Dorrigo: Music, Markets and Art

Dorrigo brings together several distinct reasons to visit: an acoustic music weekend, monthly markets, an annual art exhibition, and a show featuring competitions and entertainment day and night. The Skywalk lookout is also in the surrounding area, with a boardwalk over the rainforest at the edge of an escarpment. When planning your trip, you can weigh up whether music, market offerings, art, the show or a landscape experience should be the deciding factor.

An acoustic weekend in October

The Dorrigo Folk & Bluegrass Festival brings concerts, workshops, group music sessions and dancing together for an acoustic weekend. It is family-friendly and welcomes people of all ages to take part. The festival takes place every year on the last full weekend in October. If you are planning your trip around it, check the exact event dates in advance.

Markets with their own rhythm

The Dorrigo Markets are held on the first Saturday of every month at the Dorrigo Showground. They offer home-grown and handmade food, environmentally friendly goods and clothing. The monthly market day is a different date to plan around from the annual festival weekend. Check the specific date before you travel; what’s on offer may change.

The Made in Dorrigo market showcases products made locally on the plateau. This puts the place of production in the foreground; participating products may change.

Art and the show offer different highlights

The Dorrigo Show Fine Arts Exhibition is an annual art exhibition in Dorrigo. If visual art is shaping your travel plans, you can consider it as a separate reason to visit alongside the music and market dates. Check the exact event dates before your trip.

The Dorrigo Show features competitions in cattle, produce, baking and photography. It also offers entertainment during the day and at night. Compared with the art exhibition, the show focuses on several competition categories and an entertainment program. This gives you a concrete point of difference when choosing between the two event experiences.

The Skywalk lookout in the Dorrigo area

The Skywalk lookout is in the Dorrigo area. Its 70 m-long boardwalk runs about 21 m above the rainforest at the edge of the escarpment. These measurements and the location give a tangible sense of the scale of the structure; compared with the events, the boardwalk offers a scenic focus. Current access conditions may change. Check them before your visit.

Factor events into your hotel search

For the art exhibition and the Dorrigo Show, check the exact dates before planning your trip around them. This lets you weigh up an annual weekend event, a monthly market day and other event dates, and decide which highlight should shape your stay.

Discover more destinations: Holts Flat, Pagewood, Ulmarra, Catherine Hill Bay, Sanctuary Point, Herons Creek, Marulan.

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