![Clockwise from top left: Ocean Queen Classic, Illawarra Lapidary Club open day, a sack race at the Robertson Potato Festival and Bulli's botanic gardens.. Clockwise from top left: Ocean Queen Classic, Illawarra Lapidary Club open day, a sack race at the Robertson Potato Festival and Bulli's botanic gardens..](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/rdPnbxNSt95RbDXSGgzrdz/5e883546-6aa4-4762-a061-6cdcd508724d.png/r2_0_848_474_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
A potato festival, a women's surf event, Irish dancing, a ghost tour and more.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
or signup to continue reading
Here's your guide to what's on across the region on a soggy Saturday and Sunday, May 5 to 6.
Keep an eye on social media for any last-minute cancellations as a result of the weather.
1. Robertson Potato Festival
![Children taking part in a potato-peeling competition at the Robertson Potato Festival. Children taking part in a potato-peeling competition at the Robertson Potato Festival.](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/rdPnbxNSt95RbDXSGgzrdz/3a77492a-b5b8-472d-837e-2f203b1d9ee5.png/r0_0_1640_922_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
Get set for a weekend of potato peeling, spuds on sticks, sack races, live music, garden talks and more.
Inaugural Masterchef winner Julie Goodwin will feature on the Master Spud cooking stage, while music legends Dragon will rock the festival.
There's also a range of activities and family fun, including competitive peeling, spud'n'spoon races, sack races and more.
When: Saturday and Sunday from 10am to 4pm.
Where: Robertson Showground. Details here.
2. Illawarra Grevillea Park Botanic Garden open day
![The Sherbrooke Chapel at Bulli's botanic garden. The Sherbrooke Chapel at Bulli's botanic garden.](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/rdPnbxNSt95RbDXSGgzrdz/901964f4-e20a-4cc6-9a35-d09103280274.jpg/r0_530_5184_3456_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
The park, nestled at the foot of the Illawarra escarpment at the rear of Bulli Showground, is set to show off its flowering grevilleas and hybrids.
While the vine forest walk will only be partially open due to the creek crossings being washed away in April's floods, the park's majestic Blackbutt tree is still accessible.
Browse a large selection of native plants for sale, ranging in price from $5 for tubestock to $100 for standards. Entry is $7 per adult, children free. Don't forget to bring an umbrella.
When: Saturday and Sunday from 10am to 4pm.
Where: Grevillea Park Road, Bulli. Details here.
3. Ocean Queen Classic, Woonona Beach
![Russell Vale surfer Pearl Peters will compete in the inaugural Ocean Queen Classic at Woonona Beach. Russell Vale surfer Pearl Peters will compete in the inaugural Ocean Queen Classic at Woonona Beach.](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/rdPnbxNSt95RbDXSGgzrdz/f4aab5c7-784a-459c-834e-d28b7b2b73ce.jpg/r0_276_5407_3328_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
The inaugural surf event is set to showcase the area's rich and rising female talent.
An invitation-only contest, it features an open women's and a junior division, with Queens to be crowned by day's end.
Enjoy some Indonesian food from Nani's Food Truck, gelato from Mr Booch and drinks from Reub Goldberg Brewing Machine.
When: Sunday at 7am; presentations and post-event celebrations from 2pm.
Where: Woonona Beach and Woonona Surf Life Saving Club. Details here.
4. Hannah Barclay exhibition, Wollongong
![Gone Is The Night exhibition by Hannah Barclay. Gone Is The Night exhibition by Hannah Barclay.](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/rdPnbxNSt95RbDXSGgzrdz/2c4a0adc-5af7-44fb-9c5c-057aeb3e38e5.png/r70_0_1146_603_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
Head to Egg & Dart gallery on Friday night for the opening of Hannah Barclay's exhibition Gone Is The Night.
Barclay, artist and owner of pottery studio Clay Wollongong, has created a collection of contemporary ceramic sculptures created in the still of the night.
The large bulging, bodily forms shimmer with glaze as they slump over metal plinths.
