When it comes to Easter events in Australia, it’s difficult to look past The Royal Easter Show.
However, tucked away in the heart of the Southern Highlands lies one of the most vibrant, authentic and festive events of the year. An event unbeknownst to the masses.
The Burrawang Easter Markets.
What are the Burrawang Easter Markets?
Being from the Southern Highlands area myself, these markets are one of the most highly anticipated local events of the year.
The electric yet peaceful country atmosphere is simply infectious, with the community shutting down the entire main street for Easter Saturday in support for local businesses.
Stalls range from handcrafted jewellery and wooden sculptures, to local food trucks, live music, and fund raisers.
There’s something for everybody.
Recent years have even seen externally located rural businesses from as far away as Yass travelling to Burrawang to set up their own stalls.
For a village of only a couple of hundred residents, Burrawang gets thousands of people visiting every year.
“Based on the numbers so far we’re projecting around 7,000 [people] this year. The most we’ve ever had has been 10,000”
Jennifer Macquarie (Burrawang local & Event Volunteer)
My experience
After arriving at 10:00 A.M. and navigating my way through three paddocks storing cars like sardines, I began the 800 metre walk towards the main street.
Upon arrival I was greeted by a conglomerate of stalls spreading as far down the street as I could see.
From the first stall I was overcome with a positive and welcoming feeling, which was a consistent feature of the day.
Many of these stalls were unlike anything I’ve seen elsewhere.
While you had your typical ‘country fair’ type lemonade stands and cake stalls, there were an abundance of stalls completely unique to the community.
Statues made entirely from old rusty metals, beer bottles built into door hooks, ceramic plant pots in the form of retro cars … the list goes on.
No matter which way I turned, I was guaranteed to spend a good few minutes admiring the originality of each business and their products.
It was such a heartwarming experience hearing the shop owners passionately explain their niche businesses and creativity to curious customers.
The time flew by and so did the amount of people entering the event, and by midday the place was so packed it was tough to move.
The congestion mixed with the blaring sun was enough to convince me to stop by one of the many lemonade stands in the vicinity.
I took the opportunity to ask somebody waiting in line with me their experience with the markets.
“We haven’t been for years but we’ll definitely go again next year! It’s a beautiful day to be out with the family, we’re loving the community spirit”
Sophie (Southern Highlands local)
This seemed to be a consistent verdict on the event, as everybody I saw had a smiles plastered over their faces.
The markets were a great opportunity for people to discover local products they were not aware of, whether it be a jar of honey or original art pieces.
I was happy to see that the expansion and improvement over the past few years, although being clearly visible didn’t have a major impact on the local vibe I remember as a kid.
“It cost roughly $60,000 in total to put on this event. We’ve had to invest pretty heavily in our internet which has crashed before as it’s only designed to withstand a small village”
Jennifer Macquarie (Burrawang local & Event Volunteer)
While the Burrawang Markets might not have the same budget as many of the larger Easter events, you can truly see how much it means to the community.
The pride and passion seeping out of the business owners, and the homely country atmosphere make the event feel like so much more than what it is on paper.
The whole experience felt like a country fair out of an 80’s movie!
Seeing all age groups, demographics, and group sizes enjoying the markets, I highly recommend the event as a great way to spend your Easter Saturday in 2026 and beyond!
Photos by Chris Wilson