Hunter Valley Evenings and Art, 25 November to 13 December 2026: Open-Air Opera at $55, a Cessnock Exhibition, Paint and Sip and a $180 Olive Grove Picnic (NSW)

One evening on the Hunter Valley Wine Country calendar for late November is Timeless Tunes at Hunter Wine Lab on Wednesday 25 November: an open-air evening with soprano Sophie Blades and a meal, for $55 per person. Around it are a survey exhibition at Cessnock’s performing arts centre that ends on 21 November, a Christmas paint-and-sip on 13 December, a weekly food hub and an olive grove picnic for two.

All details below come from Hunter Valley Wine Country event pages read on Tuesday 10 November 2026. Times are New South Wales local time (AEDT, UTC+11).

What is on, and what does it cost?

Event	When	Where	Cost
Chris Fussell: The Art of Noticing	To Sat 21 Nov; Mon to Fri 9am to 4:30pm, Sat 10am to 1:30pm	Cessnock Performing Arts Centre, 198/202 Vincent St	Free entry
Timeless Tunes with Sophie Blades	Wed 25 Nov, 6pm to 9pm	Hunter Wine Lab, 433 Hermitage Rd, Pokolbin	$55 per person
Paint with Llynda: Koala Claus	Sun 13 Dec, 11am to 1:30pm	Café Brocante, 196 Wilderness Rd, Lovedale	$55 per person, $44 concession
Entwine Food Hub	Every Friday and Saturday, 5:30pm to 10:30pm	Calais Estate	Not stated
Olive grove picnic	Thursday to Sunday, 1pm to 4pm	Whispering Brook, 165 Hill St, Broke	$180 for two guests

What is the Timeless Tunes evening?

Hunter Wine Lab hosts an open-air performance by soprano Sophie Blades on Wednesday 25 November from 6pm to 9pm. The listing says she holds a Master of Music Studies in Opera Performance from the Sydney Conservatorium of Music and has performed leading opera roles in Australia and overseas, and that the show is set against the vines and the Broken Back Ranges.

The $55 ticket includes the performance and a meal by Elliott’s at Oakvale: a charcuterie cone, a Mediterranean plate, lamb kofta and chicken shish taouk with summer rice salad, lemon tzatziki and pita, then a Magnum ice cream. Wine, beer and cocktails are sold by the bottle and glass, and the listing says to bring a camp chair. There is “strictly No BYO food or drink”. Bookings go through aroundhermitage.com.au and the venue’s email address is hello@hunterwinelab.com.

What is the Chris Fussell exhibition?

The Art of Noticing is a survey exhibition of Chris Fussell, a long-time Pokolbin artist and co-founder of Crowtrap Studio. The listing says it covers graceful portraiture, from portraits of “the waiting room” to delicate line drawings, plus landscapes in oil and acrylic and his sculptural work. It runs from 3 October to Saturday 21 November at the Cessnock Performing Arts Centre, 198/202 Vincent Street, Cessnock.

The listed hours are Monday to Friday 9am to 4:30pm and Saturday 10am to 1:30pm, and the gallery is also open one hour before theatre performances. The final Saturday is 21 November. The centre’s phone number is 0249934266 and its email address is pacc@cessnock.nsw.gov.au. The listing says entry is free and that the gallery is closed on Sundays and public holidays.

What is Paint with Llynda?

Hunter Valley artist Llynda Nairn runs paint-and-sip sessions. The 13 December session is a Christmas theme called Koala Claus, at Café Brocante, 196 Wilderness Road, Lovedale, from 11am to 1:30pm, with tickets at $55 per person and $44 for concessions and students. The listing says all ages and abilities are welcome, that it is a French-themed café, and that the venue is dog-friendly.

The general listing says each session runs two to three hours and all materials are supplied for a 50cm by 40cm artwork. Bookings go through Humanitix, and the artist’s email is Llyndanairn+paint@gmail.com.

What about the food hub and the picnic?

Entwine Food Hub is held at Calais Estate every Friday and Saturday from 5:30pm to 10:30pm, with the listing period running to 25 December 2026. The listing describes street food trailers, stalls, wine and live music, and says the barrel room is open and air-conditioned in any weather. The listing gives no street address, so check entwinehuntervalley.com.au before you drive.

The olive grove picnic at Whispering Brook, 165 Hill Street, Broke, costs $180 for two guests. The package includes a hosted cellar door tasting of small-batch wines and estate extra virgin olive oil, a premium bottle of wine to share, and a picnic box with Binnorie cheeses, cured meats, savoury quiche, artisan cheesecake, crackers and water. Kids can use the estate cubby house and sandpit, and there is an all-weather backup on the verandah. Bookings are essential and the phone number is 02 6579 1386. The listing header says Thursday to Sunday, while its text says Thursday to Saturday, so confirm the day when you book.

What else is on in the Hunter?

For weekly markets, Friday sundowners and a CCR tribute night, see our Hunter Valley weekends guide. For Christmas Day lunches and a New Year’s Eve fireworks dinner, see our Christmas and NYE guide.

Sources

• Hunter Valley Wine Country — Timeless Tunes at Hunter Wine Lab (read 10 November 2026)
• Hunter Valley Wine Country — Chris Fussell, The Art of Noticing (read 10 November 2026)
• Hunter Valley Wine Country — Paint with Llynda, Christmas theme (read 10 November 2026)
• Hunter Valley Wine Country — Paint With Llynda (read 10 November 2026)
• Hunter Valley Wine Country — Entwine Food Hub (read 10 November 2026)
• Hunter Valley Wine Country — Picnic Among the Olive Trees at Whispering Brook (read 10 November 2026)

Photos: Hunter Valley vineyards by thinkrorbot, Batsv, Mike Weber and SirDublin, on Wikimedia Commons. The photos show the region in general, not the venues (text added).

OZ Local Updates is an independent local guide and is not affiliated with Hunter Valley Wine Country or the organisers named above. Dates and details can change; check with the organiser before you go.