ManlyThe Travel Guide

Festivals & Events

Time your trip to the music.

From a January surf carnival to September jazz on the Corso and harbourside NYE fireworks, Manly's calendar is worth planning a trip around. Dates, summaries and links to every official source below.

Jan

Shaw & Partners Manly Surf Open

16–17 January (annual)

World Ocean Series 10,000-point event — surf boats, skis, paddleboards and ironpeople battling it out on the home break.

One of the longest-running surf-craft events on the planet and now a flagship of the Shaw & Partners World Ocean Series. Two days of elite racing across surf boats, ocean skis, board paddling and the ironman/woman finals, with the best lifesaving athletes from Australia, NZ, the US and South Africa all on Manly Beach. Free to spectate from the sand or the promenade — bring a hat.

World Ocean Series Free to watch
Feb

Cole Classic Ocean Swim

Sunday in February (annual — 2026 dates pending)

The world's biggest ocean swim. Choose 1km, 2km or 5km from Shelly Beach finishing at Manly. The 2026 edition was postponed — new date to be announced.

More than four decades old and still the benchmark for Australian ocean swims. Thousands of swimmers — Olympians and first-timers alike — start from Shelly Beach and finish on the sand at Manly. Pick the 1 km if you've never done one, the 2 km is the classic, the 5 km is for the keen. Spectating from Fairy Bower is half the fun. Note: the originally-scheduled Feb 2026 swim was postponed for safety reasons; check the site for the rescheduled date.

coleclassic.com.au
May

Taste of Manly

Last weekend of May (annual)

Local restaurants, breweries and winemakers take over Manly Oval for a weekend of plates, pours and live music on the Corso.

The peninsula's flagship food and wine weekend, run by Northern Beaches Council. 60+ stalls from Manly's restaurants, cafés, bars, breweries and Sydney winemakers, with live music across two stages and a kids' zone tucked along the side. The whole thing finishes by 5pm so you can roll down to the wharf for sunset. Entry is free; you pay-as-you-go for food and drink.

Taste of Manly · Council Free entry
Sep

Manly Arts Festival

Throughout September (annual)

Three weeks of theatre, gallery openings, writers' nights and music across venues from Manly Wharf to Curl Curl.

Run by Northern Beaches Council in partnership with local artists, the Arts Festival sprawls across the peninsula every September. Expect pop-up exhibitions at Manly Art Gallery & Museum, evening shows at Glen Street Theatre, free workshops on the foreshore, and a strong First Nations program. Most events are free or low-cost; the gallery shows run all month.

Manly Art Gallery & Museum Most events free
Sep

Manly Jazz Festival

18–20 September 2026

Australia's longest-running jazz festival. Three days of free outdoor stages on the Corso plus ticketed late-night sets in venues across town.

Now in its 49th year, Manly Jazz turns the entire town centre into a venue. Free open-air stages run on the Corso, at Manly Beach and at the wharf from late morning to early evening across the long weekend, with ticketed shows tucked into the Hotel Steyne, the Ivanhoe and the Manly Bowling Club. Bring a picnic rug for the beachfront stage; book accommodation early — the town fills up.

manlyjazz.com.au Free outdoor / ticketed indoor
Dec

New Year's Eve at Manly

31 December — fireworks at 9pm & midnight

Family-friendly fireworks at 9pm right off Manly Wharf, with partial harbour-fireworks views from Manly Cove at midnight.

The smart Sydney move on NYE: skip the Quay crush and ferry across instead. Manly Wharf hosts its own fireworks display at 9pm directly off the cove, with restaurants on the wharf opening from late afternoon. Manly Cove is an official City of Sydney vantage point — capacity 10,000, free, opens 5pm — with partial views of the main Harbour fireworks at midnight. Last ferries back to Circular Quay run all night on NYE.

Manly Cove vantage point Free public viewing

Dates confirmed where published by official organisers. For multi-day festivals always double-check the program before booking — programs and venues can shift.