Coronavirus causes Festival to be cancelled

Ongoing uncertainty around limits on public gatherings has forced Council to cancel this year’s Cairns Festival.

Mayor Bob Manning said community, cultural and sporting groups, as well as schools, work tirelessly for months in the lead-up to Festival to plan and prepare their Grand Parade float entries.

“Cairns Festival has always been an amazing opportunity to celebrate what makes our region great. And that’s only possible through the dedication of our residents,” Cr Manning said.

“So while it’s with a heavy heart that we make this decision, holding off any longer would be unfair to those groups who ultimately make Festival a huge success.”

Cr Manning said that even as government restrictions ease, contact tracing through ticketing would be key for staging events, which means free events such as Cairns Festival would unlikely be able to proceed.