Every good wine festival eventually runs into the same problem: what do you do with the kids while the adults are three tastings deep into a chef conversation? The answer, according to Bowral’s Horizontal Festival, is Family Day – a dedicated four-hour session at Centennial Vineyards, landing on the October long weekend, built specifically so nobody has to choose between the vines and the kids.
Come Sunday 4 October, 12–4pm, and the Family Day program is doing a lot so you don’t have to.
To start, 50 art classes with artist Melanie Norman should keep the creatively inclined occupied well past the point of “just five more minutes,” while Chaos Meets Circus runs hands-on workshops for anyone who’s ever wanted their kid to attempt a handstand under professional supervision rather than on the living room couch.
Next, Farmer Gavin will bring his working dogs, the Highlands fire crew will park its truck for close inspection, Soul Street Brigade will roam the grounds to keep the energy up, and Weird Assembly will close out the afternoon with a full live show on the Main Stage. Together, they’ll pack plenty into the afternoon, giving parents exactly the kind of outing that earns them a genuinely guilt-free glass of something good.
The best bit is that while the kids are occupied, the rest of Horizontal Festival keeps running exactly as it should – 80-plus wineries, distilleries, breweries and artisan producers spread across the vineyard, premium tastings, immersive workshops, and a rolling lineup of chef conversations on the Maldon Salt Culinary Stage. Family Day isn’t a separate event bolted on for optics – it’s the same festival, just with somewhere decent to put the kids while you get on with it.
What are the details for Bowral’s Horizontal Festival 2026?
Tickets for kids aged 3–14 are $25, under-twos get in free, and it all sits inside the broader three-day run of Horizontal Festival across 2–4 October, so if Sunday’s the family session, there’s still Friday and Saturday to go back without anyone under 14 in tow.
Horizontal Festival: Family Day
Sunday 4 October 2026, 12–4pm Centennial Vineyards, Bowral, Southern Highlands
Tickets and info: www.horizontalfestival.com.au