Festivals
Come together through music, food, colour, culture and joyful celebration.
— About
The joy of gathering together
In the bhakti tradition, festivals are more than events. They are moments of connection, devotion and joy brought to life through music, dance, vegetarian feasting and community. Whether you are joining a street procession, celebrating Holi, attending a temple festival or simply sharing a meal with others, every gathering is an invitation to pause, connect and experience something uplifting. Come as you are. Sing, dance, share food and celebrate with us.
What to Expect
Live mantra music that lifts the heart and brings people together.
Nourishing food shared freely in a warm community setting.
Festivals filled with colour, movement, tradition and celebration.
Welcoming gatherings for all ages and backgrounds.
A chance to meet others, feel included and celebrate together.
Timeless teachings shared in a simple and approachable way.
The Festivals
Schedule: Saturday, January 31, 2026
- 7:00 am Deity Greeting
- 7:30 am Class
- 10:30 am Deity Bathing & Chanting
- 11:50 am Deities Return to Altar (Chanting)
- 12:30 pm Ārati & Chanting
- 1:00 pm Vegetarian Feast
Agenda: Bathe Nityānanda and Gaurāṅga, chant and dance, feast.
About: Nityānanda is regarded as Krishna's second body — appearing as Balarāma to Krishna, Lakṣmaṇa to Rāma, and Nityānanda to Chaitanya Mahāprabhu. He appeared around 1474 in Ekachakra, West Bengal, and was Chaitanya's chief associate in spreading congregational chanting, showing mercy to all fallen souls.
Schedule (2026): Sunday, February 15.
Chariot Parade from 1 pm, starting at Cleve Gardens (cnr. Fitzroy St & Beaconsfield Pde). Veg/Vegan Food Festival 12 pm–8 pm at Catani Gardens, 6 Jacka Boulevard.
- Veg/Vegan food
- Free music, drama & dance (Global Party People DJs)
- Fun for kids, body art & face painting
Agenda: Sing, dance and pull the decorated chariot to Luna Park and back, then enjoy the food festival with stage shows, henna and body painting.
About: Considered one of the oldest continuously celebrated festivals in the world, rooted in the ancient chariot processions of Lord Jagannātha in Puri, India. Melbourne first hosted it in the CBD in the 1970s, and it's been part of the St Kilda Festival since 2011.
Where (2026): Elephant Walk, The Esplanade, Torquay VIC 3228
Schedule: Sunday, February 22, 11 am–4 pm
- Colour throwing every half hour
- Live music with Global Party People
- Bhagavad-gītā card reading
- Face painting & kids zone
- Vegan/vegetarian snacks & shopping
Agenda: A relaxed, family-friendly day with live entertainment, face painting, card readings and colour-throwing every half hour, plus tasty vegetarian/vegan food.
About: Holi celebrates the unity of the human spirit through the ancient tradition of Krishna playfully throwing coloured powders with His friends, marking the arrival of spring.
Schedule: Tuesday, March 3, 2026
- 4:00 pm Ārati & Kīrtan
- 4:20 pm Class
- 5:15 pm Abhiṣeka
- 6:15 pm Deities Return to Altar
- 7:00 pm Ārati & Kīrtan
- 7:30 pm Feast
Wyndham Hare Krishna and ISKCON Casey also plan Gaura Purnima celebrations — check their Facebook pages closer to the date.
Agenda: Bathe the festival Deities of Nityānanda and Gaurāṅga, chant and dance, feast.
About: Chaitanya Mahāprabhu appeared in Māyāpur, West Bengal, over 500 years ago as Krishna Himself, introducing congregational chanting (saṅkīrtana) as the most effective path to spiritual perfection — living as a perfect devotee without revealing His own divinity.
Where: Hare Krishna Valley, 1265 Dean's Marsh Rd, Bambra 3241
Schedule: Sunday, March 15, 2026, 12–3 pm — Ārati, Procession, Deities' Boat Ride & Offerings, Kīrtana, Ārati, Talk, Feast.
Agenda: Give little Rādhā-Krishna a ride in a flower boat on the spring dam, then chant, dance and feast.
About: In autumn, devotees at Hare Krishna Valley recreate Rādhā and Krishna's blissful boat pastime, part of the farm's mission to share the peace found in simple, spiritually centred living.
Where: Part of Wyndham Holi Mela, President's Park, Wyndham Vale.
Schedule (2026): Details to be announced.
