2023 Cairns Festival sets new attendance record

The 2023 Cairns Festival set a record attendance of about 140,000 people across a program that delivered 210 performances, featuring 776 performers and artists, of which about 77% were local.

The 10-day event, held from 25 August to 3 September, featured music, physical theatre, comedy, roving performances, puppetry, high end projection and laser work, dance, film, cabaret, multimedia installations and visual arts, activating venues in the city and throughout the region.

Carnival on Collins was the most popular event on the program with an estimated audience of 27,000 people.

Other popular events included Reef Lights: Where the Rainforest Meets the Reef light and laser installation at the Esplanade Lagoon (25,000), String Symphony by Spare Parts Puppet Theatre (17,500 across 4 days), and City Lights – Rowland Nancarrow’s Unveiling Nature (14,000).

To ensure Cairns Festival remains accessible to audiences across the region, there has been a continued focus on programming free events. In 2023, 91% of the 210 performances were free to public.