Hair Festival has grown every year since its 2022 launch and its 2025 iteration, held on June 29 and 30 at The ICC, Sydney, was the culmination of that extensive growth. Welcoming 7,500 attendees from the hairdressing and barber community, the extravaganza was a global affair, with hairdressers travelling nationally and internationally to learn, educate, compete, party and discover the latest launches with their ever-expanding hairdressing family.
The event was such a success that dates have already been announced for 2026, with the event happening over June 28 and 29 next year, and VIP tickets already available.
“We are thrilled with success of Hair Festival 2025,” shared Renita Collins, Events and Marketing Director for the Intermedia Group. “Every year, the hairdressing community exceeds our expectations with their willingness to learn, celebrate and share this collective experience. There’s a real want to be face-to-face and honour the industry together each year, and we are delighted to facilitate that.”
Separated into a variety of pillars that address every facet of the hairdressing and men’s hair experience, Hair Festival hosted a packed Festival HUB of innovations that was full of energy throughout the two-day event. The Festival HUB was at its most dynamic thanks to the integration of both product offerings with education. Over an expanded two stages at THE STAGE. and the Business Connect Stage, thanks XB1 Professionals and Matsui Hair Australia, respectively, product knowledge, business insights and creative techniques were imparted all weekend. The Business Hub assisted attendees with essential products and tips in regard to software, salon processes and education, while the Barber Hub, thanks to Sonder Academy and BLAK Haircare, educated all weekend long, as one of many men’s hair focused facets of Hair Festival.
Moreover, on-stand education was at an all-time high, allowing attendees to truly understand and learn the products and tools thanks to some of the very best educators in the global industry. Claw machines, spinning wheels, mini golf competitions and other activations gave attendees the exciting chance to win from brands such as Dyson, Excellent Edges, Maria Nila, K18, BKT and so much more, in a series of activations that were all experienced totally for free, with the Festival HUB always free to attend.
“We’ve absolutely loved it, meeting everyone and being here face-to-face, we haven’t done things like this in a while, so it’s so good to be here in front of salons and professionals to show them our new technology,” shared Bethany Perry of Cloud Nine.
“Hair Festival has been super successful, what we love about being face-to-face, is that the way we learn in the hair industry is very visual, so we get to share that message and we get amazing feedback from the customer, who’s already using it and maybe not even understanding how it works,” added K18’s Lisa Ravech.
Beyond the Festival HUB, the Education Sessions inspired throughout the weekend. International educators such as Tabatha Coffey for CPR, Alfredo Lewis for Calecim, the Danger Jones team for Salon Cosmetics, Reuzel founders Leen and Bertus for HairCo, Kevin Nguyen for Wahl and Gianluca Grechi and Andrew Smith for Milk_Shake joined many of Australia and New Zealand’s leading artists as educators in dynamic, diverse sessions. Attendees witnessed a live on-stage photoshoot for Moroccanoil, creative education in men’s hair, hair extensions, texture, straightening services, colour and beyond, as well as business education with insights into retail, client retention, social media, marketing and more.
Kicking off the education on day one of the event was the REALtalk Business Forum, in its fifth iteration, which had a key focus on branding and congregated a selection of leading marketing, social media and salon experts to speak from their research and experience in keynote speeches and panels. REALtalk Business Forum is an essential, unbranded opportunity for salon owners, managers and leaders to elevate their businesses, and the 2025 event provided a wealth of insights for attendees to take back to the salon.
“What’s the impact you want to have on people? What do you want people to say about you? Think about your promise to yourselves as a business. It’s a really clear articulation of what you stand for. It should feel really different from the competition, it should feel attractive to customers and it should make people want to work for you, it should also be a decision making filter that helps you decide what you should and shouldn’t do,” shared James Needham, Co-Founder and Joint Strategy Director of Untangld, who bookended REALtalk with a keynote speech and interactive planning session on branding.
Outside the classroom, the Wonderland party was the halfway point of Hair Festival, taking place off-site at Campbell’s Stores at The Rocks, Sydney and welcoming in 1,000 attendees. The Mystique themed event, sponsored by Rogue Beauty, Oribe, Amazing Hair and CPR, was decked out in gold and black, with candles, flowers, roving entertainment and photo opportunities throughout the venue. Various and versatile zones, to party and also to catch up and chill out, were phased throughout the venue, amidst food, drinks and dancing. A spin pod, photo walls and a unique photo bed were all highlights.
Other facets of the event added to the festivities. The Hair Festival Competitions tested talented hairdressers across nine categories, including colour, cutting, editorial, bridal and men’s hair, ultimately crowning Ashleigh Waldron, Benjamin Tuita and Kateryna Gribinyuchenko as the Hair Festival Emerging Talent, Barber and Stylist Champions, respectively. With live model parades from the Education Sessions and the inspiration of the Hair Festival Competitions, the stages at the Festival HUB added to the artistry of the whole event.
Wellness, health and sustainability were also paramount to Hair Festival, with a newly added Wellness Lounge that provided a serene getaway for attendees to take a break, holistic and health focuses in the REALtalk and Education Session rooms, sustainable brands in the Festival HUB and a partnership with Sustainable Salons that continues to manage the event’s waste each year. Sustainability messaging and the opportunity for attendees to pledge their commitment to this cause, as well as to innovation and wellness, were also facets of the event.
“I think what’s getting better over the years is we’re constantly going up a gear each time, having the bins present makes people recognise it,” shared Paul Frasca, Founder of Sustainable Salons. “Most people expect sustainability now, if you’re not doing it, you nearly look odd, people want to do the right thing.”
With planet, wellness, creativity, business and – at its core – people front of mind, Hair Festival was a hub in and of itself, of creativity, of ideas, of innovation and of community spirit. There’s nothing like the hairdressing industry and there’s nothing like Hair Festival. We’ll see you next year.
For more information visit www.hairfestival.com.au
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