11 December 2026–31 January 2027
Offers: Stay seven nights, pay for six; book direct and save 15%.
Conditions: Minimum seven-night stay. One night’s deposit required. One week’s notice required for cancellations. Direct bookings only. Subject to availability. Offers cannot be combined. Quote SUMMER BY THE COAST when booking.
Touchdown Helicopters
The City & Surf Flight with Touchdown Helicopters is the perfect introduction to Wollongong by helicopter, combining two of the region’s most spectacular features — the coastline and the escarpment.
Departing from Wollongong Heliport, you’ll lift off and head north along the coastline, passing Flagstaff Point before continuing towards Bellambi Point.
From here, the helicopter turns inland towards the dramatic slopes of Mount Keira, giving you a completely different perspective of Wollongong and the surrounding Illawarra.
Price: $190 per person
Aquilla Fishing Charters
Cast a line off the Wollongong coastline with Aquilla Fishing Charters.
Whether you’re a seasoned angler or a first-timer, enjoy six hours on the water aboard a spacious 60ft vessel, with fishing gear, bait, morning tea and a BBQ sausage sizzle included.
Book by the seat or bring your whole crew.
Duration: 6 hours
Booking options: Per person or whole boat
Aquilla Fishing Charters Junior Anglers
Got a budding young angler? Aquilla Fishing Charters is running Junior Anglers sessions these summer school holidays.
Designed for kids aged 8–16, these two-hour fishing adventures include all the gear, bait and guidance needed to give fishing a go and learn a few new skills along the way.
Dates: Daily, 18 December 2026–24 January 2027
Duration: 2 hours
Breakout Bar & Escape Rooms
Shake up your summer plans at Breakout’s Cocktail Lab.
Join the bartenders in their private bar for a 90-minute class where you’ll learn to make three cocktails of your choice.
A fun option for your next catch-up, celebration or group outing.
Duration: 90 minutes
Price: $69 per person
Conditions: 18+ only. Minimum four guests. Bookings essential; no walk-ins.
Nightcap at The Charles Hotel
Turn a quick getaway into a longer Wollongong stay and save 10% at Nightcap at The Charles Hotel.
Book three consecutive nights and enjoy comfortable studio accommodation, free Wi-Fi and easy access to local beaches and Wollongong CBD, with pub dining and friendly local hospitality close at hand.
Offer: Stay three consecutive nights and save 10%.
Gumaraa Aboriginal Experience
Traditional Bushtucker & Medicine Walk
Discover the traditional uses and cultural significance of native plants on a guided bush tucker and medicine walk with Gumaraa.
This one-hour experience explores Aboriginal knowledge of food, traditional healing and connection to Country, offering a deeper appreciation of the natural world and its cultural heritage.
Duration: 1 hour
Dates: 12 and 14 January 2027
Gumaraa Aboriginal Experience
Explore Culture in the Botanic Gardens
Discover Aboriginal culture and traditional knowledge at Wollongong Botanic Garden with Gumaraa.
This interactive two-hour walk explores native bush tucker and medicinal plants, traditional shelter building, mini canoe-making and Dreaming stories, offering a hands-on introduction to the connections between Country, culture and community.
Duration: 2 hours
Date: 16 January 2027
Gumaraa Aboriginal Experience
Cultural Canoeing Tour
Take to the water on a guided cultural canoeing tour along the Minnamurra River with Gumaraa.
Paddle through the river’s clear waters and mangroves while learning about Aboriginal history, First Nations culture and the evolution of traditional canoes.
A different way to explore the river and its rich heritage.
Duration: 2 hours
Date: 17 January 2027
Gumaraa Aboriginal Experience
Traditional Weaving Workshop
Get hands-on with Aboriginal weaving traditions at this two-hour workshop with Gumaraa.
Learn about the techniques, materials and cultural significance of weaving, then create your own unique piece to take home.
A small-group experience offering an opportunity to explore culture through art and storytelling.
Duration: 2 hours
Date: 13 January 2027
Group size: Maximum 10 people
Gumaraa Aboriginal Experience
Connection to Country
Deepen your understanding of Aboriginal culture and connection to Country with Gumaraa.
This two-hour experience brings together a Welcome to Country, smoking and ochre ceremonies, bush tucker, traditional dance, storytelling and artefact demonstrations, with opportunities to learn traditional spear or boomerang throwing.
Duration: 2 hours
Dates: 13 and 20 January 2027
