Ballarat Winter Lights Festival: What Visitors Should Know and the Must-See Highlights

The Ballarat Winter Lights Festival opens July 18 with 52 illuminated artworks along Sturt Street and around Lake Wendouree.

Ballarat has expanded its arts calendar after the state government allocated $4.2 million in 2025 for regional festivals, drawing more interstate visitors during the July school holidays when hotel occupancy already sits at 78 percent.

Installations will appear outside the Art Gallery of Ballarat on Lydiard Street and inside the Ballarat Botanical Gardens, where the Friends of the Gardens group will run nightly lantern-making workshops for families.

Must-See Highlights

Key pieces include a 12-metre fibre-optic spider web suspended above the Town Hall steps and a series of mirrored orbs floating on the lake that change colour with visitor movement. The program also features a free drone light show above the Ballarat Railway Station each evening at 8 pm.

Organisers project 65,000 attendees this year, up from 48,000 in 2025, with single-night passes priced at $22 and family tickets at $65 available through the festival website.

Visitor Essentials

Trams run every 15 minutes from the railway station to the main festival zone until midnight. Parking fills quickly after 5 pm, so visitors should use the secure lots at the Ballarat Showgrounds or arrive by V/Line train. Warm layers and waterproof footwear are essential because evening temperatures average 4 degrees.