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Make 2019 an eventful year in Queensland ·
Make 2019 an eventful year in Queensland
Where else in the world can you watch a global motor racing event one minute and stroll down a pristine stretch of surf beach the next? Or snorkel with tropical fish in the morning and attend a breath-taking ballet performance at night? The It's Live! In Queensland calendar of more than 100 events feature Australia's best live events staged in the best destinations. Here's our top events for the international markets. For more action, see: www.queensland.com/events
BLEACH* FESTIVAL
17 – 28 April
Utilising the Gold Coast's world-famous natural landscape as unconventional venues, Bleach* Festival aims to deliver incredible arts and cultural experiences that challenge expectations, change perceptions and provide an authentic sense of place. Bleach* Festival has attracted more than 470,000 people since its inaugural year in 2012. The program features work across all genres including dance, theatre, contemporary music, opera, installations, circus and major public events. www.bleachfestival.com.au
ADINA POLOCROSSE WORLD CUP
See the world's best battle it out at the Polocrosse World Cup in Warwick, Queensland. Combining the strategy of netball, the toughness of rugby, and the ball skills of lacrosse, polocrosse is an Australian-made sport where action, power, skill and pace dominate. Celebrating 80 years in 2019, the Polocrosse World Cup will bring players from eight countries – Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, USA, UK, Ireland, Zambia and Zimbabwe – to southern Queensland to see which team reigns supreme. As current world champions, South Africa will be fighting to hold onto the title, while former champions, Australia, will use their home turf and supporters to their advantage to try and take it back! The event takes place over seven days in Warwick. https://polocrosseworldcup.com.au
IRF 2019 WORLD RAFTING CHAMPIONSHIPS POWERED BY EXPERIENCE CO.
13 – 20 MAY
Over 30 years of rafting has now hit the Australian soil and organisers are ready to see who is going to Tame the Tully. The World Rafting Championships is a coming together of rafters from all over the world to compete in the toughest white water rapids. The Rafting event is taking place in the heart of Tropical North Queensland, the Tully River. http://www.wrc2019.com
BLUES ON BROADBEACH MUSIC FESTIVAL
Don't miss Australia's largest free music festival, boasting the spectacular Gold Coast as the backdrop. Held over four days right in the heart of Broadbeach, the jam-packed line-up gives music lovers from soul, blues and more something to explore. Acts announced to date for the 2019 line-up include international legends Canned Heat, Eric Bibb, Harts, Tami Neilson and many more! http://www.bluesonbroadbeach.com/
NOOSA FOOD & WINE FESTIVAL
When it comes to drool-factor locations, Noosa takes the cake. Blessed with an average 300 days of sunshine a year, this Sunshine Coast haven, described by travel bible Lonely Planet as 'a swanky resort town with a stunning natural landscape of crystalline beaches and tropical rainforests'. Staking its claim as a premier food and wine destination, the 2018 Noosa Food & Wine festival sold out faster than hotcakes, tempting 10,000 visitors to sip and savour their way through 40 events on Noosa's post-card perfect Main Beach, along Hastings Street, by the Noosa River, in restaurants, markets and up in the hinterland. A long line-up of Australia's best chefs will be back in 2019 to showcase the region's produce and flavours. www.noosafoodandwine.com.au
CAPTAIN COOK 1770 FESTIVAL
Each year in May, on the weekend closest to 23 May when HMB Endeavour anchored in Bustard Bay, the town of 1770 celebrates with a family friendly festival to re-enact the landing of Lt Cook and his crew. This year, the festival starts on Friday 24 May with a re-enactment of Lt Cook landing, followed by a Festival Street Parade the following morning. https://www.visitagnes1770.com.au/captain-cook-1770-festival/
OUTBACK GOLF MASTERS
1 JUNE – 4 AUGUST
If you've ever wanted to visit the outback – and pack the golf sticks for a road trip you'll never forget – the Outback Queensland Masters is your dream come true. Connect with Queensland's outback spirit of adventure, play six of the most unique courses in the world, be entertained by outback tales and live music, before concluding the best long drive you'll ever make at the Million Dollar Hole-In-One Challenge at Mount Isa. https://www.outbackqldmasters.com/
CAIRNS AIRPORT IRONMAN ASIA-PACIFIC CHAMPIONSHIP CAIRNS
