Magical things to do these summer school holidays
The festive season is finally here and there’s plenty of magic happening across the country. Here are some of our favourite things to do and see in each state and territory across Australia
READING LEVEL: GREEN
The magic of the festive season has finally arrived and there are plenty of exciting events and activities planned across the country.
Whether you’re a science buff, a foodie or an artist looking for inspiration, there’s sure to be something that appeals. Here are some of our top picks from around the states and territories.
VICTORIA
MAHO MAGIC BAR – Melbourne
Australia’s favourite Japanese magic bar, MAHO MAGIC BAR, will be holding family-friendly sessions at Spiegel Haus Melbourne until February 15.
Watch master magicians put a wild contemporary spin on Japan’s magic traditions as they move from table to table where the audience is seated.
Special family-friendly shows for ages 6+ run on weekend afternoons, while
evening shows are recommended for ages 12+. Birthday party bookings are also available.
What: Maho Magic Bar
Where: Spiegel Haus Melbourne, 217 Lonsdale St, CBD 3000
When: Playing until Sunday 15 February 2026
Tickets: From $66 + booking fee
Bookings: mahomagicbar.com
NSW
The Nutcracker – Sydney (and other capitals)
The Australian Ballet is bringing the magic of The Nutcracker to life in its annual Storytime Ballet, which is guided by a narrator.
Children follow Clara on her Christmas Eve adventure as her beloved nutcracker doll springs to life and leads her to the glittering Land of Sweets. Each venue also includes an AUSLAN interpreted performance, and the Sydney run also offers an Audio Described session, ensuring the magic of ballet is accessible to all families.
Price: From $65
To purchase tickets visit: australianballet.com.au/performances/storytime-ballet
Performance Dates & Venues
Sydney Opera House (Drama Theatre): 18 Dec 2025 – 4 Jan 2026
Audio Described: Sat 27 Dec, 2:00pm
AUSLAN Interpreted: Sun 28 Dec, 2:00pm
The Nutcracker will also be performed in the following capital cities:
Canberra Theatre Centre (Playhouse): 8 – 11 Jan 2026
AUSLAN Interpreted: Fri 9 Jan, 2:00pm
Brisbane Powerhouse: 15 – 18 Jan 2026
AUSLAN Interpreted: Fri 16 Jan, 2:00pm
Melbourne Comedy Theatre: 22 – 25 Jan 2026
ACT
Summer art and play – Canberra
The National Arboretum is holding summer kite-making workshops for kids aged five and up as well as Botanical Gel Plate Printing Workshops for those aged 8-16.
The arboretum also has plenty of other great things to check out, including its award-winning pod playground, with giant acorn cubbies, nest swings, banksia pods, and the National Bonsai and Penjing Collection of Australia. If you like bonsai, the collection’s well worth visiting, featuring about 75 trees on display at any one time.
Pod Playground:
Open daily
7am – 5.30pm (Eastern Standard Time)
6am – 8.30pm (Daylight Saving Time)
Summer Kite Making Workshops:
Dates: 6, 7, 13 & 14 January 2026
Times: 10am & 11am
Duration: 45 minutes
Price: $15 per child
Ages: 5 and up
Botanical Gel Plate Printing Workshops
Dates: 20 & 21 January 2026
Times: 2 sessions each day at 10:30am & 1:30pm
Duration: 75 minutes
Price: $20 per child
Ages: 8-16
National Library of Australia Treasures Gallery exhibition – Canberra
Find out where the green sheep really is at the National Library of Australia this summer. NLA’s new Treasures Gallery exhibition, opening on Saturday 13 December, invites visitors to learn the story of the library and its vast collections, which includes the first draft form of the beloved picture book by Mem Fox. Other treasures housed at the NLA include pages from William Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice from the First Folio, a cedar bookcase carved by Dorothea Mackellar and the original sheet music composed for Waltzing Matilda by Christina Macpherson.
Open: Daily 9am-5pm from December 13 except Christmas Day (Thursday 25 December). Price: Free, no bookings required.
QUEENSLAND
MoB Art – Brisbane
The Museum of Brisbane (MoB) has several art-making activities to get your creative juices flowing this summer, including bright and bold tote bag decorating inspired by the Stories You Wear: Magpie Goose exhibition, designing sparkling Dazzle Discs in the Fairfax Gallery and a design-your-own badge studio.
MoB will also have guided teen workshops in printmaking and stop-motion animation, and special before-hours Magpie Goose Young Explorers Tours.
Program highlights:
Cut + Collect Badge Studio
Dates: Monday 5 January – Monday 26 January 2026
Time: 10:30am – 1:30pm
Cost: $2 for one badge or $5 for three
Age: All ages
Kids can design bright, bold badges inspired by the Precious exhibition, celebrating their favourite objects and memories. Drop in and get creative.
MoB Teens: Printed Stories
Dates: Wednesday 17 December 2025 and 7 January 2026
Time: 2:00pm – 4:30pm
Cost: $25 + booking fee
Ages: 10–15
Teens can design and print their own statement tote bag with inspiration from Stories You Wear: Magpie Goose. Includes an exhibition tour, guided workshop and a take-home tote.
MoB Teens: Micro Motion Makers
Dates: Wednesday 14 and 21 January 2026
Time: 2:00pm – 4:30pm
Cost: $25 + booking fee
Ages: 10–15
A playful stop-motion animation workshop where teens explore Micro Museum, choose quirky objects and bring them to life on screen. Includes an exhibition tour, guided workshop and a copy of their animation.
Uptown fun – Brisbane
If you are looking for some free festive fun once school is out, why not check out Uptown’s fun candy-themed window displays at the Queen St Mall until January 4 and the five-hole minigolf game and photo booth at the pop-up Candy Coated Christmas Mart until December 24 on Level 2, next to Daiso.
