The 2023 Geelong Festival of Sails is an annual event that takes place over the Australia Day weekend of 26-29th of January on Corio Bay and along the stunning Geelong waterfront, continuing a tradition that dates back to 1844.
This year’s festival is expected to be huge with crowds now back and numbers in the vicinity of 100,000 people are expected to enjoy the festival whether it be on the water or enjoying entertainment, gourmet food or just soaking up the sun and wonderful atmosphere. The festival is known for its classic and iconic Australian music acts and this year is no exception with the Chantoozies, Badloves and Chocolate Starfish being just three of the great names performing. The Kids won’t be forgotten either, the amazing Mik Maks and Dazzling Dan the Magic Man will be performing along with other favourites.
It’s not just the water and the land that will feature the fun at this year’s festival – the sky will also play a huge part, with the magnificent RAAF Roulettes making an incredible flyover on Thursday afternoon and the huge fireworks display over the bay on Thursday evening at dusk.
One of the highlights on the water will be the Melbourne to Geelong Passage race that will take place on Saturday. This spectacular event is a must-see with lots of great vantage points around our bay. The passage celebrates its 180th anniversary, making it one of the oldest sporting events in Australia.
The Geelong Festival of Sails is a great opportunity for visitors to experience some of the best of what Geelong has to offer, an amazing event and spectacular surroundings. The Geelong Waterfront is only minutes from the Geelong Railway station, so rail is an excellent and relaxing choice for those visiting from Melbourne or a far. The Docklands to Geelong ferry service is also a wonderful option and will get you a close look at some of the incredible scenes on the bay.