Entertainment
23 October, 2026
Coalition of cultures
KURANDA’S award-winning Djawarray will headline a celebration of First Nations music, dance, art and culture when UMI Arts presents its 19th annual Big Talk One Fire festival at Munro Martin Parklands on Saturday 24 October.
Free, family-friendly and open to all, the festival celebrates the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander arts and cultures of Far North Queensland through performances, workshops, art and craft markets and food.
Seven workshops will offer activities for children, families and adults, while the stage program brings together an outstanding line-up of music and cultural dance, sharing traditions from across the region, including Cape York and the Torres Strait.
UMI Arts artistic director Lisa Michl Ko-manggén said the festival’s name reflected its purpose: real talking, real listening and coming together around a metaphorical fire in the spirit of community.
“Big Talk One Fire is about community and spending time with the people who keep our arts and cultures strong,” she said.
“For our younger generations, it is an opportunity to learn alongside Elders and cultural practitioners, to take part and see their cultures celebrated.
Djawarray (Bertie Riley), the 2026 Queensland Music Awards regional artist of the year, will close the evening’s entertainment with the Koahlition band, blending Aboriginal rainforest reggae and rock with ancient songlines, the Ngirrma language and English.
The stage program also features a cultural dance celebration, including performances from Babinda’s Jaban Dancers, Ray Marama and the Boigu Island Dance Group, Kawanji Dance Group from the Palmer River region, Mayi Wunba from Kuranda, Saibai Island Dance Team and Kawadji Wiimpa Dancers from Lockhart River.
The dance performances reflect living traditions sustained by families and communities. Kawanji Dance Group represents the Kuku Yalanji people of the Palmer River region of Cape York, bringing the ‘butterfly dance’ and more than 50 years of cultural sharing across four generations, while Mayi Wunba continues to pass Djabugay and Western Yalanji dances, language and knowledge to younger generations.
Big Talk One Fire 2026 is on Saturday 24 October, at Munro Martin Parklands, Gimuy/Cairns. Gates open at 2pm and the free festival program runs from 3–9pm. Visitors are encouraged to bring chairs and picnic blankets.
