Five must-visit festivals in AustraliaAustralians love a party, so it’s no surprise that festivals light up every corner of the country throughout the year. Whether you want to welcome the winter solstice by burning an effigy or witness a totally water-less regatta, here are all the weird and wonderful Australian festivals you need to add to your bucket list.Vivid SydneyBilled as the world’s largest festival of light, music and ideas, Vivid also lays claim to being Australia’s largest annual event, bringing more than two million visitors to Sydney’s streets over three sparkling weeks each winter. The planet’s most talented light artists transform the Harbour City’s most iconic landmarks into their collective canvas, illuminating buildings like the Opera House and the Harbour Bridge with dazzling projections. There’s also a diverse programme of live music plus talks from global thinkers and creators.Melbourne International Comedy FestivalThere are three big comedy festivals in the world: one in Edinburgh, one in Montreal, and one right here in Australia. The planet’s premier comics descend on Melbourne for four weeks each March and April for a side-splitting celebration of everything humorous, pulling 770,000 attendees to thousands of performances at venues across the city.Adelaide Fringe FestivalEdinburgh is the only city on earth that throws a bigger fringe festival than Adelaide. The South Australian capital transforms into an orgy of the arts for one month each February and March. First held in 1960, Fringe describes itself as “mythical, magical, fantabulous, fantasmagorical, supercalifragilisticexpialidocious”. Every spare corner of the city is converted into a venue for song, dance, comedy, magic, cabaret, theatre, or whatever one of the 5000 artists can dream up.Splendour in the Grass, Byron BayThis Byron Bay institution is Australia’s biggest and best music festival, and a must-do if you can snag a ticket — all 30,000 passes routinely sell out within minutes of going on sale. Held over three days in late July in the cruisy North Byron Parklands, Splendour has been attracting lengthy lineups studded with stars since 2001, as well as a chilled-out, friendly crowd who lap up the Byron vibes.Henley-on-Todd Regatta, Alice SpringsAlice Springs’ Todd River is a bone-dry riverbed — but that doesn’t stop the locals from throwing a regatta each August, carrying boats by hand for the thousands of spectators that flock to the Red Centre for the festivities. That’s not the Northern Territory’s only madcap event: each July, Alice also hosts a camel-racing carnival, while Darwin throws the Beer Can Regatta, featuring boats made of recycled tinnies. 19. Which is Australia’s biggest and best music festival?