At a glance
- What
- Barrenjoey Artwalk, a free, self-guided art trail through 30 shops, cafés and businesses in Avalon Village
- When
- Saturday 7 November to Sunday 22 November 2026 (the council lists 12pm on the first day to 12pm on the last)
- Cost
- Free to walk; every artwork is for sale and a portion of sales goes to Barrenjoey High School
- Who runs it
- The Barrenjoey High School P&C, with Northern Beaches Council listing the event
- Who it’s for
- Anyone visiting Avalon in the fortnight, including families coming for the cinema or the Ocean Festival evening
- What to do now
- Follow the yellow dots on the day; book the free Ocean Festival sessions on the council’s website before they fill
- Last checked
- Wednesday 28 October 2026, against the Barrenjoey Artwalk website and Northern Beaches Council’s event pages
- Not yet confirmed
- The list of shops, the artworks (to be unveiled on opening day), opening hours at each shop and parking for the fortnight (none published)
The Barrenjoey Artwalk runs from Saturday 7 November to Sunday 22 November 2026, and it is free to walk. Thirty Avalon retailers become gallery spaces, and you follow the route yourself. Sydney is on daylight saving time, so every time below is local Sydney time (AEDT).
This guide covers the Artwalk and three other events in Avalon in the same two weeks, all taken from the Barrenjoey Artwalk website and Northern Beaches Council’s What’s On pages, read on 28 October 2026. Where a detail has not been published yet, the article says so.
What is the Barrenjoey Artwalk?
It is an art trail through the shops of Avalon Village. According to the organisers, local retailers host works by Australian artists in their windows, and visitors follow yellow dots from one shop to the next. The council’s event page describes it as a free, self-guided trail through shops, cafés and local businesses.
The Artwalk is created and run by the Barrenjoey High School P&C, and the council says this is its third year. The organisers’ About page says the volunteer parents who run it want to support local retailers and artists and raise funds for the school. The concept began with a Mosman High School parent, Ann King, during Covid, and the Avalon version started in 2024 with her permission.
Which artists are in the 2026 Artwalk?
The council’s page names two headline artists, Reg Mombassa and Martine Emdur, whose styles it describes as contrasting. It also lists Amanda Tye, Ben Waters, Tan Arlidge and Phil Meatchem.
The Artwalk website says this year’s artworks will be unveiled on opening day, so there is no published list of which work hangs in which shop. The council’s page also says the Artwalk includes Barrenjoey High School’s Year 12 HSC Works Exhibition, with student work in visual arts, timber and textiles.
| Detail | What the organisers and council say |
|---|---|
| Dates | 7 to 22 November 2026 |
| Where | Avalon Village, Northern Beaches |
| Admission | Free |
| Number of venues | 30 local retailers |
| Headline artists | Reg Mombassa and Martine Emdur |
| Other artists named | Amanda Tye, Ben Waters, Tan Arlidge, Phil Meatchem |
| Student work | Year 12 HSC Works Exhibition (visual arts, timber, textiles) |
| Buying art | All exhibited works are for sale; a portion of sales supports Barrenjoey High School |
| How to follow the route | Yellow dots (organisers’ About page) |
Do I need a ticket or a booking?
Neither page asks for one. The council lists admission as free, and the organisers describe a self-guided experience you can do at your own pace. The pages do not give opening hours for individual shops, so check each shop’s own signs when you arrive.
The Artwalk website also has a “Make a Donation” link to a Barrenjoey High School building fund page.
What else is on in Avalon during the Artwalk fortnight?
