The Riverina Readers Festival celebrates the joy of the written word and it’s on this week. Photo: Riverina Readers Festival.
As the school holidays continue, the Riverina has plenty of events to get the whole family excited, with long-awaited town festivals, a readers festival, live music tribute acts, artistic workshops for older kids, sport and school holiday activities, plays and more.
Wagga Wagga’s Festival of W brings light shows, ice skating, art installations, live music, dances, markets, a pop-up dining hub and more to town.
The Riverina Readers Festival has a whole lot on offer for bookworms and writers alike, with an all-day festival bringing together bestselling crime novelists, romance authors, noir writers and more.
And an Australian story of courage and resilience comes to the Albury Entertainment Centre in 21 Hearts, a heartfelt retelling of the journey of a nurse trying to survive the Japanese invasion of Singapore.
All this and plenty more, in our weekly guide to the best to see and do in the Riverina in the days to come.
Multiple days
Wagga’s massive yearly festival is back this week. Photo: Visit NSW.
Festival of W – Wagga Wagga
When: 10 July to 16 July
Where: Various locations around Wagga
Cost: Costs vary | More information online.
Festival of W is back in Wagga, bringing a whole lot of excitement and fun to town during the school holidays for the whole family.
This year’s celebrations include light shows, ice skating, art installations, live music, dances, markets, a pop-up dining hub and more. It’s going for 16 days, so there’s plenty of opportunity to enjoy the full range of festivities.
PCYC has school holiday plans for the kids covered. Photo: PCYC Wagga.
School Holiday Programs at PCYC Wagga Wagga
When: 10 July, 13 July, 14 July, 15 July and 16 July
Where: PCYC Wagga Wagga, 11 Fitzhardinge Street, Wagga
Cost: $55 per day | Book online.
PCYC Goulburn is holding a great program for the school holidays, with plenty of exciting activities on offer to keep kids busy during the day.
Across a five-day schedule, there will be disco dance parties, boxing, NAIDOC painting, Nerf wars, laser tag, ultimate frisbee, basketball, Lego, kickball, dodgeball, pickleball, obstacle courses and more.
The joys of middle-age celebrated at the Wagga Civic Theatre. Image: Wagga Wagga Civic Theatre.
Middle Raged – A Musical Meltdown at Wagga Wagga Civic Theatre
When: 14 July, 7:30 pm and 15 July, 7:30 pm
Where: Wagga Wagga Civic Theatre, Burns Way (off Tarcutta Street), Wagga Wagga
Cost: Tickets from $89 | Book online.
Part comedy, part concert and part midlife awakening, Middle Raged is a fresh, fierce and funny celebration of what really happens when women hit midlife. It’s the ultimate girls’ night out.
Created from hundreds of real stories shared by women across Australia and featuring a powerhouse all-female cast and live band, this electrifying night of song and storytelling shines a spotlight on the riotous chaos of ageing, raging and changing.
Featuring songs by Missy Higgins, Gillian Cosgriff, Tim Minchin, Sia and P!nk, Middle Raged celebrates the power and potential of a glorious mid-life and beyond, inspiring women to honour their own voice with laughter, song and sisterhood.
Excitement and spectacle comes to the Wagga Showground this week. Image: Silvers Circus, Facebook.
Silvers Circus – Wagga Wagga
When: Performances from 10 July to 12 July
Where: Wagga Wagga Showground, Bourke Street, Wagga
Cost: From $28.99 to $69.77 | Book online.
Silvers Circus is bringing a world of entertainment to town, reimagining the circus to create a modern spectacular sure to entertain.
Silvers has been operating since the 1970s and is touring the state with a two-hour show featuring elite artists from around the world. New to the Silvers Circus show is comedian Walison Muh, who brought audiences to tears on Australia’s Got Talent.
There will be plenty of tricks, stunts, laughs and sights to see, so don’t miss out.
Friday
The best music from the Bee Gees comes to Albury. Image: Albury Entertainment Centre, Facebook.
Bee Gees Revival at the Albury Entertainment Centre
When: 10 July, 8 pm
Where: Albury Entertainment Centre, 525 Swift Street, Albury
Cost: Tickets from $52 | Book online.
Bee Gees Revival is the country’s foremost tribute act to everyone’s favourite disco group.
This Saturday it will be performing all the classics, including Massachusetts, How Deep is Your Love, Spicks n Specks, To Love Somebody, More than a Woman, Night Fever, You Should be Dancing, Stayin’ Alive and more.
Over the past 10 years, the Bee Gees Revival has played more than 400 shows, selling out venues and leaving audiences brimming with nostalgia and excitement.
Saturday
Celebrate the power of reading and writing at the Riverina Readers Festival. Photo: Wagga Wagga Civic Theatre.
Riverina Readers Festival 2026
When: 11 July, 9 am to 4:30 pm
Where: CSU Riverina Playhouse, 8 Cross Street, Wagga Wagga
Cost: All-day festival pass $89 | Book online.
The Riverina Playhouse hosts the Readers Festival this weekend, offering an all-day festival celebrating the written word.
Bookworms, aspiring writers, published authors and curious laymen alike are welcome to listen to bestselling crime novelists, romance authors, novelists, noir writers and more, as they detail the ins and outs of their craft.
Visiting speakers will discuss what goes into writing a successful novel, including plot and character as well as the process of publication.
Check the Civic Theatre’s website for more details on who is speaking and when.
Wednesday
An inspiring Australian story of resilience told with heart and authenticity. Image: Albury Entertainment Centre.
21 Hearts – Vivian Bullwinkel and the Nurses of the Vyner Brooke – at the Albury Entertainment Centre
When: 15 July, performances at 11 am and 7:30 pm
Where: Albury Entertainment Centre, 525 Swift Street, Albury
Cost: Tickets from $25 to $75 | Book online.
A Theatre 180 production, 21 Hearts tells a gripping Australian story, full of heart, danger and courage in the face of adversity.
21 Hearts recounts the true story of Vivian Bullwinkel, one of 65 nurses who boarded the Vyner Brooke in an attempt to escape the Japanese invasion of Singapore in 1942. The Aussie nurses end up on Banka Island, where they surrendered to the Japanese. In a turn that appalled the world, 22 nurses were marched into the sea and shot, leaving Vivian Bullwinkel as the only survivor.
Bullwinkel spent the rest of the war in a prison camp, spending her days fighting for recognition of the bravery of the Australian nurses who died.
In this performance, the resilience of Bullwinkel and the other Australian women interned in the camp are put front and centre, telling an Australian story with authenticity and the healing power of humour.
Thursday
Have you got kids at home these school holidays looking for something to do? Photo: Humanitix.
Hand-building clay workshop with Sharon McEachern
When: 16 July, 1 pm to 4 pm
Where: E3 Art Space – Wagga Wagga Art Gallery, Morrow Street, Wagga Wagga
Cost: Tickets $40 | Book online.
Recommended for visual arts students in Years 10, 11 and 12, this three-hour ceramics workshop with Albury-based artist Sharon McEachern teaches participants about fine hand-building techniques of clay sculpture.
Limited only by their own creativity, students will be provided with the clay and the know-how and then set loose to create their own sculptures and forms, acting as a great basis point for an HSC major work or as a piece for art class.
Whether your child is interested in clay and sculpture already or is looking to expand their artistic horizons and skills, this is a great way to pick up new skills.
