Entertainment
4 June, 2026
Carnivale dazzles Port town
ONCE again, Carnivale weekend in Port Douglas has been a massive success with a huge variety of entertainment for locals and visitors of all ages.
The weather also behaved itself, with blue daytime skies and stars at night.
As always, Friday’s street parade was a lively and colourful introduction to the event with the six-deep crowds along Macrossan Street bringing the town alive.
Supporting Douglas FM, I found myself on the back of a trike with more horsepower than I care to imagine.
It did provide a great opportunity to capture the atmosphere of the big night and, again, share the experience with everyone. Lining up to start the parade was the best time to get some snapshots, as this was also the time that the judges go around to choose the best float, meaning that everyone was looking spick and span at this early stage.
Once on the move, the feeling was just incredible, with crowds along the whole of Macrossan Street giving a feeling of excitement like nothing else.
Overall, the effort put in by organisers and those walking, dancing and singing along the parade was clear to see, with the colourful displays and music bringing smiles to young and old from all over Australia and overseas.
Talking of organisers, I must take this opportunity to thank all the volunteers – ‘the vollies’ – for their input. Like with all events that take place locally, large and small, these amazing community helpers are the ones that make occasions like Carnivale possible.
Another major part of Friday, as well as the start of the Savannah Sounds concert, was the amazing fireworks display, lighting up the skies and dazzling onlookers and those dining at the many restaurants in Port.
As many people would know, Port Douglas Carnivale is about a heap of different events over the three main days, including the family fun day on Four Mile Beach. This year there were some additional features added, including a vintage car show.
The ‘Coastal Show & Shine’, at Reynolds Park, offered a relaxed Sunday showcase featuring a collection of local vintage, classic and unique vehicles, from beautifully restored cars and bikes to rare and distinctive machines.
Awards were presented for best car, best bike, best unique vehicle and the popular people’s choice award.
For a gold coin donation, visitors could cast their votes across the categories, with all proceeds supporting a local not-for-profit community group.
As per usual, the kite display was outstanding together with many fun activities for all ages such as the beach sand art.
The ‘Douglas Dash’, on Four Mile Beach, once again returned to Carnivale.
A pure distance trail run, the Douglas Dash has a course that encapsulates all the magical beauty of the region.
Starting at the southern end of Four Mile Beach for the first 4km, hitting the 1km gut-busting cross country terrain of the Flagstaff Trail and finishing at the stunning Rex Smeal Park.
In summary, the whole long weekend was a great success and proved that Far North Queensland’s ‘jewel in the crown’ is a great location to visit anytime.
That’s enough fun for one week, so for now it’s Gazza signing out.
Send your stories to gazza@cairnslocalnews.com.au