SOUTH AUSTRALIA
Animation workshops – Adelaide
The Migration Museum will be running a free animation workshop these school holidays with the theme ‘Many Journeys, One Home’.
Kids will use their imaginations to draw characters or scenes inspired by real or imagined journeys to South Australia before their artwork is transformed into a colourful animation. Every story will join a “welcome parade” of cultures and journeys that shape South Australian life as we know it.
Ages: 5-18
When: Free drop-in sessions are open in the Migration Museum Chapel between 10:30am-2:30pm on the following days:
- Friday 9 January
- Monday 12 January
- Wednesday 14 January
- Sunday 18 January
- Tuesday 20 January
- Thursday 22 January
Contact: migration@history.sa.gov.au or 08 8151 3240
Ferris wheel fun – Adelaide
For something different, why not try a ride on the MIX 102.3 Giant Wheel at Glenelg? The 35m Ferris wheel will be showcasing spectacular views of the district until May 10.
Cost: From $10.00 to $65.00
Book online: skylineattractions.com.au/glenelg
TASMANIA
Yacht spotting – Hobart
If you’re in Hobart these school holidays, you’ll no doubt be keeping an eye out for competitors in the annual Rolex Sydney to Hobart Yacht race.
The race begins near Shark Island in Sydney Harbour on Boxing Day, with competitors usually starting to arrive in Hobart from December 28, depending on conditions.
The yachts finish at Constitution Dock in Hobart, where huge crowds come to Sydney Hobart Village in the heart of Hobart’s waterfront to see the winners.
Taste of Summer festival – Hobart
Hobart’s waterfront will also be the scene of the annual Taste of Summer festival from Dec 27 to Jan 3, where families can enjoy the finer things in life – like good food, great entertainment and each other’s company. Tickets start from $15.
NORTHERN TERRITORY
The NT Government is providing a range of youth activities for young Territorians these summer holidays, including mountain biking and bowling in Alice Springs and Ice Skating in Darwin.
Visit nt.gov.au/school-holiday-events to see what is happening in your region.
The Museum and Art Gallery of Northern Territory (MAGNT) also has a range of free activities coming up over the break, including a Lego minifigure hunt and the Telstra National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Awards (NATSIAA).
GALLERY HIGHLIGHTS
From Jaws to Claws exhibition
At the Natural Science Gallery, Transformations: the changing nature of the Territory, is a special place in the museum where you can discover multiple crocodiles, touch real fossils and learn about the marine stingers and mini monsters that live in the Northern Territory. Join MAGNT Curator Emeritus of Molluscs, Dr Richard Willan, for an exciting family-friendly tour through this gallery.
When: Thursday 15 January 11am – 12pm
Ages: 5–16
Cost: Free (Bookings recommended. Adult supervision essential)
2025 Telstra NATSIAA exhibition
Telstra National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Awards (NATSIAA) showcases artworks which celebrate and reflect the breadth and specificity of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander stories, histories, cultures and connections to Country. The 2025 Telstra NATSIAA presents over 70 new artworks from emerging and established Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists.
Guided by MAGNT Curator of Aboriginal Art and Material Culture, Rebekah Raymond, this tour will ask children and families to think creatively, hear the stories behind the artworks, and share their own stories and responses to some of the artworks featured in the exhibition.
When: Tuesday 20 January 11am – 12pm
Ages: 6+
Cost: Free (Limited places. Bookings recommended. Adult supervision essential)
The Collective Space youth workshop
Explore the meeting of art and science through specimens from MAGNT’s Natural Science Collections with MAGNT STEAM Lead Educator, Caitlin Conway. Draw inspiration from the form and features of taxidermy animals and insects and create images and models using different art mediums.
When: Wednesday 21 January 1pm to 4pm
Ages: 12 – 17
Cost: $15 (Limited places. Bookings essential.)
WESTERN AUSTRALIA
Cook and create – Albany
The Museum of the Great Southern is holding a range of school holiday workshops to celebrate Mexican culture.
Workshop: Day of the Dead Cactus Pot
Celebrate the Mexican festival of Dia de Muertos with a handpainted Day of the Dead planter that includes a baby cactus.
When: Monday 12 January 2026 | 10.30am – 12.30pm
Wednesday 21 January 2026 | 10.30am – 12.30pm
Cost: $10
Ages: 6 and up (kids 12 and under must have supervising adult present)
Book: https://visit.museum.wa.gov.au/greatsouthern/workshop-day-dead-cactus-pot
Mexican cooking workshop: Cocinar la comida!
Learn how to cook some Mexican classics, such as cheesy quesadillas, a tangy guacamole dip with corn chips and a festive Piñata cupcake – and feast on your creations.
When: Tuesday 13 January 2026 | 10.30am – 12.30pm
Tuesday 20 January 2026 | 10.30am – 12.30pm
Cost: $12
Ages: Eight and up (kids 12 and under must have supervising adult present)
Book: visit.museum.wa.gov.au/greatsouthern/mexican-cooking-workshop-cocinar-la-comida
Workshop: Vistoso Niche memory box
Design and personalise your own Nicho, a traditional Mexican memory box.
When: Thursday 22 January 2026 | 10.30am – 12.30pm
Cost: $10
Ages: Eight and up (kids 12 and under must have supervising adult present)
Book: visit.museum.wa.gov.au/greatsouthern/workshop-vistoso-niche-memory-box
Ballet of Lights – Perth
Ballet fans won’t want to miss this stunning rendition of Sleeping Beauty when it runs at Octagon Theatre from January 17 to July 04. Dancers are fitted in costumes of sparkling lights for a truly magical experience.
Cost: tickets start at $34.50
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And from the Kids News team, have fun, stay safe and HAPPY HOLIDAYS!