Plan your visit

The 2025 Ballarat International Foto Biennale centres on Lifeforce—a theme that pulses with intensity, intimacy, and resistance.

This year’s program draws on the power of photography to reveal what it means to be alive: to endure, to question, to create, and to connect. There is a life force in all of us, a force that distinguishes between the living and non-living. In the artistic world, it is more – a spark that propels an artist to leap over barriers to express, interpret and capture this energy in unique ways.

Ballarat is a perfect backdrop for this festival, as its businesses, venues, laneways, and historic venues become a full city living exhibition, a trail for visitors to appreciate, something unique at every turn.

Ways to explore the program

Here are a few ways into the program, so you can find what you’re looking for and also happen across a few things you weren’t.

Festival Hub
Located at the Mining Exchange, 12 Lydiard Street North, the Festival Hub is a short 2-minute walk from the Ballarat Train Station. Buy tickets and browse our range of limited edition prints, books, merchandise and fun photo products.

Festival Guides
The official 2025 Festival Guide is available for sale at the Festival Hub in Lydiard Street North. The Festival Guide is $5.00 and contains detailed information about each exhibition, including location maps.

Art Flaneur
We’ve teamed up with Art Flaneur – a mobile-first platform that transforms how people discover and experience art. Discover nearby exhibitions, outdoor installations, and events in real time, with the Art Flâneur mobile app. Use Art Flaneur to navigate the Ballarat International Foto Biennale on foot – and in the palm of your hand.

Download and print your own Festival Map

Getting to the Festival

Public Transport
We are striving to deliver a sustainable festival, and encourage you to use public transport where it is safe and viable to do so. Trains and buses run frequently every day from Melbourne and Geelong. Ballarat railway station and bus interchange is just a few minutes walk from the Festival Hub. To plan your journey, use Public Transport Victoria’s Journey Planner or Google Maps.

Parking
Ballarat is a comfortable 90-minute drive from Melbourne along the Western Highway (or only an hour from Melbourne Airport). Once in Ballarat, you’ll find indoor and outdoor photography and events in Lydiard Street and surrounds. There’s plenty of street parking within walking distance of the Festival Hub in Lydiard Street and accessible car spaces are available for permit holders.

Rain, Hail or Shine
This is an all-weather festival. We’ll proceed rain, hail, or shine unless it is deemed unsafe to do so. Grab one of our vibrant yellow umbrellas from the Festival Hub.

Where to eat, drink & stay

Ballarat is a perfect backdrop as its businesses, venues, laneways, and historic venues become a full city living exhibition, a trail for visitors to appreciate, something unique at every turn.

If you’re from outside of Ballarat and looking for some local travel inspiration and information, check out our valued tourism partners for places to stay, suggested bars, restaurants and entertainment for the whole family.