Save the Date! 12 Epic Events for your 2025 Travel To Do List

4 February 2025: Whether it’s a footy match, a stadium concert or a festival that floats your boat, event travel is trending as a key driver motivating us to hop off the couch and turn our travel dreams into reality. 

According to Skyscanner’s 2025 travel trends, 32% of 25-to-34-year-old Australian travellers plan to travel to see a sporting event in 2025 with 59% saying the entertainment factor is the main attraction, while 50% put it down to the ‘sense of excitement’.  

The team at Oaks Hotels, Resorts and Suites has pulled together 12 epic events to add to your 2025 travel planner to ensure you farewell FOMO and make this a year of making memories – and there’s a convenient, spacious Oaks ‘home away from home’ to return to after every event. 

Fringe Festival, Adelaide: From 21 February through to 23 March Adelaide comes alive with its ultra-popular and accessible Fringe Festival, featuring everything from intimate music concerts to riotous comedy, circus, cabaret and more. Choose from over 1400 shows across 500 venues and party with fellow Fringe-goers in the city’s late-night parklands Fringe Hubs. 

Stay: Oaks Adelaide Embassy Suites is walking distance from Fringe Hub venues and offers contemporary, spacious suites in the vibrant West End. Amenities include an on-site swimming pool, gym, tour desk and a Coffee Club to fuel your action-packed Festival stay. 

Opera on Sydney Harbour, Sydney: From 21 March to 20 April, spectacular Sydney Harbour will become the set for an electric performance of one of Broadway’s most-awarded musicals, Guys and Dolls, starring recording star Cody Simpson. 

Stay: Oaks Sydney Hyde Park Suites offers studio, one and two-bedroom accommodation options directly opposite the city’s famous Hyde Park, an oasis in the middle of the city. The ideal base to explore city’s must-see sights and culinary delights, the hotel offers an on-site gym and rooftop swimming pool. 

Melbourne Food & Wine Festival, Melbourne: Between March 14 and 23, fans of all things food will flock to Melbourne for a series of more than 200 gastronomic events, including a rooftop chocolate garden at the MCG and the World’s Longest Luch and World’s Longest Brunch – both with celebrity chef hosts. Stay on to recover once the fun is done and you can enjoy the festivities of the Melbourne International Comedy Festival which kicks off on 26 March and runs until 20 April. 

Stay: Oaks Melbourne on Market Hotel boasts a swimming pool, gym, on-site Oak and Vine restaurant and a choice of studio, one and two-bedroom apartments, all in the heart of magical Melbourne so you can walk or take a tram to restaurants, cafes and pop-up culinary events all over town. 

AFL Gather Round, Adelaide: From the 10th to the 13th of April a ‘Festival of Footy’ will take over venues across Adelaide and the famed Barossa Valley as the country’s entire AFL team roster descends upon South Australia for nine games of football – and the buzz around town will be palpable.   

Stay: Oaks Glenelg Plaza Pier Suites offers direct beachfront access in the city’s popular Glenelg lifestyle precinct. Rooms range from studio apartments to Two-Bedroom Oceanview Suites, with facilities including an indoor swimming pool, jacuzzi and gym. With endless restaurants, bars and cafes and a tram to the CBD within walking distance, it’s the ultimate seaside retreat.  

Noosa Eat & Drink Festival: The jewel in the crown for the Sunshine Coast foodie scene, the Noosa Eat & Drink Festival will see celebrity chefs take over the town from 29 May to 1 June, including Masterchef alumni Gary Mehigan and dessert king Adriano Zumbo. Events range from a Long Lunch to sundowners at the Beach Garden pop-up, cooking classes, live entertainment and produce markets.

Stay: Oaks Sunshine Coast Seaforth Resort offers one, two and three-bedroom apartments along the coast’s coveted Sunshine Strip in Alexandra Headland. Take a dip in the pool or jacuzzi, step out onto golden sands, and stroll the coastline to vibrant cafes, restaurants and boutiques. 

Vivid, Sydney: Running from 23 May to 14 June, and with a growing program every year, including free walking trails, family-friendly installations such as the ever-popular Taronga Zoo and the aerial drone show above Sydney Harbour, and new program additions every year, Vivid deserves a spot on every Aussie’s travel bucket list. 

