Penola Coonawarra Arts Festival

The Penola Coonawarra Arts Festival has grown exponentially to become one of the most flamboyant regional art festivals in South Australia.

The festival brings together an eclectic fusion of art, literature and the finest wines from vineyards that dot Coonawarra’s landscape.

Over three days, we celebrate our amazing region’s art, history and cultural heritage. Our community is abundant with fine wine and food, premium regional produce, creativity and a welcoming spirit for those who live, visit and stay.

The Penola Coonawarra Arts Festival is another outstanding example of our community spirit, comprised of teamwork, dedication, and talent. The small but merry committee works hard throughout the year to create a festival that truly has something for everyone across all areas of the arts.

What is a celebratory festival in Penola without authentic wine from the region’s world-class wineries? Visitors can expect to indulge in premium wine from the famed Coonawarra wineries, a fundamental part of Penola’s rich heritage.

Poets of Penola Acquisitive Art Prize

The NEW 2025 Poets of Penola Acquisitive Art Prize is open to all emerging and established artists throughout Australia. The competition will be expanded to include two other prominent Penola poets, Adam Lindsay Gordon and William Henry Ogilvie, along with John Shaw Neilson.

The general format of the competition will remain the same; however, the work of these poets will provide fresh inspiration for your artwork. The new title of this competition will be the Poets of Penola Acquisitive Art Prize.

If you’ve entered before, you already know the rewards of participating in this event. For those considering entering for the first time, it really is a wonderful opportunity to be part of a dynamic Festival while acknowledging the Poets’ place in Penola’s history.

Penola Coonawarra Arts Festival Design Prize

This is a fantastic opportunity for artists and graphic designers around Australia to submit designs that will be incorporated into all our branding and marketing material for our next Festival.

The chosen square (new size) poster design will be used for all 2026 promotional materials, including a full-colour program, posters, flyers, the website, banners, and more.

Catherine Martin Literary Award

2025’s theme is “Flourishing”.

Catherine Edith Macauley Martin née Mackay (1848–1937) was an Australian novelist and poet who published her work anonymously or under pseudonyms such as M. C., Mrs Alick Macleod and Ishbel.

Open Mic Competitions

Kids Open Mic Competition
Are you the new Taylor Swift? Great prizes.

Starts at 3pm in the big tent down Petticoat Lane.

Open Mic Competition
Can you sing, dance, or just be funny? You have 15 minutes to impress our judges for the chance to win the big prize!

Everybody is welcome to have a go. Meals available all day.

Streetscape People Choice

Following the huge success of the previous Streetscape competitions for local Businesses to decorate their shop windows in the Festival theme, it’s back with the new STREETSCAPE DECORATE competition!

The theme this year, is ‘FLOURISHING’, with the official Winner announced, on Friday evening at the ‘Opening Night’ of the Festival.

People’s Choice voting is encouraged over the Festival weekend and the award will be announced ‘Down The Lane’ on Sunday afternoon.

Getting There

Penola and Coonawarra are about halfway between the capital cities of Adelaide and Melbourne. Coonawarra is located approximately 380kms south of Adelaide, of Melbourne and only 10kms from the historic town of Penola.

Drive the Great Ocean Road or Coorong
Coonawarra and Penola are a comfortable four-and-a-half-hour drive from 424 km west of Melbourne and a four-hour drive from Adelaide. For those with more time, why not consider the scenic route via the world-renowned Great Ocean Road if coming from Melbourne or via the spectacular Coorong if coming from Adelaide?

Flying
The nearest airport to Coonawarra is Mount Gambier, a convenient thirty-minute drive south.

Bus or Train
From Adelaide, South Australia
Make your way to the Festival with South Australia’s state bus service, Premier Stateliner.

From Melbourne, Victoria
You can catch the train from Melbourne to Warrnambool and then take the bus through the port-side villages of Port Fairy and Portland to Mount Gambier. Mount Gambier is a 30-minute drive from Penola/Coonawarra.