Mattara Festival of Newcastle 10am to 5pm, Wallsend Park. Wild West Day: dancing, face painting, LEGO Land, animals, market and food stalls, plus free outdoor screening of Rango about 6.15pm.

Chemical CleanOut 9am to 3.30pm, Hunter TAFE Belmont Campus. Drop off paints, garden chemicals, pool chemicals, hobby chemicals, motor oils and fuels, batteries, gas bottles, fire extinguishers, acids and alkalis, and fluorescent tubes and globes. Only household quantities are accepted (20kg or 20 litres maximum container size).

Sixers Beach Blast 8.30am to 11.30am, Bar Beach, Newcastle. Session 1: ages five to seven (8.30am to 10.30am); Session 2: ages eight to 12 (9.30am to 11.30am). All the fun of the Big Bash, with music and entertainment as well as cricket coaching.

Fashion Parade 2pm to 5pm, Mayfield Vinnies, 1 Church Street, Mayfield. Part of National Op Shop Week.

50th Anniversary Pink Ladies Lunch Noon onwards, Stockton Surf Lifesaving Club. A fundraiser for Stockton Peninsula Netball Club and Hunter Breast Cancer Foundation. 

Hunter Valley Square Dance Gala Weekend Saturday and Sunday, West Wallsend High School.

Free Children’s Water Polo Clinic 8.30am to 10.30am, Swansea Swim Centre. Lake Macquarie Dolphins Water Polo Club members will teach the basics.

Oktoberfest 2018 Saturday, The Grain Store, Newcastle East. A 21-tap celebration including imported Bavarian Fest biers, German craft beers and locally brewed Oktoberfest releases. Traditional Bier Hall menu plus Bavarian share platter. Entry is free.

Craft Day at Frontline 10am to noon, 5 Lang Road, Broadmeadow.

Rhapsody in Red Charity Ball 6pm, Wests New Lambton. 

Build-A-Bear Workshop 10am, 11.30am and 1pm, Marketown Shopping Centre, Newcastle. Bookings essential on Marketown website.

Mega Creatures at Hunter Vallley Gardens Dinosaurs, dragons, giant bugs and spiders plus rides including the ferris wheel, carousel, swing chair, super slide and inflatable zone. Until October 14.

Mattara Festival of Newcastle 10am to 5pm, Wallsend Park. That’s Entertainment Day: dancing, face painting, LEGO Land, animals, market and food stalls, plus Amity Angels at 1.30pm. Final day.

Bloody Long Walk A 5km challenge starting at Belmont and finishing at Newcastle Beach.

Playschool Live in Concert NSW 1pm, Newcastle Exhibition & Convention Centre. Watch classic nursery rhyme characters magically come to life.

The Great Lakes Food Trail – Spring An easy-to-follow route visiting local farms, gardens, wineries and cafes. Go to thegreatlakesfoodtrailnsw.com.au for details.

Claymation 10am, 11am and noon, Marketown. Learn about cartoon animation and make a clay character to feature in an animation using iPads. Best suited for ages five to 10. 

Walka Waterworks Ultra 7am, Walka Waterworks, Maitland. There are 50km and 100km courses available. 

Maitland’s Riverlights Multicultural Festival on October 13 celebrates cultural diversity through food, music, dance and interactive experience. From 3pm to 9pm see The Levee Central Maitland transform into a global village with more than 20 different nations represented. 

Subject to cancellation at late notice due to weather conditions

The Olive Tree Market Saturday, 9am to 3pm, Civic Park, Newcastle. 

Handmade in the Hunter Markets Saturday, 9am to 3pm, Kevin Sobels Wines, corner Broke and Halls roads, Pokolbin.

Hunter Wine Country Markets Saturday,  9am to 3pm, De Bortoli Wines, 532 Wine Country Drive, Pokolbin.

Newcastle Flower Markets Saturday, 9.30am to noon, 1 Rural Drive, Sandgate.

Morpeth Farmers Market Saturday, 9am, Swan Street, Morpeth.

Pelican Foreshore Markets Saturday, 9am to 1pm, Lakeview Parade, Pelican. (cancelled)

Adamstown Lions Markets Sunday, 7am to 1pm, corner Brunker and Glebe roads, Adamstown.

Newcastle City Farmers Market Sunday, 7am to 1pm, Speers Point Park.

