Browse venues

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.

Refer to our Bookings page for information on how to book a wedding or ceremony venue.

Council's bookable meeting rooms include venues at:

• Cairns Libraries excluding Manunda Library
• Barlow Park  (* see note below)
• Community halls

* Note:  bookings for Barlow Park Corporate Rooms must be received at least two weeks before the requested booking date.

Refer to our Bookings page for information on how to book a meeting room.

Council provides a number of accessible, multi-purpose community halls and centres which can be used/hired by residents. These venues provide focal points for community interaction and social support through the delivery of safe, enjoyable activities and services that benefit the community.

Refer to our Community halls page for locations and information on how to book.

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.

Refer to our Bookings page for information on how to book a public space.

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.

We have produced an accessible events checklist ( PDF, 0.31 MB ) to help event organisers make their events as accessible as possible, by considering both physical and non-physical access barriers for people with a disability. It is not an exhaustive list and not everything listed will apply to every event.

This list is a starting point for consideration in planning your event, not a legal or technical checklist covering detailed specifications. Information about technical specifications, rights and responsibilities relating to equal access and opportunity for people with a disability can be found within the Disability Discrimination Act (1992) Standards and Guidelines.

The location and nature of some events may prohibit them from being accessible to all. Where DDA Standards cannot be fulfilled, ensuring information about event accessibility is publicly available to potential ticket holders is an example of inclusive practice.

This checklist is designed to support organisers to consider accessibility at each stage of the planning, promotion and delivery of an event. You may wish to include comments and share these with your event team prior to the event to ensure all staff and volunteers are prepared.

Download the accessible events checklist PDF ( PDF, 0.31 MB )