Agenda: Pull Jagannātha, Baladeva and Subhadrā on Their chariot; ārati ceremony; chanting, dancing and feasting; a purification fire sacrifice; Bhagavad-gītā card readings; face painting and henna tattoos.
About: Held as part of the annual Wyndham Holi Mela, a free community event spreading peace and harmony through colour and bringing Wyndham's diverse communities together to celebrate multicultural Australia.
Schedule (Hare Krishna Melbourne): Friday, March 27, 2026
- 7:00 am Deity Greeting
- 7:30 am Class
- 10:30 am Abhiṣeka & Kīrtan
- 11:50 am Deities Return to Altar
- 12:30 pm Ārati & Kīrtan
- 1:00 pm Feast
Agenda: Bathe Sītā-Rāma-Lakṣmaṇa-Hanumān, chant and dance, feast.
About: Krishna incarnated as the valiant king Rāma, worshipped alongside wife Sītā, brother Lakṣmaṇa and devotee Hanumān. Rāma set the standard for heroism, morality and good government as the ideal son, husband, friend and king.
Schedule: Thursday, April 30, 2026
- 4:00 pm Ārati & chanting
- 4:20 pm Class
- 4:50 pm Deity bathing
- 6:15 pm Deities return to altar
- 7:00 pm Ārati & chanting
- 7:30 pm Feast
Wyndham Hare Krishna and ISKCON Casey also plan to host celebrations — check their Facebook pages closer to the date.
About: Krishna's half-man, half-lion incarnation appeared to rescue the boy-devotee Prahlāda from his tyrannical father, Hiraṇyakaśipu. Though fearsome to onlookers, Nṛsiṁhadeva is deeply cherished by devotees for removing obstacles from the path of devotion.
Schedule (2026): Hare Krishna Melbourne — Sunday, Aug 23 to Friday, Aug 28: 7–8 pm nightly.
Agenda: Swing the festival Deities of Rādhā and Krishna on a beautifully decorated jhulana (swing).
About: Much like Snāna-yātrā in December, this is a rare chance to personally serve the Deities — families and friends step forward in groups to swing Rādhā and Krishna, celebrating Krishna's loving pastimes with Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī in Vraja.
Where (2026): Hare Krishna Melbourne, 197 Danks St, Albert Park 3206
Schedule: Friday, August 28, 2026
- 7:00 am Deity Greeting
- 7:30 am Class
- 9:30 am Kīrtan
- 10:30 am Deity Bathing, Chanting
- 12:30 pm Ārati, Kīrtan
- 1:00 pm Feast
- 7:00 pm Swing Festival
Events at ISKCON Southeast Melbourne and Wyndham Hare Krishna to be advised.
Agenda: Bathing the festival Deities of Jagannātha-Baladeva-Subhadrā; chanting, dancing, feast.
About: Lord Balarāma appears in Vṛndāvana as Krishna's elder brother and "second body," assisting in Krishna's spiritual pastimes. He's described as a symbol of strength and an ideal son, brother and husband.
Where (2026): Hare Krishna Melbourne, 197 Danks St, Albert Park 3206
Schedule: Saturday, September 5, 2026
- 5:00 pm Ārati & Kīrtana
- 7:00 pm Ārati & Kīrtana
- 7:30 pm Abhiṣeka (Deity Bathing) & Kīrtana
- 9:00 pm Ārati & Kīrtana
- Midnight Ārati
Free Krishna prasādam is served throughout the day. Please note the Temple sits in a residential neighbourhood — help us respect our neighbours by keeping noise levels down.
Agenda: Bathing the festival Deities of Rādhā and Krishna; extended Deity darśanas, chanting, dancing, feast.
About: Janmāṣṭamī is by far our biggest festival of the year, hosting thousands of guests. Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, appeared in Vṛndāvana to delight His devotees and re-establish the principles of religion.
Schedule: Sunday, September 6, 2026 — Nandotsava; Śrīla Prabhupāda Appearance Day; fast till noon.
Agenda: Offering of homages, Guru-pūjā, chanting, dancing, feast.
About: "Vyāsa" means guru, our original guru — hence Vyāsa-pūjā, since the spiritual master represents Vyāsa. This day is set aside for sharing realisations about our Founder's mood and mission, and re-dedicating our lives to his service.
Schedule: Saturday, September 19, 2026 — detailed local program to be announced.
Agenda: A flower bath for the festival Deities of Rādhā and Krishna, chanting, dancing, feast.