Perfect Sunday Markets Sunday, 2pm to 6pm, Lass O’Gowrie Hotel, Newcastle.

Maitland Markets Sunday, 8am to 2pm, Maitland Showground.

Charlestown Genuine Farmers Market Sunday, 8am to noon, Hillsborough Public School, Waratah Road, Charlestown.

Opera in the Vineyards Saturday, 7pm, indoors at The Great Barrel Room, Hope Estate. It will star Greta Bradman, Milijana Nikolic, Rosario La Spina and Sam Roberts-Smith. Gates open 4pm, details at operainthevineyards.com.au.

Finite Gallery Found Horizons, by Painters Ink (Stephanie Berrick, Jill Campbell, Clare Felton, Cath McCarthy, Jackie Maundrell-Hall, Sandra Burgess, Sharon Taylor), until October 28. 

Dungog By Design What’s My Scene, by 23 local artists and artisans. 224 Dowling Street, Dungog. Until October 25.

Morpeth Gallery Saturday and Sunday, The Romantics. Watch  James Hough, Werner Filipich, Ian Hansen, Max Mannix and Ramon Ward-Thompson in action.

Cooks Hill Galleries Home Port, by Gavin Fry, with co-exhibitors Carolyn van Wamel (impressionist/abstract landscape paintings) and David Beschi (watercolour paintings), until October 22.

Watt Space Gallery The Rova Project, by Sally Cloke; Postcard from Florence (wish you were here), by Vanessa Lewis; Body and Beyond, by Harsimranjeet Brar; Australiana, by Siarn Staley. Until October 14.

Gallery 139 WE, by Peta Lumley, Liz O’Brien, Justine Cogan, Lucy Maher, Jade Miller, Kelly Barlin, Chloe Hey, curated by Clare Weeks, ends Sunday.

Cessnock Regional Art Gallery Retroactive, by James Wittington, until October 28.

The Lock-Up Full Circle, by Athena Thebus, Hossein Ghaemi, Sancintya Mohini Simpson, Elham Eshraghian, Quishile Charan, until October 14. 

Maitland Regional Art Gallery Peace, Place, Prizes & Pictures In Between. Open House: 3rd Tamworth Textile Triennial; Nicola Bolton’s The Garden Palette, until October 21. Concerning Peace, various artists, until November 25. Finding Country, until February 17. Paul Partos, until October 14.  

Newcastle Art Gallery The 1818 Project, by Abdul-Rahman Abdullah, Dale Collier, Karla Dickens, Fernando Do Campo, Lindy Lee, Yhonnie Scarce, Jacqui Stockdale, Shan Turner Carroll. Critics’ Choice: From The Collection; Kilgour Prize 2018, until October 21. 

Lake Macquarie City Art Gallery STEEL: art design architecture; Your Collection: Hunter Steel, until December 2.

Art Systems Wickham Scavenger Crow, by Marika Osmotherly; The Nature of Things, by Shirley Cameron-Roberts, ends Sunday.

Newcastle Studio Potters & Back to Back Gallery Celebrate, until October 14.

Timeless Textiles Crossing Borders, until October 28.

Port Stephens Community Art Centre Our Wild World, by Nada O’Loughlin-Yonge, until October 16.

Deanna The musical premiere of a comedy musical by former Novocastrian Dee Gatgens Johnson; cast includes Newcastle actors. Dee Johnson Entertainment & The Really Thoughtful Company, at the Royal Exchange, Newcastle. Saturday, at 8pm.

Elf The Musical Jr A young orphan mistakenly crawls into Santa’s bag of gifts and is treated as an elf at the North Pole, then promotes Christmas when he goes to New York; a musical for all ages. Young People’s Theatre, at its Hamilton theatre. Saturday at 2pm and 7pm.

Lost in Yonkers Two teenage brothers encounter an inept gangster uncle and other troubled relatives when they move in with their grandmother after their mother’s death; comedy by Neil Simon. Maitland Repertory Theatre, at its theatre. Saturday, at 8pm, Sunday at 2pm.

Madame Flute – French Classical cabaret flautist Jane Rutter performs on six different flutes in an evening of diverse types of French music, ranging from classics to pop songs. Cessnock Performing Arts Centre. Saturday at 7.30pm.

A Russian Triple Bill Imperial Russian Ballet Company dancers show their broad range of skills in a short ballet, Les Sylphides, and excerpts from longer works, Sleeping Beauty and Carmen. Civic Theatre, Newcastle. Sunday at 5pm.

