Community
13 October, 2026
Goulburn gears up for its biggest steampunk festival yet
Goulburn will be transformed into a world of steam engines, elaborate costumes, eccentric competitions and Victorian-inspired entertainment this weekend as Steampunk Goulburn expands into a two-day festival.
Goulburn will be transformed into a world of steam engines, elaborate costumes, eccentric competitions and Victorian-inspired entertainment this weekend as Steampunk Goulburn expands into a two-day festival.
The Goulburn Historic Waterworks will host the event on Saturday 17 and Sunday 18 October, with organisers unveiling their biggest program yet.
Thousands of visitors are expected to be drawn into the imaginative world of steampunk, where Victorian-era fashion and industrial machinery meet futuristic fantasy.
This year's expanded festival will feature tea and parasol duels, grand teapot racing, penny farthings, hobby horse racing, costume and pet parades, vintage games and working steam engines.
Live entertainment will include performances by The Crooked Fiddle Band, the Super Rats Romanian Band, brass musicians and orchestras.
One of the major additions is the SteamWorks Creative Workshops program, featuring free bookable and drop-in activities across both days.
Visitors can try their hand at circus skills, tea leaf reading, neurographic art, waste-to-art creations, painting, leather stamping and badge making.
Families will also find plenty to keep younger visitors entertained, including a trackless train, face painting and interactive activities.
Popular cosplayer Miss Twisted will appear throughout the weekend, including on Saturday in a specially created costume designed for the festival.
The historic Waterworks provides a fitting backdrop, with its magnificent steam-powered machinery, industrial architecture and picturesque location beside the Wollondilly River.
Saturday evening will feature a separate Steampunk Banquet at the historic Goulburn Brewery, where guests will enjoy a three-course shared long-table dinner, live music and a complimentary drink on arrival.
The brewery, recognised as Australia's oldest mainland brewery, has its own industrial history dating to the 1830s.
The festival runs from 10am to 4pm on Saturday and 10am to 2pm on Sunday.
With everything from extravagant costumes to unusual sporting contests and historic machinery, organisers are promising a weekend unlike anything else on Goulburn's events calendar.
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