About: On Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī's birthday, devotees offer unique hand-made flower outfits to Rādhā-Vallabha and the festival Deities. Rādhārāṇī, the topmost devotee of Krishna, appeared in Varshana, Vraja, and is Krishna's internal pleasure-giving potency who controls Him through Her love.
Schedule (2026): Monday, October 26 – Tuesday, November 24.
- Hare Krishna Melbourne: lamps offered 7 am & 7 pm daily
- Wyndham Hare Krishna: lamps offered 7 pm daily
Agenda: Offer lamps and chant the glories of Lord Dāmodara together.
About: Kārtika, considered the holiest month of the year, deepens one's love for Krishna through extra vows and worship of Him as the young boy Dāmodara, once bound at the waist by mother Yaśodā.
Where: 351 Plummer St, Port Melbourne 3207 — once again hosted as a combined Diwali and Govardhana-pūjā Festival at the Timber Yard.
Schedule (2026): Details to be announced.
About: Diwali, meaning "festival of lights," is celebrated by Hindus, Buddhists, Jains and Sikhs alike and marks the traditional New Year's Eve. It commemorates Lord Rāma's triumphant return to His kingdom of Koshala after rescuing Sītā from the demon-king Rāvaṇa — welcomed home by lamps lit throughout the city.
Where: 351 Plummer St, Port Melbourne 3207 — combined with Diwali at the Timber Yard.
Schedule (2026): Details to be announced.
Agenda: Govardhana-pūjā, circumambulating Giri-Govardhana's Hill of Sweets, chanting, drama and dance, offering of lamps, Dāmodarāṣṭakam, Diwali sparklers and feast.
About: Govardhana Hill sits in Vraja, near Delhi — Krishna's childhood home. As a seven-year-old, He is said to have lifted the hill to shelter His community from torrential storms. At Hare Krishna Melbourne, devotees build a replica hill from sweets and cakes, chant and dance around it, then feast and distribute the sweets to all present.
Schedule (2026): Friday, November 13, 2026 — detailed Melbourne program to be announced.
Agenda: Offering of homages, Guru-pūjā, chanting, dancing, feast, then evening readings and ārati in Śrīla Prabhupāda's room.
About: ISKCON's Founder-Ācārya, His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, passed away in November 1977 in Vṛndāvana. In Krishna-conscious understanding, both the appearance and disappearance of devotees are seen as all-auspicious — cause for celebration even amid feelings of separation.
Where: Hare Krishna Valley, 1265 Dean's Marsh Rd, Bambra 3241
Schedule (2026): Details to be announced.
Agenda: Ārati to the farm Deities, procession to the cows, ārati to the cows, feeding the cows, feast.
About: Cows are cherished as gentle creatures whose milk sustains us out of love, with even their stool and urine holding agricultural and medicinal value. Hare Krishna Valley's mission is to show the spiritual and material benefits of protecting and caring for cows, regarded as mothers in this tradition.
Where: Melbourne Sports and Aquatic Centre (MSAC) Arena — use the Stadiums Entry, 30 Aughtie Dr, Albert Park VIC 3206. Joined with the Panihati Festival.
Schedule (2026): Saturday, December 26 — detailed program to be announced.
Agenda: Bathing festival, chanting, dancing, feast.
About: Before Ratha-yātrā, Jagannātha, Baladeva and Subhadrā enjoy a bathing festival — the only day devotees, not just priests, may personally bathe the Deities. Afterwards They're dressed in elephant masks and night clothes and offered a feast.
Where: MSAC Arena, Albert Park — joined with the Snāna-yātrā Festival.
Schedule (2026): Saturday, December 26 — detailed program to be announced.
Agenda: Offer delicious offerings in hand-painted pots to Jagannātha-Baladeva-Subhadrā, then auction the prasādam.
About: Hand-painted mahāprasādam pots recall a 16th-century pastime in Panihati, West Bengal, where Lord Nityānanda asked devotee Raghunātha Dāsa Gosvāmī to host a feast of yogurt and chipped rice (chidā-dahi). Melbourne continues this tradition during Lord Jagannātha's elephant-dress festival, auctioning the feast to support the Deities.
Schedule (2026): Thursday, January 1, 2026
- 4:00 pm Fire Sacrifice & Ārati
- 6:00 pm Feast
- 7:00 pm Ārati & Chanting
Agenda: Ārati, chanting, fire sacrifice, feast.
About: Rather than ordinary resolutions, Vedic wisdom tells us every "do" and "don't" should support one goal — always remembering Krishna and never forgetting Him. When we chant, every day can feel new, since Krishna is ever fresh.
