Join us at the Bitter & Twisted Boutique Beer Festival as we celebrate beer, music and food in the grounds of Maitland Gaol.

Bitter & Twisted has cemented its place on the craft beer calendar as a unique and quirky festival, offering over 80 craft beers from around the country.

Bitter & Twisted is one of the flagship events on Maitland’s annual calendar, attracting 5,000 visitors each year.

Maitland Gaol is a former maximum security prison and an iconic destination for both tourists and locals alike, so we are proud to have it as the home of Bitter & Twisted.

The event features beer stalls offering tastings from some of the best Australian craft breweries, a number of food stalls selling gourmet cuisine from across the globe and selected general stalls will also be selling quality merchandise including arts, crafts and local produce.

Riverlights Multicultural Festival celebrates diversity through food, music, dance and interactive experiences.

Riverlights transforms The Levee into a global village.

Visitors can see, taste, feel and experience the different cultures being demonstrated and activities such as live music, dancing, language classes, lantern making and cooking demonstrations.

A big thank you to our sponsors, Greater Bank, Destination NSW, 2NURFM, Newcastle Airport and University of Newcastle for their support of this event. 

For over a decade, Aroma Coffee and Chocolate Fesitval has been one of Maitland’s most-loved flagship events, successfully cementing it place in the regional events calendar and drawing in some 16,000 visitors each year.

The festival aims to ward off the winter chill with the best regional coffee roasters, a delectable range of chocolates and mouthwatering desserts, a wide range of regional cuisines and fresh produce stalls as well as Hunter Valley wineries offering tastings of the finest dessert wines, fortified wines and big reds.

Maitland will welcome visitors from far and wide to experience all things steam, at the Burton Automotive Hunter Valley Steamfest – one of Australia’s premier festivals of steam.

Steamfest features a diverse program of family friendly entertainment.

Come along and enjoy live music, roving performance, historic heritage walks, market stalls, gourmet food stalls and more.

The heart and soul of Steamfest is its impressive assembly of steam trains. Grab your tickets and be part of the annual ARTC Great Train Race or take a ride on one of the many unique train trips visiting various Hunter destinations.

See how things were done in days gone by at the interactive Rally Ground display, featuring a vast array of antique machinery from all over Australia including traction and portable engines.

The annual Show ‘n’ Shine is an impressive showcase of motoring history, bringing Maitland Park to life on Sunday 30 April 2023 with over 500 classic cars, food stalls, live rock ‘n’ roll entertainment and fun for the whole family.

On top of all that don’t miss the vintage diesel rides, steampunkers, market stalls, road steam, mini steam train rides, face painting, live and roving entertainment and kid’s activities.