Thousands of locals and visitors turned Terralong Street into a vibrant celebration of winter on Saturday, with the 2026 Kiama Winter Street Festival delivering its biggest and most successful event yet.
From African drumming and belly dancing to giant illuminated puppets, live music, paper lantern workshops, the ever-popular climbing wall and arctic alley, visitors of all ages embraced an afternoon and evening of FREE entertainment, creativity and community connection. The festival culminated in spectacular fire performances and Brazilian dancers, creating a memorable finale that lit up Kiama's town centre.
Mayor Cameron McDonald said the festival had firmly established itself as a highlight of Kiama's winter calendar.
"The Kiama Winter Street Festival continues to showcase the very best of our community. It brings people together, creates energy in our town centre during the quieter winter months and provides a welcome boost for our local businesses," he said.
Chair of Council's Tourism & Economic Advisory Committee, Councillor Matt Brown said the festival forms part of Kiama's growing commitment to creating a vibrant year-round destination, activating the town centre during winter while supporting local businesses and strengthening community connections.
"It was fantastic that Terralong Street was filled with families, friends and visitors enjoying free entertainment before exploring our local cafés, restaurants and shops," he said.
Preliminary visitor survey results indicate the festival continues to grow its regional appeal, with 82 per cent of respondents travelling from outside the Kiama local government area. Notably, 40 per cent travelled from Sydney and surrounds, highlighting the festival's increasing reach.
The event also encouraged visitors to spend more time in town, with more than half of respondents staying for over two hours, providing greater opportunities to visit local businesses and experience Kiama's hospitality.
Entertainment remained the festival's strongest drawcard, with watching performances and listening to live music topping the list of favourite activities. Children's activities, entertainment and the overall event program all received outstanding satisfaction ratings, with the vast majority of respondents rating festival experiences as good or excellent.
The strong results build on the festival's demonstrated economic impact, with last year's event generating more than $137,000 in additional spending across Kiama compared with the equivalent Saturday. Data from this years event will be available in August.
Kiama Municipal Council thanks the NSW Government for supporting the festival through the Open Streets Program, which transforms town centres into vibrant public spaces that encourage community connection while supporting local businesses.
Council also acknowledges the generous support of its sponsors and event partners:
- Community Partner: Airbnb
- Bronze Sponsor: ShineHub
- Event Partners: Illawarra Production Services (IPS), Kennards Hire Oak Flats, Stoic Brewing and Kiama Business Network
- Accessibility Partner: Uniting LAC
- Media Partner: i98FM
Council extends its sincere thanks to local businesses for extending their trading hours, as well as the performers, workshop facilitators, volunteers, suppliers, sponsors and Council staff whose efforts brought the festival to life.
A special acknowledgement goes to the Council events team, outdoor staff, waste crews and volunteers whose work behind the scenes ensured another successful Kiama Winter Street Festival.
This project is funded by the NSW Government.
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