Cairns Arts and Culture

15/06/2026

🎭 APAX 2026: Registrations, awards and travel bursaries now open!
Don't miss the Australian Performing Arts Exchange happening in Brisbane from 7–11 September. This industry event brings together performing arts workers from across Australia to collaborate and shape the future of live performance.
Early bird registrations are now open and we're providing travel bursaries to help eligible delegates cover costs.
Applications close Thursday 18 June 👉 https://bit.ly/4vMxDrz
Nominations for PAC Australia’s IMPACT Awards are also open, celebrating excellence in the live performance sector.
Nominations close Wednesday 24 June 👉 https://bit.ly/4upnMXh

📷 PAC Australia. Credit: Alex Sibbison

🎭 APAX 2026: Registrations, awards and travel bursaries now open!

Don't miss the Australian Performing Arts Exchange happening in Brisbane from 7–11 September. This industry event brings together performing arts workers from across Australia to collaborate and shape the future of live performance.

Early bird registrations are now open and we're providing travel bursaries to help eligible delegates cover costs.

Applications close Thursday 18 June 👉 https://bit.ly/4vMxDrz

Nominations for PAC Australia’s IMPACT Awards are also open, celebrating excellence in the live performance sector.

Nominations close Wednesday 24 June 👉 https://bit.ly/4upnMXh



📷 PAC Australia. Credit: Alex Sibbison

09/06/2026

What. A. Weekend.
Sticky fingers. Big smiles. Endless energy. 🎨🎪✨

From hands-on workshops and colourful performances to dancing, creating, exploring and making memories, Cairns Children's Festival 2026 was packed with fun from start to finish.

📅 SAVE THE DATES for next year!

Click 'Interested' here Cairns Childrens Festival 2027 || Sat 15 & Sun 16 May

A huge thank you to all the little adventurers, families, artists, performers and volunteers who helped make this year's festival so special. 💛

Relive some of the magic in our wrap-up reel below 👇

05/06/2026

Coming soon! Design Futures Forum: Living Tropical 🌺

📍 Thu 18 Jun, Tanks Arts Centre

This is an invitation to come together, share perspectives and imagine design futures for Cairns as an inclusive, sustainable and thriving tropical city.

Through open discussion, the forum explores housing, city-making and the role design can play in shaping Cairns’ future.

Fresh from the unveiling of Floriate, his major new public artwork at Brisbane's newly opened Glasshouse Theatre at Queensland Performing Arts Centre, Brian Robinson joins the Forum for a special Q&A with local creative producer Nick Mills. Together they'll explore the making of public art and the ways culture, place and identity shape contemporary creative practice.

Other speakers include:

✨Jennie Officer: Officer Woods Architects (WA), Approaches to multi res social/affordable housing - inc. NSW pattern book

✨ Laura Harding: Urban Design, Hill Thalis, (NSW), Urban resilience, designing with climate and landscape

✨ John Elway: Architect (QLD), Infill housing + living small

✨ Martin O’Dea: Landscape Architect, Clouston (NSW/NT), Heat + Landscape in the Tropics – Cooling Darwin case study

02/06/2026

The creativity of Cairns' young artists lives on! ✨

As part of Cairns Children's Festival, local artist Amber Grossmann's Creation Station invited children to dream, draw, create and imagine what Cairns might look like in the future as part of the TINCAIRNS150 project.

Now, all of those incredible ideas, artworks and stories have been brought together in a digital zine - a colourful celebration of the imagination, creativity and big ideas of our region's youngest creatives. 🎨💭🌈

From the first scribble to a finished publication, this project showcases the power of creativity and what can happen when young people are given the opportunity to share their voices.

Take a look and see Cairns through the eyes of our kids!

📖 View the TINCAIRNS150 Zine here: cairns.qld.gov.au/childrens-festival/tincairns150

27/05/2026

Hot off the press! 📸 Were you part of Cairns Children’s Festival 2026? Jump into our photo album to see if you’ve been snapped enjoying all the fun, creativity and chaos! 🎨✨

A huge thank you to all our amazing volunteers, artists, parents and kids who made this year’s festival so special. 💛

Thanks for the memories & see you again next year!

27/05/2026

✨ Creative opportunity! ✨

Join us on Monday 8 June for an informative afternoon with Creative Australia learning about becoming a peer assessor, opportunities for funding, First Nations cultural protocols and intellectual cultural property rights and more…

📝Become an Assessor:
Learn more about becoming an assessor for Creative Australia and how you can be part of grant making decisions

💲 Funding Opportunities:
Discover arts projects funding and other investment program opportunities.

🪃 Cultural Protocols:
First Nations Cultural Protocols and Intellectual Property and the arts.

🎨 Asia Pacific Arts Awards:
Explore recognition opportunities across the region.

🗣 Real Experiences:
Hear live interviews with past assessors and grant recipients.

👪Family-friendly event:
Local artist Lia Pa’apa’a will host a dedicated creative space where young people can play and create while parents and carers participate in the panel discussion.

📍 Botanic Gardens Visitor Centre
🔗 Register now! See comments for link.

20/05/2026

Two Cairns buildings are waiting for the right artist.

Cairns Regional Council is calling for quotes from artists to design and deliver two murals as part of 2026 Neighbourhood Murals Project.

The sites:
🎨 Mirriwinni: Mirriwinni Hall at Niven Park, Greer Road, Mirriwinni
🎨 Redlynch: Amenities block at Redlynch Skatepark, 19 Tenni Street, Redlynch

Artists can submit for one or both locations.

Leave your mark on Cairns.
Submissions close 11.30pm Sunday 31 May 2026.
Full details and submission forms → https://www.cairns.qld.gov.au/NeighbourhoodMurals

17/05/2026

Did you attend Cairns Children's Festival 2026?🤸 We’d love your feedback!

Help us shape future festivals by completing our quick post-festival survey 💛

Your thoughts help us create even more fun, creative and meaningful experiences for our community.

Complete the survey today! 👉 feedback.cairns.qld.gov.au/n/0qXtNOl

17/05/2026

✨ What a weekend! Thousands of children and families came together across Cairns to celebrate creativity, curiosity and play at Cairns Children’s Festival 2026 💛

From sold-out shows and hands-on workshops to shadow puppets, kid-led markets, art and magical moments at Tanks Arts Centre, CPAC and the City Library - thank you for making this year’s festival so special 🎭🎨🌈

We loved seeing our community explore, imagine and create together. Until next year! 👋