The Third Act Premiere of Novocastrian Emma Wood’s comedy-drama about a woman meeting her estranged husband, a high school boyfriend and others while she organises her daughter’s wedding. Newcastle Theatre Company, at the NTC Theatre, Lambton. Saturday at 8pm, Sunday at 2pm.

5 Sawyers Saturday, DJ Z4KLND. Sunday, Sundays Record.

Anchorage Port Stephens Sunday, Sarah Christine.

Anna Bay Tavern Saturday, The 3. Sunday, Dan Newberry.

Argenton Hotel Saturday, The Levymen. Sunday, Matt McLaren Duo.

Australia Hotel Cessnock Saturday, Slam Tango.

Battlesticks Bar Saturday, John Larder. Sunday, Casey Bellamy.

Bay Hotel Bonnells Bay Saturday, Gen-X.

Belmont 16s Saturday, The Years, Bobby C. Sunday, Norm Bakker.

Belmore Hotel Saturday, Felix Quinn Music Band.

Beresfield Bowling Club Saturday, Amigos. Sunday, Red Dirt Country Band.

The Bradford Saturday, Zac and Ben.

Cambridge Hotel Saturday, B Wise, Turquoise Prince, I.E, They Call Me Klasik. Sunday, Enter The Jaguar, Diplazar, Crazy Ol’Maurice.

Catho Pub Saturday, Jackson Halliday. Sunday, The Beach Boys Tribute.

Central Charlestown Leagues Club Saturday, Just Jade.

Cessnock Leagues Club Saturday, Dr. Zoom Duo.

Club Lemon Tree Saturday, Joel Procter.

Club Kotara Saturday, Mark Lee.

Colliery Inn Sunday, Zane Penn.

Commercial Hotel Morpeth Saturday, Deborah Sinclair.

Crown & Anchor Hotel Saturday, Ryan Daley. Saturday, DJ Alessandro.

Customs House Sunday, Chad Shuttleworth.

Cypress Lakes Saturday, Emily Smith.

D’Albora Marina Saturday, Chad Shuttleworth. Sunday, Ashley Knight.

Denman Hotel Saturday, Angie. Sunday, Layth Gunn.

Duke Of Wellington Saturday, Dean Kyrwood Duo.

East Maitland Bowling Club Saturday, Stiletto. Sunday, Cotton, Sax & Strings.

Edgeworth Tavern Saturday, Maryanne Rex Duo.

Exchange Hotel Saturday, Lithium. Sunday, Hornet.

Finnegans Saturday, Chumpion, Lawson, Extraordinate, Sonic, JKB.

Gallipoli Legion Club Sunday, Leadbellies.

Gateshead Tavern Sunday, Twin Willows.

George Tavern Saturday, Shaka.

Grain Store Sunday, J.J King.

Gunyah Hotel Saturday, Big Night Out.

Hamilton Station Hotel Saturday, The Social Norm, Red Sea, Trashed Again, Onshore. Sunday, Ricky Albeck, Ruairi Burns, India.

Hexham Bowling Club Saturday, The Blue Water Cowboys.

Honeysuckle Hotel Saturday, Misbehave.

Hotel Delany Saturday, The Remedy.

Imperial Hotel Singleton Saturday, Ash Mountain.

Kent Hotel Saturday, Rubber Bullet.

Kurri Kurri Bowling Club Saturday, Karen O'Shea.

Lake Macquarie Yacht Club Sunday, Georgina Grimshaw.

Lakeside Village Tavern Saturday, 24 Hours.

Lass O’Gowrie Saturday, Poison in the Vein, Dande & The Lion, All In A Year.

Lemon Grove Hotel Saturday, Murray Byfield.

Lizotte’s Sunday, Graeme Connors.

Maryland Tavern Saturday, Glamstars. 

Mary Ellen Hotel Saturday, Code Red.

Mavericks On Darby Saturday, Katie N Feff.

Mavericks On The Bay Saturday, Ashley Knight. Sunday, Anyerin.

Mezz Bar at Wallsend Diggers Saturday, V Dubs. Sunday, Troy Kemp.

Morisset Country Club Sunday, Mark Lee.

Murray’s Brewery Sunday, Dean Kyrwood.

Nags Head Hotel Saturday, Todd Schmoo.