When: Friday, from 6pm to 8pm for the opening. Exhibition runs until May 25.
Where: Egg & Dart, Shop 2, 175 Keira St, Wollongong. Details here.
5. May Day Rally, Wollongong
![Protesters march to Crown Street in Wollongong during a part May Day rally. Protesters march to Crown Street in Wollongong during a part May Day rally.](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/rdPnbxNSt95RbDXSGgzrdz/4309c1a8-1019-49ac-a0f3-d2c2fc0b900a.jpg/r0_461_5184_3387_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
Proud cries of "who's town? Uniontown" will echo along Crown Street as hundreds of workers take to the streets of Wollongong for the annual May Day march.
Organised by the South Coast Labour Council and Wollongong May Day, the event hopes to raise awareness of the attacks on workers' rights happening across multiple industries and professions.
When: Saturday at 10am.
Where: Meet at Wollongong Railway Station. Details here.
6. A Taste of Ireland - the Irish Music and Dance Sensation
![Performers on stage for the show A Taste of Ireland. Performers on stage for the show A Taste of Ireland.](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/rdPnbxNSt95RbDXSGgzrdz/235c124c-a469-4534-b631-efb090a1ecb8.jpeg/r33_0_1207_660_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
The Irish music and dance sensation promises to make you "laugh, cry and jig into the night".
The show features performers from Lord of the Dance and Riverdance, alongside a treasure trove of Irish Dancing Champions, musicians and a contemporary vocalist.
Revamped classics like Danny Boy and jaw-dropping acapella tap battles help tell the story of Ireland's tumultuous history.
When: Saturday, 2.30pm and 7.30pm
Where: Merrigong Theatre at the IPAC, 32 Burelli Street. Tickets here.
7. Guided Ghost Tour, Nowra Showground
![An image of a ghostly girl crossing a road in a dark forest. An image of a ghostly girl crossing a road in a dark forest.](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/rdPnbxNSt95RbDXSGgzrdz/12794e24-f003-41ab-ba26-a1e5f5e21a64.png/r3_0_446_249_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
Clairvoyant-medium-parapsychologist Tamara Watson of South Coast Ghost Tours promises to show you a different side to Nowra Showground.
She claims the site is one of Nowra's most active hotspots with a "plethora of paranormal activity".
Use the promo code SPIRITS to save $5 on each ticket.
When: Saturday, 7pm to 8pm.
Where: Nowra Showground, West Street. Details here.
8. Illawarra Lapidary Club market day, Tarrawanna
![An Illawarra Lapidary Club member uses a torch to make jewellery in Tarrawanna. An Illawarra Lapidary Club member uses a torch to make jewellery in Tarrawanna.](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/rdPnbxNSt95RbDXSGgzrdz/fe7fec3b-5581-4500-8331-6906263099b6.jpg/r0_255_4993_3073_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
Grab mum something special for Mother's Day at this market open day.
Club members will be selling mineral specimens, fossils, lapidary materials, jewellery and more.
A morning tea and a sausage sizzle are available on the day.
When: Sunday from 9am to 2pm.
Where: Club house at 51 Meadows Street, Tarrawanna. Details here.
9. Dracula: Last Voyage of the Demeter, Gwynneville
![A scene from the new Wollongong production DRACULA: Last Voyage of the Demeter. A scene from the new Wollongong production DRACULA: Last Voyage of the Demeter.](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/rdPnbxNSt95RbDXSGgzrdz/b52845aa-a17f-4bee-91e8-9ae06c5bad27.png/r0_152_940_680_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
Described as part Dracula tale, part Silence of the Lambs, this play is a tense whodunnit exploring the question: When given the chance, what do you ask the Devil?
It's focused on the passage of the ill-fated Demeter (the ship that famously transported Dracula to England from his homeland) and the passengers aboard, written by podcaster, playwright, and author Sean Carney and presented by Dire Theatre Company.
When: Saturday at 7pm and Sunday at 2pm. Show runs until May 18
Where: The Forge, 3/164 Gipps Road, Gwynneville. Tickets here