Stay: Oaks Sydney Goldsbrough Suites is perfectly located in Sydney’s harbourfront Darling Harbour district, an easy walk to all of Vivid’s key attractions. Situated in a heritage building with a swimming pool, jacuzzi, gym and tour desk on site, room options include studios, one and two-bedroom apartments. 

Darwin Festival, Darwin: From 7 to 14 August, the Top End’s premier destination will play host to everything from stand-up comics and concerts to art exhibitions, fashion shows and a raft of indigenous cultural activations. It’s also a fantastic opportunity to enjoy local flavours at some of the city’s beloved food trucks on balmy tropical evenings. 

Stay: Oaks Darwin Elan Hotel is located in the centre of Darwin, just moments from the popular Darwin Waterfront Precinct and the city’s dining, shopping and entertainment hub, Smith Street. Accommodation includes one and two-bedroom apartments, while leisure facilities include an outdoor pool to retreat from the tropical heat, a gym, and an on-site restaurant. 

Shinju Matsuri Festival, Broome: From 23 August to 7 September, Broome’s famous Shinjuri Matsuri Festival – aka the Festival of the Pearl – will roll into town to celebrate the region’s heritage with a series of gourmet dining experiences, art exhibitions and performances from local and visiting artists. It’s a desert-meets-the beach delight. 

Stay: Oaks Cable Beach Resort is the go-to for accommodation within walking distance of magnificent Cable Beach. A tropical oasis with five swimming pools, including a dedicated children’s pool, the hotel has an on-site restaurant and accommodation options including spacious studios, one, two and three-bedroom apartments.

Brisbane Festival, Brisbane: Running during the first three weeks in September, Brisbane will be transformed into a hub for the arts, from live music and roving artists to comedy acts, dance revues, drinking and dining at the Festival Garden, family run and fireworks.  

Stay: Oaks Brisbane Festival Suites is the ideal choice for a city escape in the heart of the city’s shopping and dining precinct. Features include an on-site gym, heated lap pool, sparkling plunge pool and jacuzzi, with rooms including one and two-bedroom apartments. 

Gold Coast 500, Surfers Paradise: From October 24 to 26, rev heads and adrenaline junkies can combine a weekend of heart-stopping racing with fun-filled concerts, surfing and soaking up the carnival-like ambience during the Boost Mobile Gold Coast 500 Supercars race which tears around a thrilling Surfers Paradise street circuit.   

Stay: Oaks Gold Coast Hotel: Steps from surf beaches, casinos, Cavill Avenue and the handy tram, the hotel has an on-site swimming pool and spa, with accommodation ranging from hotel rooms and studios through to two-bedroom suites with ocean views. 

World Beach Volleyball Championships, Adelaide: For the first time, Australia will play host to the world’s best action on the sand at the World Beach Volleyball Championships between 14 and 23 November, when the city’s iconic Memorial Drive tennis centre transformed into a sandy set-up to stage all the matches in the heart of the city.  

Stay: Oaks Adelaide Horizon Suites offers a pool and gym, spacious one and two-bedroom apartments in the centre of the CBD opposite Sky City Casino and Adelaide Oval, and is a short stroll from the sands where you can catch all the volleyball action. 

Australia vs England First Ashes Test, Perth: Intense rivalry will return when the hotly anticipated England vs Australia Ashes Test Cricket Series kicks off in Perth between 21 and 25 November and the country’s favourites and rising cricket stars bowl up to strut their stuff with the bat and ball. 

Stay: Oaks Perth Hotel enjoys a prime location walking distance from Murray Street Mall and a raft of dining and drinking options. A range of different sized studios with kitchenettes and workspaces are available to combine work and play, and there is an on-site Oak & Vine restaurant. 

About Oaks Hotels, Resorts & Suites 

Genuine, comfortable, down to earth and welcoming, Oaks Hotels, Resorts & Suites is an industry leader in upper mid-scale serviced apartment-style accommodation. Combining the convenience of a hotel with an apartment’s flexibility, Oaks’ fully equipped rooms and suites offer freedom, space and independence to a wide variety of modern travellers. Each Oaks property prides itself on connecting visitors to the spirit of its city centre or regional locale at an ever-expanding portfolio of more than 60 properties in Australia, China, India, New Zealand, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.

Oaks is part of global hospitality group Minor Hotels and a member of the GHA DISCOVERY loyalty programme.

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