Street party to add extra fun to Santos Festival of Rugby

The addition of a street party to this year’s Santos Festival of Rugby will bring Maitland Street to life as festivities kick off this week.

A new component of the event, the street festival will be held on Friday night ahead of a weekend packed full of rugby action.

Boasting food trucks, drinks tents, activities and games, there will also be appearances by the full NSW Waratahs and Queensland Reds Super Rugby AUS, Super Rugby Women’s and Rugby Sevens squads.

It’s a gold mine for any rugby-loving kid looking for a selfie or an autograph. The idea is for the whole community to come together and celebrate such an exciting weekend for the region, not just the thousands due to attend the festival at Dangar Park over the weekend.

Maitland Street will be closed to oncoming traffic, allowing the street party to bring the town to life, with live music and Wallaby legends Tim Horan and Morgan Turinui interviewing players.

Running from 4pm to 8pm, local businesses will show their support for the event. Attendees are encouraged to support them before and after the street party as well.

“Narrabri is a town that lives and breathes sport, with rugby at the heart of our community, so we’re absolutely thrilled to see the Santos Festival of Rugby return,” Narrabri Shire mayor Darrell Tiemens said.

“The new opening street party is a fantastic initiative that will bring visitors into our vibrant CBD, connect them with locals and fellow rugby fans, and showcase the very best of Narrabri hospitality,”Cr Tiemens said.

“The Street Party will kick-start what promises to be an unforgettable festival weekend.”

Following the excitement of the Street Party, the action turns to Dangar Park over Saturday, September 20 and Sunday, September 21, with tickets on sale now through Ticketek.

The Santos Festival of Rugby combines elite high-performance rugby with opportunities for regional Queensland and NSW rugby participants to play on the big stage.

The Reds and Waratahs will meet in Round Two of the new Super Rugby AUS competition on the Saturday with a 5:45pm kick-off.

2025 Santos Festival of Rugby schedule

Saturday, September 20:

Classic Wallabies Kids Clinic, 12:30pm – 1:30pm.

Queensland Reds vs NSW Waratahs Women’s Rugby Sevens, 2pm.

Queensland Reds vs NSW Waratahs Women, 2:30pm.

Queensland Reds vs NSW Waratahs Women’s Rugby Sevens, 4:30pm.

Queensland Reds vs NSW Waratahs Super Rugby AUS, 5:45pm.

Sunday, September 21:

Queensland Country vs NSW Country, U18 Girls, 9am.

Queensland Reds vs NSW Waratahs Women’s Rugby Sevens, 10:20am.

Classic Wallabies vs Narrabri Blue Boars Over 35s, 11am.

Queensland Reds vs NSW Waratahs Women’s Rugby Sevens, 12pm.

Queensland Reds vs NSW Waratahs Super U19s, 1pm.