Entertainment
5 September, 2025
Festival frivolities
PERFECT weather and huge crowds marked the action-packed opening of the 64th Cairns Festival over the weekend, as the city came alive with music, art, performance and community celebration.
Cairns Mayor Amy Eden said more than 30,000 people lined the streets on Saturday night for the grand parade, which featured more than 60 floats from schools, community groups, businesses and sporting clubs.
“Seeing so many locals and visitors out enjoying themselves made me so proud of our community and of the team at council who help make Cairns Festival possible,” Cr Eden said.
The festivities kicked off Friday night on the Esplanade main stage, with Groove Terminator performing alongside the Soul Song Choir.
Saturday brought a mix of acts, from southern boogie band Sweet Talk to the spectacular fireworks display, before The Public Opinion Afro Orchestra concluded the evening with high-energy grooves.
Meanwhile, Bank Lane transformed into Swish!, an open-air gallery and dance floor curated by Brother Jenkins, featuring top-tier DJs and live performances. Sunday wrapped the weekend with a ticketed show by The Cat Empire at Munro Martin Parklands, leaving festivalgoers buzzing with excitement.
Other highlights included aerobatics by Matt Hall Racing, the Australian Poetry Slam at Cairns City Library and the playful “Let’s Organise Your Leisure” art activation led by artist Kathy Mackey, which featured a flexible, floating sculpture made from pool noodles, delighting crowds of all ages.
The festival’s creativity continues this week with installations such as Fever Dreams at Tanks Arts Centre, the roaming giant puppet The Whale on the eastern event lawn, and the Bubble Emporium, which sends 20,000 bubbles per minute across the Esplanade Plaza, enchanting children and adults alike.
Opera Queensland will stage All Together Now! at the Cairns Performing Arts Centre on September 6, a joyful performance blending operatic classics with sing-alongs, starring Jason Barry Smith and singers from the Young Artist program, inviting audience participation and shared musical moments.
Upcoming events also include ghost net turtle-making workshops with First Nations artist Jimi Thaiday (September 6-7) and Reef City, a fusion of fashion and art featuring more than 15 local artists and designers.
Music fans can enjoy performances from Djawarray with Koahlition, hip-hop collective R3B, and rock band Whiskey on the Esplanade main stage.
The festival concludes with the family-friendly Carnival on Collins on Sunday, September 7, featuring market stalls, food vendors, entertainment, and activities for all ages, promising a fitting finale to a weekend that showcased the best of Cairns’ creativity and community spirit.
The complete program is at https://bit.ly/3JXX1aU
