Welcome to this week's edition of The Newy List!

The last weekend of winter has arrived with quite a lot on, which is a polite way of saying you may need to choose between a new musical, Lano & Woodley in space and looking at caravans you cannot quite justify. There is proper live music, an excellent wine dinner in Pokolbin and a native-bee workshop for anyone ready to make their garden more useful than decorative. Blacksmiths has a community day that will leave the lake a little cleaner, while Maitland offers a free Sunday dose of artmaking. Have a look through and choose something before the weekend disappears into a queue at Bunnings.

Caravans, campers, 4WD equipment and outdoor gear take over Broadmeadow for three days. It is a broad, practical day out for anyone planning a trip, a renovation of the camper trailer, or simply some new weekend ambitions.

•When: Friday 28 August, 8:30am–4pm; Saturday 29 August, 8:30am–5pm; Sunday 30 August, 8:30am–4pm

•Where: Newcastle Entertainment Centre, Griffiths Road, Broadmeadow

•Price: $16 adult single-day; $12 seniors; children 16 and under free

•More info: Expo details and tickets

Maitland Showground hosts more than 150 exhibitors covering renovations, gardens, solar, outdoor living and the sort of home projects that may begin as a conversation and end with a trailer hire.

•When: Friday 28–Sunday 30 August, 9am–4pm daily

•Where: Maitland Showground, Blomfield Street, South Maitland

•Price: $16 adult online; $12 concession; children under 16 free

•More info: Book Home Show tickets

Four days of contemporary dance, workshops, conversations and dance on film at Warners Bay Theatre. The program has single-show options as well as multi-event passes, so it works for the curious as well as committed dance-goers.

•When: Thursday 27–Sunday 30 August; opening performance Thursday 27 August, 7:30pm

•Where: Warners Bay Theatre, baramayiba, Warners Bay

•Price: From $16.75

•More info: Explore the Impact Festival program

Perth indie-rock four-piece DICE brings its Altitude tour to King Street with Mid Drift, Ray and Paul, and Spice Water. This is the late-Friday guitars-and-good-noise option.

•When: Friday 28 August, 7pm

•Where: King Street Band Room, Newcastle

•Price: $49.90

•More info: Get DICE tickets

A live Zach Bryan tribute cruises Newcastle Harbour aboard MV Calmer, with four hours of country-leaning singalongs and a rather better outlook than most Saturday afternoons offer.

•When: Saturday 29 August, 12–4pm; check-in from 11:30am

•Where: MV Calmer, Queens Wharf Ferry Terminal, Wharf Road, Newcastle

•Price: From $38.25

•More info: Book the harbour cruise

The Australian Waratah Girls Choir marks its 44th year with singers from the junior choir through to alumni and soloists, performing a program shaped around contrasts of intensity and stillness.

•When: Saturday 29 August, 4–6pm

•Where: Harold Lobb Concert Hall, corner of Laman and Auckland streets, Newcastle

•Price: $30 adult; $22 concession; $15 child, plus booking fee

•More info: Book Fire and Ice tickets

Rosamund Pike leads this National Theatre Live screening of Suzie Miller’s courtroom drama about a senior judge whose personal and professional worlds collide. A well-timed one-night outing for people who like their theatre thoughtful and their seats comfortable.

•When: Friday 28 August, 7pm

•Where: Playhouse, Civic Theatre, 375 Hunter Street, Newcastle

•Price: $27 standard; $22 concession, plus applicable fees

•More info: [Book Inter Alia](https://civictheatrenewcastle.com.au/what-s-on/all-shows/civic-cinema-national-theatre-live-inter-alia-(encore ))

Australia’s long-running comedy double act returns with a new show about two astronauts, one mission and the predictable breakdown of all workplace hierarchy in zero gravity. There are afternoon and early-evening shows, so it is an unusually civilised way to put comedy into a Saturday.

•When: Saturday 29 August, 4pm and 6:30pm

•Where: Civic Theatre, 375 Hunter Street, Newcastle

•Price: From $59, plus applicable fees

•More info: Book Lano & Woodley In Space

A world-premiere musical comedy, written in Newcastle, follows a group of retail workers navigating burnout, workplace crushes and demanding customers. An extra Saturday matinee has been added, which is helpful for anyone who prefers theatre before dinner.

•When: Friday 28 August, 7–8:30pm; Saturday 29 August, 3–4:30pm and 7–8:30pm

•Where: Multi-Arts Pavilion, MAP mima, Speers Point

•Price: From free to $38.06

•More info: Book Shoptalk

Maitland Regional Art Gallery’s Sunday drop-in offers hands-on artmaking for all ages, with tutors, materials and half-hour activities supplied. It is a calm, low-commitment way to add some culture to a Hunter day out, and no booking is needed.

