How to book a public space

Public spaces that can be booked for weddings and ceremonies include:

• Beaches and foreshores
• Cairns Esplanade parklands
• Cairns Botanic Gardens
• Sugarworld Parklands
• Parks and gardens

Wedding and ceremony bookings can be made between two weeks to two years in advance of your function.

Check wedding and ceremonies dates and availability.

If your booking date falls outside the prescribed booking windows, please contact 1300 692 247 for assistance.

NOTE: for weddings at the White Wedding Area located in front of Alamanda Resort, Palm Cove, please ensure you submit your enquiry for one of the time slots listed below. This is to allow for a maximum number of ceremonies per day and mitigate against potential clashes at the site.  Example: If you would like your wedding ceremony to begin at 10am, please book from 9.30am-11.30am.

Booking enquiry hire terms & conditions

Your booking is not confirmed until you receive written advice from Council.

Council's bookable meeting rooms include venues at:

• Cairns Libraries
  NOTE: Effective 1 December 2023, the Manunda Library will discontinue the provision of a meeting room facility. Please book an alternative location or visit Cairns Regional Council website for alternative bookable meeting room spaces.
• Barlow Park
• Community Halls

Most meeting rooms can be booked one week to one year in advance, with the exception of Barlow Park.

Check meeting room dates and availability.

If your booking date falls outside the prescribed booking windows, please contact 1300 692 247 for assistance.

Please note the specific booking requirements below for Barlow Park Corporate Room.

• Bookings for Barlow Park Corporate Rooms must be received at least two weeks before the requested booking date

Booking enquiry hire terms & conditions

Your booking is not confirmed until you receive written advice from Council.

Spaces that can be booked for private and public events (eg sports, parties, corporate functions etc) include:

• BBQs and shelters
• Beaches and foreshores
• Community halls
• Parks and garden
• Sporting fields.

Event bookings can be made from one week to 18 months in advance, with some exceptions:

• Events requiring additional permits (Temporary Entertainment Event Permit, food licenses, road closure etc) must be submitted at least 6 weeks’ notice prior to the event date
• Small events at the Esplanade (including use of BBQs, weddings & ceremonies) must be submitted at least 2 weeks before the event commences
• Large community or commercial events, celebrations, or amusement ride bookings for the Esplanade must be submitted at least 8 weeks prior to commencement.
• Sporting events at Barlow Park multi-sports facility must be submitted at least 8 weeks prior to commencement.
• Refer to the Cairns Esplanade Usage Policy   ( PDF, 0.34 MB )for further key information.

Check dates and availability.

If your booking date falls outside the prescribed booking windows, please contact 1300 692 247 for assistance.

Booking enquiry Hire terms & conditions

Your booking is not confirmed until you receive written advice from Council.

Some halls are booked via Council's online system, others are booked directly with a local community group who manages the hall.

Refer to the Community halls webpage for details on how to book each venue.

If your event  involves selling food, closing a road, requires exclusive use of an area, or is a certain size or frequency, you may need further approvals or permits:

• Temporary Entertainment Event Permit: If your event is a social, sport, community or entertainment event that is open to the public, requires exclusive use of an area (indoor or outdoor), and is not held more than twice in any one year you may require other approvals. Please contact 1300 692 247 or check our online information about permits for activities on Council land.
• Selling food: if you intend to provide food at any event or gathering, you must contact Council’s Licencing & Approvals  Unit on 1300 692 247 for approval. Applications must be made with a minimum of 30 days’ notice to be assessed.
• Closing roads: If you wish to hold an event on a Council road, you will need to submit a temporary road closure application ( PDF, 0.24 MB ) to the Infrastructure Services Department with a minimum of 28 days’ notice.
• Community group event grants:  If you are a Not-For-Profit Organisation, in-kind assistance may be available for your event. Find more information about grants available and closing dates for applications. You will need to provide a minimum of 6 weeks’ notice for in-kind assistance grants. For more information, please call 1300 692 247 and ask for Community Partnerships Officer.

View our Fees and Charges Schedule for current venue hire fees.

You can use our interactive mapping tool to find a venue available for hire.  You can refine search options by venue type and capacity. Tips on how to use the interactive mapping tool are provided below.

When you are ready to begin your search, click the "Find a venue" button to proceed to the mapping tool.

Find a venue

Note: We recommend that you use Google Chrome or Firefox to access the interactive mapping, to benefit from full functionality.

Instructions

1. Click in the search box > click on Bookable Spaces
   
   
2. Select the Venue Type/s you are interested in.  Multiple venue types can be selected by clicking in the Venue Type box again and selecting additional from the drop down.
   
   
3. Indicate how many people you require the space for.  The search will only show you those venues that have adequate capacity.
4. Click Go.
5. You will be presented with a list of matching venue spaces on the left. Bookable spaces that match your selected venue type/s and capacity will now show on the map with a red dot on the pin.
   
   
6. To zoom into a specific space click on the space name in the table, the map will zoom into the selected space and a black dot will be visible on the pin.
7. You can also navigate the map by using the + and – zoom options and/or dragging the map to view other locations.
8. Click on the pin for any space you are interested in and details of the space will appear to the left of screen
9. If you would like more details about the venue click on the Description link
10. If you would like to book the venue for a wedding, meeting or other event, click on the relevant booking form link to open.