The Royal South Street Society Ballarat Eisteddfod stands as the premier eisteddfod in Australia, promoting and encouraging participation, enjoyment and enrichment through the performing arts, since 1891
Royal South Street Society Ballarat Eisteddfod
The Royal South Street Society celebrates our illustrious heritage and vital ongoing role in the development of performing arts across our regional and national cultural and artistic landscape.
Now Australia’s oldest and longest running eisteddfod, the annual Royal South Street Society Ballarat Eisteddfod has seen well over one million aspiring singers, dancers, orators, writers, musicians and composers pass through our doors since 1891 – including the likes of Dame Nellie Melba, Dame Kiri Te Kanawa, Joan Kirner, Andrew Olle, Alfred Deakin, Jason Wasley, Anthony Callea and many more.
2025
2025 RSSS Ballarat Eisteddfod season is now finished! What a season it was!!
2025 Countpro Showcase - testimonials
It was an absolute pleasure and honour to be part of the 2025 Showcase. I appreciate all at RSSS, the opportunity to perform on a beautiful steinway piano and stage, and above all, your kindness - Kimberley C
Congratulations to the entire RSSS team for such a great event! It was a delight to see Aditya perform at Her Majesty's Theatre. All the performers were fantastic! The showcase was a memorable experience for us - Nithiya K
Thank you for inviting the Ballarat Grammar Chamber Choir to perform. It was a real celebration and we enjoyed being involved in this occasion - Andrew D
Our team were treated like rock stars and couldn't stop talking about their 'best gig ever'. It's a game changer linking in our community to this historical event - Akasha T
Thanks for everything you are doing to make Royal South Street a premier eisteddfod and destination performance opportunity - Steve B (Ballarat Clarendon College Junior Choir)
Congratulations on a wonderful Showcase! We absolutely loved all of it - every item was entertaining and impressive - and it's such a great concept for an event, too. I will take my children to this event every year from now on, regardless of whether I have a child performing in it! Thank you for all your hard work and organisation - Sarah W
Lost Property - Dance and Calisthenics as at Oct 2025
2025 Dates
July
Jul 18 - 20 Vocal - Ballarat Mechanics Institute
Jul 21 - 27 Pianoforte and Celebrating Chopin - Ballarat Mechanics Institute
Jul 28 - 31 Vocal (cont'd) - Ballarat Mechanics Institute
September
Sep 02 - 05 Instrumental Solos and Bands - Founders Theatre
Sep 08 - 09 Choral - Founders Theatre
Sep 19 - 30 Dance - Her Majesty's Theatre
2026 dates will be released soon
Perform....Then Explore! Find Ballarat locals' favourite places
A Royal Arrival: A Grand Piano To Elevate Ballarat’s Music Scene
Exciting News for Ballarat
Ballarat has welcomed a world-class musical treasure with the arrival of the Royal South Street Society (RSSS) Margaret Schofield OAM Memorial Piano. The arrival of the stunning Schimmel Konzert Grand K195 piano, marks a major milestone in the city’s artistic legacy.
Our sincere thanks to the wonderful community who helped us make this happen and will forever be remembered for their support of the performing arts. Special thanks to Andrew Cochrane and Cochrane family, Bernie Capicchiano and Bernies Music Land for their remarkable support. Thank you to our RSSSS community, and the Ballaarat Mechanics' Institute for providing us with a stunning new home for our Pianoforte, Vocal, Chopin and Aria competitions.
History
Explore our history through the decades
The Royal South Street Society Ballarat Eisteddfod stands as Australia’s premier eisteddfod, boasting an illustrious heritage of delivering outstanding performance opportunities for over a century. Since 1891 our enduring commitment to fostering and showcasing talent places us at the pinnacle of the Australian cultural and artistic landscape.
Stories
Find out more about the various disciplines and stories from Royal South Street Society. These stories are collated from interviews, biographies, archives, media and news.
