Lava Arts Festival is a three day multidisciplinary arts festival based in Murwillumbah and surrounding towns of the Tweed Shire. The festival features a dynamic program of local and visiting artists. This exciting biannual event will serve as a platform for artistic expression, collaboration, and cultural exchange, bringing the Tweed community together to explore and celebrate our vibrant arts scene and unique identity.
Lava Arts Festival is produced and presented by Creative Caldera Incorporated, a dedicated group of local artists and art professionals.
DETAILS
June 26 - 28, 2026
Murwillumbah and the Tweed Shire Towns.
MURWILLUMBAH ARTS TRAIL LEGACY
Established in 2015, Creative Caldera’s principal initiative was the Murwillumbah Arts Trail (MAT) a much loved annual visual arts festival that ran from 2015 to 2024. MAT showcased the work of regional artists across Murwillumbah and its surrounding villages, becoming a key event in the local cultural calendar. Creative Caldera is focused on building upon MAT’s legacy while expanding the organisation’s impact.
This renewal includes a reimagining of the MAT. Under a new name and direction, LAVA Arts Festivals will launch its inaugural edition in Winter 2026 as a biennial (or annual, pending funding) event. LAVA will retain the legacy of MAT while introducing new presentation formats, curatorial approaches and programming that reflects the evolving arts community of the Tweed and Northern Rivers.
FEATURE ARTISTS PROJECT
Artists were invited to express their interest in presenting a new work at this year’s festival. Tweed Shire based artists, collectives, performers, and creatives from across the shire and Northern Rivers were invited to be part of Lava 2026.
Lava Arts Festival is supporting three professional artists from Tweed Shire to present new and experimental work at this year's festival. Its the first of its kind and we are excited to present these new works to the community.
This program has been supported by Regional Arts Australia.
TICKETS & EVENTS
Visit our Program Page to see the full program. Many events are free, while some ticketed.
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