About this Event
🦇FESTIVAL OF THE BAT🧛♀️
Saturday October 31 – Sunday November 1, 2026
Launched from Cockatoo Island in 1956, HMAS Vampire (II) has become one of Australia’s most iconic naval vessels. Known as the The Mean Machine and affectionately as The Bat, the vessel has a remarkable history connecting generations of naval personnel, families, maritime communities and visitors.
Join us for two days of tours, performances, activities, stories and experiences celebrating the people and memories that have shaped this extraordinary vessel.
🌊Saturday 31st October
✏️👨🎨Drawing the Bat
Pastel Masterclass with renowned Australian naval artist Robert McRae.
See HMAS Vampire from a different perspective in this three-hour pastel masterclass led by acclaimed Australian naval artist Robert McRae.
10am–1pm | $40 | All materials provided | Bookings essential | Book here
📻🔊HMAS Vampire Radio Operators Birthday Broadcast
Happy birthday, The Bat! Drop into the Vampire Radio Room and listen to communications between the ship and others licenced radio operators around Australia.
10am – 3pm | Free
🌊Sunday 1st November
🦇🎨Release the Bats
Drop-in life drawing with Noni Cragg from Gladdy Drawing Club
Pick up a pencil and draw The Bat from a whole new perspective.
Noni Cragg from Gladdy Drawing Club brings a drop-in life-drawing session to HMAS Vampire (II), with life models Shay and Izzy posing in, on and around the vessel. Observe, sketch and experiment with drawing the human form against the distinctive architecture, machinery and spaces of Australia’s largest museum vessel.
Whether you’re a seasoned life drawer or simply curious to give it a go, drop in, find your vantage point and see where the vessel and the human form take your drawing. You might even catch Shay or Izzy in a bat costume or two!
11am – 1pm | Drop-in | All materials provided | More info here
🎷🎶Royal Australian Navy Jazz Band
Music on deck! We are delighted to be joined by the wonderful members of the Royal Australian Navy Jazz Band bringing the style and sounds to celebrate The Bat’s birthday.
1:30 – 1:50pm | 2:10pm - 2:30pm | Free
🍰🚢HMAS Vampire 70th Birthday Cake
Seventy years calls for cake, Bat-shaped cake!
2:30pm | Free | Singing Happy Birthday from the Performance Platform
🛥️🏗️History of the Bat In Three Acts and Three Locations
Travel through three locations and three chapters of HMAS Vampire (II)'s history in this special guided round-trip experience developed in collaboration with the Australian National Maritime Museum and Harbour Trust.
Begin aboard HMAS Vampire (II) with an in-depth tour led by Stirling Smith, Curator of Navy at the Australian National Maritime Museum, exploring the vessel's design, operational service and enduring legacy.
From there, board the and cruise across Sydney Harbour, tracing the maritime landscape that shaped Vampire's story. Along the way, discover the people, industries and naval heritage that connected Vampire to the harbour she called home for decades.
Arriving at Cockatoo Island, the Harbour Trust team will reveal the story of Vampire's construction, from the laying of her keel in 1952 to her launch in 1956, bringing to life the skilled workforce and shipbuilding traditions that made the island the nation's most important naval dockyard.
This unique experience offers the rare opportunity to follow The Bat's journey across the harbour, from her beginnings at Cockatoo Island to her life today as one of Australia's most significant museum vessels.
10am - 1pm | Bookings essential | Purchase tickets here
🌊All weekend
🏴☠️💰The Mean Machine Treasure Hunt
Think you’ve got what it takes to crack the code of The Bat? Pair up in teams and find the puzzle clues aboard HMAS Vampire to win prizes.
2pm – 3pm | Up to 1 hour | Free | Registrations essential | Book here | Saturday and Sunday
🛳️⚓Spotlight Tours aboard Vampire
Meet the people who know The Bat best as Former Crew and Vampire Volunteers share stories about The Mean Machine from the last 70 years.
With different topics and stories to discover throughout the day, you can drop in for a quick dose of naval history, hear a great story and get to know HMAS Vampire from a new perspective.
10:30am – 12:30pm | Short 15-minute tours on board | Free | Saturday and Sunday
🍿📽️Film Program
From salty sailors to submarine adventures, enjoy three classics exploring life at sea: Popeye, The Cruel Sea and 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea.
10.30am & 1.30pm | Drop-in | Free | Saturday and Sunday
👕🎾Mean Machine & Vampire Sports Club Limited Edition T-Shirts
Take a piece of The Bat home with you.
Celebrate 70 years of HMAS Vampire with a limited-edition range of two replica collection T-shirts designed by former crew, and a tote bag inspired by the vessel and its history.
Available for purchase online and in-person at the ANMM Shop | Limited edition
⛵🫡Free Mean Machine Badges
Wear your allegiance to The Bat! Pick up a free Mean Machine badge and celebrate 70 years of HMAS Vampire (II).
Available to pick up when deboarding HMAS Vampire | Saturday and Sunday
🧁☕Bat-Themed Cupcakes in Harbourwatch
Fuel your Festival of the Bat adventure.
Available to purchase in Harbourwatch | Saturday and Sunday
Event venue & nearby stays
Australian National Maritime Museum, 2 Murray Street, Sydney, Australia
Concerts, fests, parties, meetups — all the happenings, one place.