![Crowd in a park](https://regionriverina.com.au/wp-content/uploads/sites/9/2022/08/Spring-Jam-2019-Photo-22_webresize-1000x380px-2-1200x456.jpg)
Festivals and shows abound this weekend across the Riverina. Photo: Supplied.
Festivals, shows and fun runs galore kick off the first weekend of the spring school holidays as warm weather and clear skies promise to provide perfect conditions to be out and about.
Kicking off a jam-packed weekend is Spring Jam, Wagga’s largest children’s festival. A warm Saturday at the Botanic Gardens is the perfect backdrop for families to enjoy music, activities and food. In Collingullie, the Alliance Francaise (Wagga) is hosting delayed celebrations of Bastille Day, acknowledging all things French.
Tilly’s and the Civic Theatre will be pumping, with musician Lloyd Spiegel and comedian Dane Simpson returning to Wagga. If something a bit more hands-on is what you are after, The Curious Rabbit will be hosting their Drag Bingo with Aunt Petunia.
Lockhart, Lake Albert and Griffith will all be super popular this Sunday as The Lockhart Show returns, while the Wagga Lake Run and Ride and Griffith’s City2Lake return for those looking to enjoy fun in the sun.
All Week
![Forum 6](https://regionriverina.com.au/wp-content/uploads/sites/9/2023/09/Copy-of-Copy-of-Copy-of-Copy-of-Copy-of-Copy-of-Copy-of-Copy-of-Copy-of-Copy-of-Copy-of-Copy-of-Copy-of-32.19-1200x960.png)
Paw Patrol, Ruby Gilman Teenage Kracken and Retribution lead a stacked slate of movies at Forum 6 Cinemas this week. Photo: Supplied.
Forum 6
When: Multiple sessions between 10 am and 8:30 pm
Where: 77 Trail St, Wagga
Cost: Various. Tickets can be purchased here.
Paw Patrol returns to the big screen this week, this time with superpowers as they take on the mad scientist Humdinger. Liam Neeson also returns to the cinema this week with his new action thriller Retribution, meanwhile Dreamworks’ new animated picture Ruby Gilman Teenage Kracken also premieres this week. A packed slate of movies including Blue Beetle, A Haunting in Venice and The Nun II cap off a huge week at the cinema.
Saturday
![Spring Jam returns to the Botanic Gardens this weekend.](https://regionriverina.com.au/wp-content/uploads/sites/9/2023/09/7bf7aec91ff86ba7647b27796c2f9ef9.jpeg)
Spring Jam returns to the Botanic Gardens this weekend. Photo: Wagga Wagga City Council.
Spring Jam
When: Saturday 23 September, 10 am – 3 pm
Where: Wagga Wagga Botanic Gardens
Cost: Free.
Wagga’s biggest children’s festival, Spring Jam, returns to the Wagga Wagga Botanic Gardens this Saturday with what organisers are describing as the most jam-packed iteration yet. The outdoor festival offers food, outdoor activities and even zoo animals for every member of the family to enjoy. Be sure to come out and enjoy a day out in the sun at Spring Jam.
![Wagga's own comedy legend Dane Simpson](https://regionriverina.com.au/wp-content/uploads/sites/9/2023/09/8246c287c170e5d195bcaaf4c65a82ea-1.jpeg)
Wagga’s own comedy legend Dane Simpson returns to the Wagga Wagga Civic Theatre this Saturday. Photo: Dane Simpson/Facebook.
Dane Simpson – Always Was, Always Will Be … Funny
When: Saturday 23 September, 8 pm
Where: Wagga Wagga Civic Theatre
Cost: $35 – adults, $30 – concession.
Wagga’s own Dane Simpson returns home with his latest stand-up comedy show Always Was, Always Will be … Funny. This show debuted at the 2023 Melbourne International Comedy Festival and is guaranteed to make you feel, make you think and most importantly make you laugh. He believes it’s his best work so far.
![Fireworks](https://regionriverina.com.au/wp-content/uploads/sites/9/2023/09/ddaf78cad55aeaca55441648eb88f084-e1695257508961.jpeg)
Alliance Francaise and Inland fireworks have come together to celebrate everything French at the Riverina’s Bastille Day celebrations. Photo: Timothy Borkowski.
