Your Complete Guide to Carnival on Collins 2025
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 7 Sep 2025 |
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| Time: | 9.00am - 2.00pm |
| Location: | Collins Avenue, Edge Hill |
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Collins Avenue
Market Stalls & Food Vans
Arrive hungry, grab a bite from our food stalls and vans, and soak up the festive 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: Psychic Extra Small
Step into a whimsical world with Psychic Extra Small and her magical gypsies. A quirky, creative experience that’s part performance, part keepsake.
Fitzalan Gardens Pond: Crazy Mini Golf
Putt your way through a mini golf adventure great for all ages, whether you’re a seasoned putter or just playing for fun.
Gondwanan Lawn: Cairns Art Society - Tropical Animals Collage Workshop
Join artist Lorna Epps for a fun and imaginative collage workshop where tropical creatures come to life!
Flecker Gardens
The Bubble Emporium by the Mask Family
Show Times: 9.00am, 10.00am, 11.00am, 12.00pm & 1.00pm (15 min duration)
Step into a whimsical world where shimmering orbs float through the tropical air, The Bubble Emporium is impossible to miss and irresistible to experience.
Face Painting
9.00am - 2.00pm
Add that extra spark of colour to your day and have your face painted by Kelly Moran underneath the jade vine.
Flecker Gardens Stage
Miriki Showcase Performance: Echoes Through Time
9.15am
A powerful dance performance where young voices share stories of hardship, resilience, and hope.
Junior Burger: Rock Concert for Kids!
10.15am
A fresh uniquely Australian take on making kids concerts fun. Junior Burger understand that kids love rock’n’roll as much Mum and Dad do.
Tessa Devine
11.15am
As a multi-instrumentalist indie-folk singer-songwriter, Tessa captivates audiences with her deeply emotional presence.
Savidas
12.15pm
Cairns duo Savidas seamlessly blends roots, reggae, folk, and funk, creating a unique sound they call Bluegrass Hip-Hop.
Burger Joint
1.15pm
Burger Joint’s charismatic funked up live show is a huge sound with plenty of guitar solos, percussion breakdowns, and a stage presence that is like having a party with your closest friends.
Botanic Gardens Visitor Centre
Cairns Origami with Yuka Nakamura
9.00am - 2.00pm (Multipurpose Room)
Create your own everlasting blooms and learn how to fold beautiful flowers and insects.
Quiet Space
9.00am - 2.00pm (Amphitheatre)
A Quiet Space provides a calm retreat where people can take a break as needed. 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
Try your hand at basket weaving with Rosie Omudsen or watercolour painting with Marian Wolfs, then pop into the Green Space for some gardening inspiration.
Roving Performers
Various Times
Shirley-Ann Rowley
Artist and storyteller Shirley-Ann Rowley shares life’s journey through ukulele, blending heartfelt melodies with humour and spirit.
Zebras
High fashion with a beastly twist.The African savannah collides with Coco Chanel as The Zebra’s prance, preen, graze with dance moves to make Beyonce blush.
Tanks Arts Centre
Tank 3: Primal
Show times: 10.00am, 12.00pm
Inspired by the animal kingdom, this award-winning circus cabaret fuses acrobatics, aerials, hula hoops and song in a high-energy exploration of identity.
Tank 4: Fever Dreams Exhibition
9.00am - 2.00pm
Fever Dreams is an artist-driven exploration of the gap between the dreams we’re sold and the reality we live. Chosen for their eclectic visions, the four artists – Hans Ahwang, Jamie Cole, India Collins and Melania Jack – offer very distinctive takes on how they see the world.
Tank 5: Street Science
Show times: 9.30am, 11.30am, 1.30pm
Join us for a series of 3 shows that are sure to inspire the next generation of scientific problem-solvers.
Show 1: Extreme Liquid Nitrogen Show
Show 2: Fire and Ice Show
Show 3: Forces and Flight Show
The Fig Tree: Cairns Libraries - Pop Up Library
9.00am - 2.00pm
A haven for creative play, offering a selection of library resources that are sure to captivate young minds. A cosy place where curiosity blooms and creativity takes root. Parental supervision is required to ensure a safe and enjoyable experience for everyone.
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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