Cultural showcase ignites Cairns Festival opening weekend

Mayor Amy Eden (centre) is joined by unofficial festival ambassador Tammy Tooth , and Grand Parade participants Liza Sergeev, Nisha O’LearyWes Evans, Kadee Wallwork, Sian James and Kayo Taguchi.

There’s just one day to go until Cairns Festival ignites the imagination of residents with an exciting 10-day program of arts, culture and family fun.

The 63rd Festival kicks off on Friday (23 August) with A Cultural Rising, featuring headline act Christine Anu on stage on the Court House Gallery front lawn, followed by a packed opening weekend including the much-loved Grand Parade and seven-hours of live music and family fun!

Festival favourite Reef Lights, the spectacular light and laser display over the Cairns Lagoon returns every night, along with imaginative installations, HEXADECA, a musical playground using sensor technology to trigger light and sound, The Bubble Station, generating a magical world with 12,000 bubbles per minute, and Bloom by Bonemap, an outdoor projection that transforms in response to the audience.

A diverse offering of free and ticketed events guaranteed to delight attendees of all ages, the program covers exhibitions, performance, dance, theatre, food and plenty of live music, before concluding with Carnival on Collins on Father’s Day (1 September).

Mayor Amy Eden said Cairns Festival is a true community celebration of local talent combined with touring shows of every genre to ignite the imagination.

“Cairns comes to life at Festival time – it’s the vibe of the city that I love the most,” said Mayor Eden.

“It’s wonderful to see family and friends enjoying the best of Cairns and be inspired by the creativity on offer.

“There are so many events and activities to take part in, with an emphasis on free, family entertainment, I’m positive there’s something to pique everyone’s interest.”

Mayor Eden encouraged residents to venture into the city on Saturday for one of the biggest events on the Cairns event calendar – the Grand Parade.

With around 60 floats from community groups, businesses, sporting clubs and schools, the Esplanade will come alive with community spirit.

For the full Cairns Festival program of music, theatre, film, dance and more, go to www.cairnsfest.com.au.