Big community party to celebrate new-look Esplanad

Published: 18 June 2021. (Note: information was correct at date of publication but may have since been changed or superseded.)

Cairns Mayor Bob Manning (left) and Member for Cairns Michael Healy use water guns to christen the giant green wall which features 720 plants.

A day filled with fun activities and great live performances is being planned for next Sunday (27 June) to give the Cairns community the perfect opportunity to celebrate the new-look Esplanade dining precinct and experience everything it has to offer.

The $28 million project has completely changed the look of the area, with a gently curving one-way road, wider footpaths with contemporary pavers, furniture and awnings to improve the dining experience as well as vibrant lighting to enhance the area at night.

A feature of the redevelopment is a striking vertical garden wall measuring 5.5 metres tall and almost 4 metres wide, which features 720 plants.

The upgrade also included a revamp of the Lagoon plaza area, which features an eye-catching checkerboard paving pattern and a distinct ‘wave’ lawn at the Shields Street and Esplanade intersection.

Mayor Bob Manning said it was now time for everyone to come and celebrate the completion of the project with a huge community party on Sunday 27 June, featuring a variety of family fun activities, and headlined by Australian pop icon and multi-award winning artist Christine Anu.

“It’s a great opportunity for everyone to come and experience this wonderful area – we know our locals and visitors bring the Esplanade to life and we can’t wait to see even more people jogging, walking, dining and admiring the beauty of what Cairns has to offer,” Cr Manning said.

“We want this project to be a driver of rejuvenation of the CBD precinct.”

The community event is free and runs from 10am to 6pm with the following activities:

100 x $20 vouchers will be given away to the public to spend in the precinct to support the many traders who did it tough during the construction period.A host of colourful roving performers will roam the area creating a vibrant and fun atmosphere.An array of local musicians which include performances by more than 50 local groups and organisations throughout the day, featuring Chinese dragon dancers to African drummers and Polynesian musicians through to Latin sounds. Later in the day, musical performances include Tessa Devine, Jelly Oshen and Amber Farnan, culminating in Christine Anu performing at 7pm.The Kids Zone will feature lots of fun for the little ones, including a toy swap, face painting, and rides. A highlight will be an appearance by Chase from Paw Patrol who will be doing meet and greets every hour from 2pm.Water Combat Zone: Chance to get wet on the Esplanade in the water battle zone. Take on your friends with water “weapons” supplied.Makin’ Whoopee Street Markets which feature a host of hand crafts and locally made goods.As people wander along the Esplanade, they will see artists drawing, sculpting and painting their interpretations of the dining precinct and the event opening.

After the competition of the stage acts at 8pm, people are encouraged to stay and watch the second State of Origin game from Suncorp Stadium on the big screen from 8.10pm.

More details of the opening party

Note: The Queensland Government’s Building our Regions program contributed $3 million to the Esplanade Dining Precinct project.