Discover Dorrigo: Music, Markets and Art

Dorrigo offers a range of opportunities to include music, local products and art in your trip. The Dorrigo Folk & Bluegrass Festival centres on an acoustic weekend of concerts, workshops, group music sessions and dancing. There are also the monthly Dorrigo Markets, the annual Dorrigo Show Fine Arts Exhibition and other markets. The Skywalk lookout above the rainforest is also nearby. When choosing holiday accommodation, it may therefore be important to consider whether you want to plan your stay around a particular event date or combine several discoveries.

Music to listen to and take part in

The Dorrigo Folk & Bluegrass Festival features concerts as well as workshops, group music sessions and dancing. This acoustic weekend offers several ways to experience music: you can listen to concerts or take an interest in activities that involve making music together and moving to it. The festival is family-friendly and welcomes people of all ages. If you are travelling with children, this invitation to all age groups is a practical point to consider when planning, without having to limit your stay to a single activity.

The festival takes place every year on the last full weekend of October. If you want to make this event the focus of your trip, you can plan your stay around that date. The combination of music, workshops and dancing sets the weekend apart from a visit focused mainly on a market or an art exhibition. When choosing your travel dates, you can consider which kind of shared experience would be of particular interest to your family.

Markets and regional products

The Dorrigo Markets take place on the first Saturday of each month at the Dorrigo Showground. They offer home-grown and homemade food, environmentally friendly goods and clothing. If the market is important to your trip, the first Saturday of the month gives you a clear date to plan around.

In addition, the Made in Dorrigo market showcases products made locally on the Plateau. It takes place three to four times a year. The Dorrigo Markets and Made in Dorrigo are therefore two different market offerings: the monthly markets feature several categories of goods, while Made in Dorrigo focuses on products made locally on the Plateau. If you are particularly interested in local produce, you can take this distinction into account when planning.

Art and competition

The Dorrigo Show Fine Arts Exhibition is an annual art exhibition in Dorrigo. It adds an arts focus to the range of events, distinct from music and market activities. For travellers looking to combine different interests, it is a separate occasion alongside the regularly recurring markets and the October weekend of the Folk & Bluegrass Festival.

The Dorrigo Show includes competitions in cattle, produce, baking and photography. There is also entertainment during the day and at night. This gives it a different character from the art exhibition or the markets. As no date is given here for the Dorrigo Show, you can consider it as a possible trip in its own right without adding a date to your plans.

Skywalk lookout nearby

The Skywalk lookout nearby offers another perspective on the area around Dorrigo. The 70 m-long walkway runs about 21 m above the rainforest at the edge of the escarpment. Its length and approximate height give a specific sense of this lookout: you walk along a platform above the rainforest, with the escarpment defining the landscape. The Skywalk lookout thus complements the events with a natural viewpoint. If you would like to combine music and markets with this kind of landscape experience, you can take these different interests into account when choosing where to stay.

Discover more places: Toongabbie, Jingellic, Pagewood, Boggabri, Wauchope, Gerringong, Surf Beach, Fernbank Creek.

For the broader travel overview: New South Wales.