•When: Sunday 30 August, 10am–12 noon

•Where: Maitland Regional Art Gallery, 230 High Street, Maitland

•Price: Free

•More info: See Free Art Sunday details

A four-course Italian dinner paired with twelve premium wines from Margan Wines, Elbourne Wines and Joval Wines. It is an adults-only Hunter dinner with vegetarian options available and bookings essential.

•When: Thursday 27 August; arrival from 6pm, first course at 6:30pm

•Where: Mezze Hunter Valley, Peppers Creek Village, Vintage Drive, Pokolbin

•Price: $165

•More info: Book An Evening in Italy

Fresh produce, gourmet food and local makers gather under the Big White Top at Stockland Glendale. Arrive early for the calmer lap, or pair it with Community Day nearby.

•When: Saturday 29 August, 8am–2pm

•Where: Stockland Glendale, Big White Top, Lake Road, Glendale

•Price: Free entry

•More info: Check the market calendar

The fifth-Sunday edition brings local produce, plants, handmade crafts and a family-friendly market wander to Neil Carroll Park at Fly Point. An easy reason to put Port Stephens on the Sunday agenda.

•When: Sunday 30 August, 9am–3pm

•Where: Neil Carroll Park, Shoal Bay Road, Fly Point, Nelson Bay

•Price: Free entry

•More info: Find the Legacy Markets listing

A free day with emergency-service displays, kids’ gymnastics, face painting, craft activities, roaming entertainment and local community groups. It is family-focused without needing a military-grade itinerary.

•When: Saturday 29 August, 10am–2pm

•Where: Glendale City Centre, under-cover market canopy, Glendale

•Price: Free

•More info: See Community Day details

Meet local makers and see demonstrations in painting, pottery, woodwork, bonsai and textiles. There are scones, a cake stall, plant sales and a $5 sausage sizzle, which is all the evidence needed that community arts events understand hospitality.

•When: Saturday 29 August, 10am–3pm

•Where: Port Stephens Community Arts Centre, Nelson Bay

•Price: Free entry

•More info: See the Spring Affair listing

This new Blacksmiths community day combines marine-waste collection, fishing education, wildlife sessions for children and waterfront-safety information. Some activities have limited places and need separate bookings, so it is worth planning the session you want before heading down.

•When: Sunday 30 August, 10am–1pm

•Where: Swansea Belmont SLC, Blacksmiths

•Price: Free; registration required for selected activities

•More info: Register for Waste on the Waterfront

For the little readers in your orbit, this special Book Week gathering has stories, songs, activities and a mini book parade. It is pitched at ages three to six, which is also an excellent age to believe a good book can fix most things.

When: Friday 28 August, 10am–11am ·

Where: Maitland City Library, High Street, Maitland · FREE

Direct event page/

Newcastle Harbour gets lively for this all-women regatta, with close inshore racing and social activity around the yacht club. Watch from the waterfront, settle in at Nautica afterwards and call it a very good Saturday plan.

When: Saturday 29 August, from 10am ·

Where: Newcastle Cruising Yacht Club, Wickham · FREE for spectators

Direct event page

This small Waratah workshop with Tree Frog Permaculture’s Lauchie Storrie is a useful afternoon for anyone who wants a garden that works harder for local bees and pollinators. It includes light lunch, tea and coffee, so you can leave with practical advice and slightly better weekend manners than a new set of garden gloves.

•When: Saturday 29 August, 10am–2pm

•Where: Hunter Multicultural Communities Inc, 2A Platt Street, Waratah

•Price: $10 members; $20 non-members

•More info: Book the native-bee workshop

The Hard-Ons bring their new Korean-language mini-album tour to Mayfield with Cammy Cautious & The Wrestlers and Laura Panic. It is an 18+ punk, rock and alternative bill, and a much better use of a Friday night than rearranging the garage.

•When: Friday 28 August, 8pm

•Where: The Stag & Hunter Hotel, Mayfield

•Price: $39.30, including booking fee

•More info: Get Hard-Ons tickets

A useful September heads-up: New Annual’s free SOAK series returns to Newcastle Ocean Baths, opening with Hermitude and Newcastle DJ Claire O’Brien as the sun goes down. Put it in the diary now, then arrive early when the time comes.

•When: Saturday 26 September, 5:30–6:30pm

•Where: Newcastle Ocean Baths

•Price: Free

•More info: See SOAK: Live at the Baths

Recommendation:

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That's your week, Onward for next week Knights 13-10. See you out there. 🙌

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