Three events listed on the council’s calendar are in Avalon in the same two weeks. Two are Ocean Festival 2026 events at Avalon Beach Surf Life Saving Club on Sunday 8 November, and one is a cinema night on Saturday 14 November.
| Date | Time | Event | Where | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 8 Nov | 4:30pm to 6pm | Capture the coast through a different lens (photography session with Tim Seaton) | Avalon Surf Lifesaving Club, 558A Barrenjoey Road | Free, bookings essential |
| Sun 8 Nov | 6:30pm to 9:30pm | Turning the Tide: Lisa Blair talk and Turn the Tide Film Tour 2026 | Avalon Beach Surf Life Saving Club | Free, booking link on the council page |
| Sat 14 Nov | 3:30pm and 7pm | Community Cinema Nights: Finding Nemo (3:30pm), Jaws (7pm) | United Cinemas Avalon | $16 a ticket |
Photography session, Sunday 8 November
Photographer Tim Seaton leads a hands-on session on Avalon Beach, covering composition, light, perspective and timing. The council says you can use a camera or a phone. Afterwards the group goes back to the surf club, where he shows a selection of his coastal photography. Bookings are essential and the session is free.
Lisa Blair and the Turn the Tide Film Tour, Sunday 8 November
Lisa Blair, a record-breaking solo sailor, climate activist and author, speaks at the club. Then comes the Turn the Tide Film Tour 2026, which the council describes as a 60-minute collection of short films about the oceans and the environmental challenges they face. It is free, with a booking link on the council’s page.
Community Cinema Nights, Saturday 14 November
Movie Health presents a new community cinema initiative, supported by Northern Beaches Council, with two screenings at United Cinemas Avalon. Finding Nemo is at 3:30pm and Jaws is at 7pm. Every ticket is $16 and is sold through Humanitix. Tickets are emailed, and the page asks you to arrive 15 minutes before your session.
A booked-out walk at Palm Beach
The council’s page for the Palm Beach Rockpool Discovery Walk on Sunday 8 November, 3pm to 4pm, says the event is booked out. The same page says to bring a hat, shoes that can get wet and sunblock. It is mentioned here only so you do not plan around it.
Is there anything else on the Northern Beaches art calendar?
The council also lists the Pittwater Artist Trail on Saturday 21 and Sunday 22 November, from 10am on the Saturday to 4pm on the Sunday. It is a separate self-guided trail, in which local artists open their private working studios. The council says the studios are spread across Avalon Beach, Clareville, Bilgola Plateau, Mona Vale, Church Point, Elanora Heights and Newport. The trail’s map is on its own website.
The Artwalk’s final day, Sunday 22 November, ends at 12pm on the council’s listing, and the studio trail’s second day runs until 4pm that day. The pages do not say how far apart the two are or whether there is any joint ticket or route.
How do I get to Avalon Village and where do I park?
Neither the Artwalk website nor the council’s event pages publish parking or bus details for the fortnight. We tried the council’s parking page, but it did not load, so there is no official figure to quote for parking in Avalon.
For public transport, use the Transport for NSW Trip Planner on the day you travel, because routes and times can change. For parking rules, read the signs on the street you park in, since time limits differ from one block to the next.
What is not confirmed yet?
- The list of the 30 participating shops.
- Which artworks are in which shop (the website says they are unveiled on opening day).
- Trading hours for each shop during the Artwalk.
- Parking and bus changes for the fortnight.
- Any wet-weather arrangements for the two Ocean Festival sessions at the surf club.
If any of these are published before 7 November, check the Artwalk website first. It is the organisers’ own page and will carry the latest version of the route.
Sources
- Barrenjoey Artwalk (home, About and Contact pages), read 28 October 2026
- Northern Beaches Council: Barrenjoey Artwalk 2026
- Northern Beaches Council: Capture the coast through a different lens
- Northern Beaches Council: Turning the Tide evening
- Northern Beaches Council: Community Cinema Nights
- Northern Beaches Council: Palm Beach Rockpool Discovery Walk
- Northern Beaches Council: Pittwater Artist Trail
OZ Local Updates is an independent local guide and is not affiliated with the Barrenjoey High School P&C, Northern Beaches Council or United Cinemas.
Featured image: Avalon Beach just after sunrise (photo: Nigel Howe from Sydney, Australia / CC BY 2.0) (text added)