Catch of the Day!
Your Complete Guide to Carnival on Collins 2026
A Cairns’ Father’s Day tradition, this annual street party celebrating life in the tropics, set in the lush surrounds of the Tanks Arts Centre and Cairns Botanic Gardens precinct.
| Date: | Sun 6 Sep 2026 |
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| Time: | 9.00am - 2.00pm |
| Location: | Collins Avenue, Edge Hill |
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Collins Avenue
Market Stalls & Food Vans
Browse market stalls featuring local arts, crafts, handmade goods, gifts and plants. Arrive hungry and enjoy a delicious selection of food stalls while soaking up the vibrant festival atmosphere.
Botanic Gardens
9.00am - 2.00pm
Teak Lawn: Friends Of The Botanic Gardens Plant Stall and Plant Cloak Room
Buy a tropical plant from the plant stall, or store the plants you have purchased over the site in their cloak room.
Fitzalan Gardens: CYCAS Circus
Try your hand at hula hoops, juggling, plate spinning, diabolo, tightrope walking, trampolines, stilt walking and more circus-style fun.
Flecker Gardens: Face Painting with Sweet K Facepainting
Add that extra spark of colour to your day and have your face painted by Sweet K Facepainting underneath the jade vine.
Flecker Gardens Stage
Cairns Choral Society
10.00am
Celebrating over 100 years, Cairns Choral Society presents concerts, musicals and events across Cairns. 2026 highlights include Priscilla: Queen of the Desert, outstanding Eisteddfod results, and the upcoming Gala, Christmas Carols and Frozen.
Cairns Taiko
11.00am
Taiko is the Japanese word for drums and ensemble drumming. Cairns Taiko has been performing and promoting cross-cultural ties for 15 years Cairns and today they have prepared a family friendly show for adults and kids to enjoy together.
Lontano
12.00pm
Lontano (Italian for “far away”) is a long-distance songwriting project, featuring Roz Pappalardo and Anthony Dettori. From foundations of spacious earthy, alt-country storytelling, Lontano’s songbook continues to develop, revealing a toolkit that unapologetically applies expressive elements from folk, country, rock, roots, blues, and even contemporary classical music.
Dr David ‘Bindi’ Hudson
1.00pm
Don’t miss the unmistakable sound and spirit of Dr David ‘Bindi’ Hudson, one of Australia’s most celebrated Indigenous performers and cultural voices. Renowned for his didgeridoo artistry, storytelling and music, David creates powerful connections to country, culture and community. Blending rhythm, humour and authenticity, this special performance promises an uplifting afternoon of music, stories and soul.
Botanic Gardens Visitor Centre
Quiet Space
9.00am - 2.00pm (Amphitheatre)
A Quiet Space provides a calm retreat where anyone can take a break as needed. This designated Quiet Space, located at the BGVC amphitheatre (behind cafe TANK sixty four) is open all day throughout the event. The space will be clearly labelled 'Quiet Space' marked with signs featuring a Quiet icon.
Greenslopes Street
Jess Mitchell Park: The Green Space Education Food Garden
9.00am - 1.00pm
Get creative with basket weaving led by Rosie Omudsen or watercolour painting with Marian Wolfs, then visit The Green Space for gardening inspiration, featuring talks on growing vegetables and attracting beneficial bugs to your garden. Plus, pick up a free native plant to take home.
Roving Performers
9.00am - 2.00pm
Uptown Brown!
Is a singing gentleman-adventurer performing a program of primitive 1920’s-1930’s jazz and blues on a self-invented one-man band. A wily mix of connivance and stuff from the shed, his contraption is built from cedar, leather and brass. Vocals & fingerpicked ukulele are amplified through old megaphones, mimicking the effect of a 78 record. A quality musical and roving act in the finest tradition of vaudeville and ragtime.
“O” the Observer
Drawn to wherever energy gathers, O, The Observer and Dot wander in search of magical moments, bearing witness to the stories and connections that unfold around them. O, a giant cosmic eye, records everything it sees, while Dot, a curious sentient camera, immortalises pinpoint moments of time, both reflecting audiences back to themselves in real-time. Together they create playful, interactive encounters that invite audiences to pause, participate, and see themselves and each other from a different perspective.
VOiiiD Collective
Who are the Voiiidians, we hear you ask? Well, they are a motley bunch of consistently colourful and fiendishly freaky oddballs who inhabit the wonderland known only as the VOiiiD. An exceptionally eccentric family of outrageously odd characters who adore any chance to dance, prance, and play peculiar fun games. It’s happily ever laughter in this VOiiiD.
Out of the Closet
Step into a world of colour, creativity and conscious fashion with Out of the Closet. This playful, interactive roving wardrobe invites festivalgoers of all ages to explore a vibrant collection of pre-loved and upcycled clothing, create bold new looks, and embrace the joy of dopamine dressing.
Hosted by Jessica and Hayley, participants can mix, match and experiment with expressive outfits before taking their turn on the mini catwalk for a fun photo-worthy moment. Celebrating sustainability, self-expression and inclusivity, Out of the Closet is a feel-good fashion experience designed to spark confidence, connection and creativity throughout Carnival on Collins.
Silent Disco
Session Times: 9.30am, 10.00am, 10.30am, 11.00am, 11.30am, 12.30pm, 1.00pm & 1.30pm (15 min duration)
Dance through the Botanic Gardens with our disco divas! Pop on a pair of headphones and join us for a fun, fast 15 minutes roaming silent disco. With eight sessions running across the day, it's the ultimate way to experience Carnival on Collins. Fun for the whole family: just show up, tune in and groove!
Tanks Arts Centre
Tank 4: Catch of the Day
9.00am - 2.00pm
Catch of the Day turns Tank 4 into a gloriously oversized magazine, transforming Tank 4 Gallery into a walk-through world of giant glossy spreads, immersive textile installations and mini golf.
Tank 5: FNQ Big Band
9.00am - 2.00pm
Enjoy energetic big band sounds from jazz and swing to ballads and contemporary favourites, performed by local musicians.
Tank 5: SwingRays
Session times: 9.30am - 10.15am, 11.00am - 11.45am, 12.45pm - 1.30pm
Discover the joy of swing dancing with SwingRays, a community group who learn, teach and love it. Bring a friend or show up solo — no experience needed and two left feet are welcome.
The Fig Tree: Cairns Libraries - Pop Up Library
9.00am - 2.00pm
Step into the shade and discover a world of stories and play!
Join us under the iconic fig tree for our one-day-only Pop-Up Library, a cosy place where curiosity blooms and creativity takes root.
FAQs
The Fun Doesn't Stop Here
Cairns Fest isn't here for a long time, but it's here for a good time! Here's some more inspo to help you make the most of the 10 days.
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