Bathurst will be celebrating winter with a huge festival and you can join in on this journey into the wild.
This festival will be on over two weeks from 7th to 22nd July, 2018. Many of the great historic buildings will come alive as they become illuminated. This in turn, will give these old buildings a new lease on life, and this will happen every night from sundown during the festival.

Illuminated building
If you don't live near Bathurst, what a wonderful excuse for a holiday! You will be able to do the following:
Wander through the Enchanted Forest
Rug up in your warm clothes in the Winter Playground with the McDonald's Bathurst Ice Rink
Ride the giant Ferris wheel
Get lost in the House of Mirrors
Meet the bear Baloo, Mowgli and friends from the Jungle Book
Entry into the Festival is free, and tickets for these amazing events start from $5.
The Winter Playground will be open every day of the festival from 9.00 am till 9.00 pm.
Ignite the Night will start the festival on Saturday 7th July. You can have regional food and drinks, mulled wine, watch ice skating performers and local entertainment from midday till 9.00 pm. Ice skating performances will be held at 4.45 pm, 5.45 pm, and 6.45 pm.

Have fun at this Festival
McDonald's Ice RinkYou can go skating in the sunshine or under the stars on the McDonald's Bathurst ice rink. Tickets are for a 45-minute session, and each session begins on the hour from 9.00 am with the last session starting at 8.00 pm.
You can also hire skating aids for those younger children or those who need help to stop them falling! These are available for $5 each. Lockers are available onsite and it is advisable that you bring a change of clothing for children as they may become wet from the ice!

If you cannot stay upright!
House of Mirrors
The House of Mirrors features corridors of full-length mirrors, producing multiple reflections of yourself. They also produce optical illusions and "kaleidoscopic like chambers". Getting out of this maze is the hard part!

Yeeks, how do I get out of here?
Ferris Wheel
The giant Ferris Wheel will give you a great view of the whole festival and Bathurst. It is 23 metres high and this is indeed by far the best spot to see what is happening down below at the festival.
Brew and BiteThis will be on the centre stage on Saturday 14th July with a pop-up bar, street food, fire performances, silent disco and more mulled wine from midday to 9.00 pm.
Here you can buy delicious local food, wine and craft beers. You can indulge with an array of gourmet food trucks and a purpose-built Whiskey and Gin Bar. Enjoy the feast paired with a drop of a necessary winter warmer from the Mulled Wine Bar.

Drinks to warm you up!
There will be roaming performances by fire twirling street artists, who will entertain you along with local buskers, and an incredible performance by popular children's entertainer, Sean Murphy.
After all this, you can dance in the silent disco, or why not show your skills on the people's piano. You could also go through the market stalls which will have luxury goods, handmade items and winter items to warm you through.
Groove and Grill
This will be on Sunday 15th July when the Bathurst Regional Youth Council will provide the perfect Sunday "wind down" with live music and food. There will be local young artists performing on the YJAM stage from 11.00 am till 4.00 pm.
Bring along a blanket, and some friends and enjoy the Winter Playground. There will also be a BBQ/food stalls, as well as sweet treats to end the day.
Cost
Ice rink: $5 Child (2-14 years)
$10 Adult
Ferris wheel: $5
House of Mirrors: $5
Tickets
Get your
tickets here.

Fun on the ice rink
LiveBetter Accessibility Day
This will be on Friday 13th July, from 9.00 am to 3.00 pm.
Bathurst Winter Festival has partnered with LiveBetter to provide ice skating sessions for people with disabilities and their families. There will be several skating sessions with reduced capacity, and volunteers from LiveBetter will be on hand to help.
There will be free face painting, a BBQ and the Ferris wheel and House of Mirrors. The aim of this day is to make sure that people of all abilities can be part of the festival, while at the same time ensuring it is a safe environment.
Where: Winter Playground
Session times: 9.00 am, 10.00 am, 11.00 am, 12 noon, 1.00 pm, and 2.00 pm
Cost: $5 per person, carers do not need to purchase a ticket.
To book: Contact LiveBetter on 0428 068 766