Plenty is happening at Performance Arts Culture Cessnock (PACC) as Spring settles in, with a new exhibition opening, big-voiced tribute shows, family cinema, and a jam-packed run of live music that stretches well into November.

There are plenty of reasons to visit the Hunter Valley. The wine, of course. The scenery, the food, the long lunches and the pleasure of slowing down for a while.

Spring in the Hunter Valley means more than budburst in the vineyards this year. From 12 to 27 September, the Wollombi Valley turns into an open-air gallery for the Wollombi Valley Sculpture Festival, a biennial event and one of NSW's longest-running and largest-scale regional arts festivals since it began in 2002.

The Balloon Aloft Hunter Valley Fiesta is back for its thirteenth year, taking over Pokolbin skies this October Long Weekend, 3-5 October. This year's Balloons & Bubbles theme promises a fleet of 20 to 30 hot air balloons ascending together at sunrise, filling the valley with colour each morning.

The Hunter Valley is about to become home to Australia's largest integrated resort wellness precinct, with Avani Cypress Lakes Resort set to launch in a staged rollout from October 2026.

Some places invite you to slow down the moment you arrive. The winding drive into Wollombi is one of them. Framed by rolling hills, towering eucalypts and beautifully preserved sandstone buildings, this historic village has long been a place where people gather. This month they will gather at the Wollombi Valley Sculpture Festival.

Ask any Hunter Valley winemaker what their most popular and best selling wine is, and there's a good chance a glass of rosé will land in your hand before you've even asked. Not because it's trendy, but because it offers a refreshing, versatile middle ground between heavy red wines and light white wines, paired with a strong aesthetic appeal - a symbol of carefree, stylish outdoor gatherings.

There's a new place to pull up a chair in Pokolbin. Lucia Roche Estate opened its doors on 17 September, bringing stone-fired pizza, Mediterranean-inspired share plates, estate wines and cocktails to Roche Estate on Broke Road.

The Hunter Valley has never been short on cellar doors. But Latitude 32 Wines understands that today's visitors want more than a tasting bench and six wines poured in a row. They want a story, an experience, a reason to linger. That's exactly what the Pokolbin winery has set out to build.

There’s no need to head to the mountains to find snow this winter. From 27 June to 26 July, Snow Time in the Garden returns to Hunter Valley Gardens, bringing snow play, ice skating, toboggan rides and carnival attractions into the heart of wine country.

From Wednesday 9 to Sunday 13 September, the Dungog Tea Party is a fabulous way to celebrate the return of Spring. Now in its sixth year, the event aims to encourage visitation to the town and involves local businesses, the community and the schools.

They said they wanted it back, and PACC listened. Bohemian Rhapsody, Australia's longest-running Queen tribute, returns to Cessnock for one night only on Saturday, 18 July 2026, and if you missed it last time, this is your chance.

If you've ever wanted to see Rod Stewart live, this is as close as it gets. The UK Rod Stewart Show is coming to Cessnock's PACC for one night only on Friday, 12 June 2026, and it's fronted by someone who genuinely has to be heard to be believed.

There’s a particular kind of pleasure in arriving somewhere without expectation and leaving with the quiet certainty that you’ve discovered something just before everyone else does. Branxton is beginning to feel like that place.

There’s a moment, just before sunrise in the Hunter Valley, when the landscape holds its breath. The mist sits low across the vineyards, the light begins to shift, and, almost without warning, the sky begins to fill with colour. Not clouds, but balloons. Slow, silent, and impossibly graceful, they drift across the valley, marking the start of another day for Balloon Aloft.

There is something quietly spectacular about the Hunter Valley in winter. The air has a sharpness to it, the light sits low and golden across the ranges, and the landscape takes on a stillness that the warmer months rarely allow. At Hunter Valley Horse Riding & Adventures, it is precisely this time of year that makes a trail ride through the Molly Morgan Range feel like something out of a dream.

The Hunter Valley has long been known for cellar doors, restaurants, and gourmet offerings, but a regular fresh-produce market hasn’t traditionally been part of the Pokolbin experience. That’s what makes the Pokolbin Markets operated by Organic Food Markets (OFM) feel like such a natural fit. It’s a relaxed Sunday gathering where fresh food, local businesses and community come together in the heart of the Valley.

The Hunter Valley's most trusted guide to food and wine experiences is back, and with winter settling over Wine Country, the timing is perfect. Wine & Dine Hunter Valley Issue #24, covering Winter and Spring 2026, has just landed, packed with everything you need to plan the perfect Hunter Valley escape, whether you're a seasoned visitor or discovering the region for the first time.

Few names in the Hunter carry the weight of Ben Ean.

There are cafés that serve coffee, and then there are places that make you want to stay. Sidecar Roasters, on Maitland Street in Branxton, is firmly the latter. And in winter, it becomes something even more compelling.