Cairns Festival 2019 to deliver neon dog poo, adults-only comedy and operatic death

LED dogs, an operatic death game and live love story performances are some of the new additions to the 2019 Cairns Festival.

The program for the event, to be held between the 23rd August and 1st September, was launched today by Cairns Mayor Bob Manning.

He said many of the offerings are interactive. 

Festival Cairns 2019 program launch: Cairns Mayor Bob Manning (centre) with Miriki Performing Arts dancer Jimmy Savage and Passaros do Paraiso dancer Meg Takegami.

“So many of the events in the 2019 program are interactive and encourage the crowd to not only be a spectator, but join in,” Cr Manning said.

“The Neon Dog Park will be a big hit for Instagrammers with a colourful display of neon dogs including neon dog poop that people can touch and interact with.”

Audience involvement will also occur with the stage acts.

In Songs To Die For, Opera Queensland will present ‘the wheel of death,’ where members of the audience can spin a wheel with various combinations to hear compositions of over-dramatised deaths from opera’s iconic leading characters.

Love stories written by the public will be brought to life in theatrical performances in I Want to Know What Love Is and people can get their groove on at You Should be Dancing at the Tanks Arts Centre, which opens with a learn-the-moves segment before ending in a giant dance party.

The usual favourites will also delight crowds, including the Carnival on Collins, the Grand Parade and fireworks.

“Cairns Festival is one of the region’s biggest arts and cultural programs in the region, attracting over 90,000 locals and visitors across 10 days,” Cr Manning said.

“It is a wonderful occasion that celebrates the people and places we call home, and with most of the events free and family friendly, it’s the perfect time to come together and enjoy our tropical lifestyle.”


Other 2019 program highlights:

  • Festival Friday – Featuring live local music on the Cairns Esplanade from 5pm and extending to The Conservatory Bar and Three Wolves for an after party of adults-only comedy and a music performance from award-winning electric duo, The Ironing Maidens.
  • City Lights – One of the awe-inspiring highlights of Cairns Festival, City Lights is a visual treat for the senses. The City Lights program engages local and national artists to create large scale projection and multimedia installations. Since 2015 the Cairns City Library has been transformed with large scale projections, speaking to the culture, history and lifestyle of Tropical North Queensland.
  • Sunday Funday – A wonderful family concert on the picturesque Cairns Esplanade with live local music and headliners Vika and Linda Bull.
  • Circa’s Peepshow – Renowned circus company Circa’s returns to Festival with a thrillingly acrobatic and comically playful show. Expect teetering towers of balanced bodies, extreme bending and devilishly precarious aerials. Tickets on sale through Ticketlink.

View the full program here.