Bastille Day Fireworks
When: Saturday 23 September 2023, 12:30 pm
Where: Collingullie Hotel-Motel, 10 Lockhart Road, Collingullie, New South Wales
Cost: Free.
Inland Fireworks is partnering with Alliance Francaise (Wagga) to present a professional fireworks display. Attendees can enjoy a cocktail night, barbecue, kids’ events and activities, petanque, cassoulet, French crepes, spit roast and salads at this annual event.
![Bingo](https://regionriverina.com.au/wp-content/uploads/sites/9/2023/09/iStock-1454403174-1200x800.jpg)
Bingo enthusiasts unite for a fun time at the Curious Rabbit this Saturday. Photo: iStock/SolSotck.
Drag Bingo with Aunt Petunia
When: Saturday 23 September 2023, 6:30 to 9 pm
Where: The Curious Rabbit
Cost: All tickets from $80 to $300, individual or group of four.
For the bingo novices and RSL nanna experts alike, Aunt Petunia is here to take you on a journey of highs, lows, and middles too. Petunia has been around the block – more than a few times – and is ready to fill your night with laughs, prizes, performances to knock your socks off and more!
![Melbourne musician Lloyd Spiegel](https://regionriverina.com.au/wp-content/uploads/sites/9/2023/09/lloyd-spiegel-bakehouse-648bc51b8d91922d7168d9db-scaled-1-1200x909.jpeg)
Popular Melbourne musician Lloyd Spiegel arrives at Tilly’s this Saturday. Photo: Supplied.
Lloyd Spiegel – Bakehouse Dozen Tour
When: Sat 23 September 2023, 6:30 pm
Where: Tilly’s, 109 Baylis Street
Cost: $36.
The 14-time Australian Blues Award-winner has one of the most interesting stories in music, having grown up on stage learning from, and touring with the founding fathers of modern blues.
In 2021, Lloyd and long-time collaborator Tim Burnham welcomed Lisa Baird into the mix on trombone and backing vocals. With the new layers and sounds, combined with Spiegel’s guitar wizardry, powerful vocal performance and knack for storytelling, this trio with a twist delivers a truly unique entertainment experience that reinvents the blues and dispels the cliches associated with it.
Sunday
![Lake Albert Run Ride](https://regionriverina.com.au/wp-content/uploads/sites/9/2023/09/1cd04ac8722b861394e9eac7bedb2aa4-1200x800.jpeg)
Cyclists and runners rejoice, the Lake Run Ride returns this Sunday. Photo: Supplied.
Wagga Lake Run Ride
When: Sunday 24 September, 9 am – noon
Where: Lake Albert, Apex Park
Cost: Free.
The Intersport Warehouse Wagga Lake Run and Ride is a free run, walk or ride event. Walk, run or ride 5 km or 10 km through the streets of Wagga and around the shores of Lake Albert. Join Wagga’s largest free community participation event. Register for free online here.
![The Griffith City2Lake fun run](https://regionriverina.com.au/wp-content/uploads/sites/9/2023/09/City2Lake-2023-Visit-Griffith-01-1024x768-1.jpg)
The Griffith City2Lake fun run returns this Sunday with the weather promising to be perfect. Photo: Supplied.
2023 City2Lake
When: Sunday 24 September, 8 – 11 am
Where: Jubilee Oval, Griffith
Cost: $20.
Run, walk or ride from Jubilee Oval, Griffith to the picturesque Lake Wyangan picnic ground – a distance of nine kilometres. This year the fundraiser will benefit Can Assist Griffith. There will be trophies for runners and riders in age categories as well as lucky prizes. Entertainment and catering will be available at the finish line. Enjoy a ride or run in perfect weather. Book your spot here.
![The Lockhart Show](https://regionriverina.com.au/wp-content/uploads/sites/9/2023/09/b41311cf0a0f81cd01397c672583922e-1.jpeg)
The Lockhart Show will create a fun time for the whole family this Sunday. Photo: Supplied.
Lockhart Show
When: Sunday 24 September, 9 am – 5 pm
Where: Lockhart Showgrounds
Cost: General admission $15, schoolchildren $2.
The Lockhart Show returns for 2023 and is promising to be a fun time for the whole family in perfect weather. Gather the kids and head down to Lockhart’s showground to enjoy one of the longest-running shows in Australia.