The Seaworks Winter Solstice Festival is back in Williamstown, turning the historic waterfront into a blazing celebration of fire, light and community, and it's completely free.
The Seaworks Winter Solstice Festival returns to the Seaworks Maritime Precinct in Williamstown on 19 June 2026, marking the longest night of the year with a packed program of fire performances, live music and circus acts.
This year’s event carries extra weight, coinciding with the 50th anniversary of the destruction of the Gellibrand Pile Light, a much-loved maritime landmark in Hobsons Bay. The evening will weave that local history into the celebrations through fire, performance and projection.
The festival draws its spirit from ancient solstice traditions, transforming the waterfront precinct into something a little otherworldly for a few hours.
Seaworks Winter Solstice Festival
- Where: Seaworks Maritime Precinct, Williamstown
- When: 19 June 2026, 5pm–9pm
- FREE
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Expect roaming performers popping up across the site alongside DJs, dance performances and live music, all set against the backdrop of the water on one of the year’s coldest nights. There’ll be plenty of food and warm winter treats to keep you going, and the whole thing is free and suitable for all ages.
The event is inspired by age-old traditions honouring the return of light after the year’s longest night, making it one of the more meaningful free community events on Melbourne’s winter calendar.
Hobsons Bay City Council’s Make it Happen Program helped bring it all together, and with circus performances, surprise roaming acts and a lineup of entertainment spread across the precinct, there’s plenty to keep the whole family busy from 5pm through to 9pm.
For more information, head here.
This article was made in partnership with Seaworks Maritime Precinct.