Nelson Bay Diggers Saturday, Counterpart. Sunday, Matt Semmens.

Nelson Bay Golf Club Saturday, Megan Core.

Newcastle Cruising Yacht Club Sunday, The Rumour Trio.

Northern Star Hotel Saturday, Allon. Saturday, Greg McKew.

Pedens Cessnock Saturday, Steel City.

Pippis at the Point Sunday, Kaylah Anne.

Queens Wharf Hotel Saturday, The Gaudrys, Tom Christie. Sunday, Hummingbirds, Wharf Life.

Royal Federal Hotel Branxton Saturday, Sammi & The Jets.

Royal Hotel Singleton Sunday, Jackson Broadway.

Royal Motor Yacht Club Toronto Sunday, Shawn Lidster.

Seabreeze Hotel Saturday, Duncan Woods. Sunday, Jamie Martens.

Shenanigans at the Imperial Saturday, Arcane Duo.

Shoal Bay Country Club Saturday, Little Cents, U2 & INXS tribute.

Shortland Hotel Saturday, Pete Hibbert.

Soldiers Point Bowling Club Saturday, Rave On.

Stag and Hunter Hotel Saturday, Kristen Lee Morris. 

Stockton RSL Club Saturday, Paul Greene.

Swansea Hotel Sunday, The V Dubs.

Swansea RSL Club Saturday, Cover 2 Cover.

Swansea-Belmont Surf Life Saving Club Sunday, John Larder.

Swansea Workers Club Saturday, Georgina Grimshaw.

Tea Gardens Country Club Saturday, Hummdinger.

Tilligerry RSL Saturday, Jason Paris.

Toronto Diggers Saturday, Moondogs.

Toronto Hotel Sunday, Boney Rivers.

Toronto Workers Saturday, The Dreamcatchers.

Victoria Hotel Hinton Sunday, Mick Jones.

Wangi Hotel Sunday, Justin Banks.

Wangi Wangi RSL Club Sunday, Andrew G.

Warners At The Bay Saturday, City Beats Duo.

Wests Cardiff Saturday, Ed Sheeran Tribute Show.

Wests New Lambton Saturday, The Hot Yogi’s. 

Wests NEX Saturday, Paparazzi.

Wickham Park Hotel Saturday, Plastic Voyage, The Lamplighters. Sunday, Codi Kaye, Grant Walmsley Blues Band.

Windsor Castle Hotel Saturday, Codi Kaye.

A Simple Favour (M) A mummy blogger in a small town discovers her best friend has vanished.

Christopher Robin (G) A working-class family man, Christopher Robin, encounters his childhood friend Winnie-the-Pooh, who helps him to rediscover the joys of life.

Crazy Rich Asians (PG) Three wealthy Chinese families prepare for the wedding of the year. (Regal)

Johnny English Strikes Again (PG) After a cyber-attack reveals the identity of all of the active undercover agents in Britain, Johnny English is forced to come out of retirement to find the mastermind hacker.

Ladies In Black (PG) Set in the summer of 1959, when the impact of European migration and the rise of women’s liberation is about to change Australia forever, a shy schoolgirl takes a summer job at the prestigious Sydney department store, Goode’s.

Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again (PG) Five years after the events of Mamma Mia, Sophie prepares for the grand reopening of the Hotel Bella Donna as she learns more about her mother's past. (Lake Cinema)

Paw Patrol: Mighty Pups (G) When their latest scheme goes awry, Mayor Humdinger and his nephew Harold accidentally divert a meteor towards Adventure Bay.

Smallfoot (G) A Yeti is convinced that the elusive creatures known as “humans” really do exist.

The Breaker Upperers (M) Two women cynical in love, set up an agency to break couples up as a way to avoid letting go and moving on with their lives. (Regal)

The House with a Clock in Its Walls (PG) Lewis, an orphan, is sent to live with his Uncle Jonathan in a creaky old house.

The Merger (M) Troy Carrington, a former professional football player returns to his country town after an abrupt end to his sporting career and is persuaded to coach the hapless local footy team, the Roosters. (Regal)

The Wife (M) A wife questions her life choices as she travels to Stockholm with her husband, where he is slated to receive the Nobel Prize for Literature. (Regal)

Venom (M) When Eddie Brock acquires the powers of a symbiote, he will have to release his alter-ego “Venom” to save his life.