Cairns Airport IRONMAN Asia-Pacific Championship Cairns is situated at the gateway to the Great Barrier Reef. Thanks to its stunning backdrop, the event has become known as the IRONMAN in Paradise, boasting an experience that extends past the race day excitement. Hosted in Tropical North Queensland athletes and their support crew have easy access to the Great Barrier Reef, the Daintree Rainforest and the tropical island surrounds. With arguably the most spectacular bike course in the world, competitors race up the Captain Cook Highway hugging the coastline from Cairns to Port Douglas. http://ap.ironman.com/triathlon/events/asiapac/multisports/cairns.aspx
VISION SPLENDID OUTBACK FILM FESTIVAL
28 JUNE – 6 JULY
Winton is fast becoming known as the "Hollywood in the Outback" thanks to the events of Vision Splendid Outback Film Festival and several major film productions including Nick Cave's Proposition and Ivan Sen's "Mystery Road" and "Goldstone". This iconic Australian Outback Town which is the home of Waltzing Matilda, Australia's home of the Dinosaur and the Birthplace of Qantas, and now the driving for the creation of a Regional Film Industry in Queensland. The Vision Splendid Outback Film Festival is inspired by the Sundance Film Festival. It is an incorporated, non-profit organisation developed by the passion and drive of the Winton community and brought to you thanks to their visionary partners. http://www.visionsplendidfilmfest.com
MARY POPPINS FESTIVAL
This year's festival presents a two-week program of storytelling for all ages through all art forms. From music concerts backstage and onstage to pop up performances in the Bond Store Basement, the signature event is the Mary Poppins Festival Day in the Park where Maryborough's heritage streetscapes are transformed into scenes from the Poppins' novels. Nannies race push prams in the great Nanny Challenge; chimney sweeps compete in the Chimney Sweep Dash while Mary Poppins characters come to life and mingle with the crowd. http://www.marypoppinsfestival.com.au/
SCENIC RIM EAT LOCAL WEEK
Scenic Rim Eat Local Week is your backstage pass to the farms, wineries and food stories of the Scenic Rim. Eat your way around the region through a program of festivals, farm-gate events and culinary experiences to suit foodies of all ages. Just one hour from Brisbane, choose from long table lunches through to picking carrots at Queensland's largest carrot farm! See camels being milked, feed sheep, goats, pigs and chickens; watch cows being milked by robots and taste lots of delicious fresh, local food. http://www.eatlocalweek.com.au
GOLD COAST AIRPORT MARATHON
6 – 7 JULY
Pitted as Australia's premier road race, and the first marathon in the country to hold an International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) Road Race Gold Label, it's hard to beat this course based on pure scenery alone. They say if you want to post your personal best, the flat, fast course which hugs the Gold Coast's beaches and Broadwater, is the place to do it. Held annually on the first weekend of July, more than 27,000 participants compete in a variety of races. www.goldcoastmarathon.com.au
BIRDSVILLE BIG RED BASH
Sure, Paris may have the Eiffel Tower, but Birdsville has Big Red. Smack bang in the middle of the Simpson Desert in Queensland's Outback, the Big Red sand dune is home to this annual camping and concert gig. Travelers have added this authentic event firmly onto their bucket list to experience the thrill of a rock concert under the biggest star-studded skies in the world. This year Australian music royalty Midnight Oil are headlining to 2019 event! There's loads for the kids to do too, with around 600 children attending the bash and using the steep sand dunes to practice sand surfing on boogie boards, cardboard or esky lids. Big Red Bash is staged between two other exciting nearby Outback events – the Bedourie Gymkhana and Rodeo and the Bedourie Pig and Camel Races. www.bigredbash.com.au
CAIRNS INDIGENOUS ART FAIR
12 – 14 JULY
CIAF has gone from strength to strength since the inaugural fair in 2009, attracting significant attention from both international and national collectors, curators, media and the general public. This year, CIAF's 10th Anniversary will showcase the diverse cultures and artistic wealth of Queensland Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples through an impressive three-day program of art, dance, music, talks and workshops. http://www.ciaf.com.au
AUSTRALIAN FESTIVAL OF CHAMBER MUSIC
26 JULY – 4 AUGUST
The Australian Festival of Chamber Music presents the finest musicians from around the world in a wonderfully unique and innovative ten-day program of 30 concerts set in the tropical winter warmth of Townsville, North Queensland. The Festival has been delighting audiences for almost 30 years and this year, more than 40 musicians from all around the world will travel to Townsville to perform in world exclusive combinations. www.afcm.com.au
REEF TO REEF MTB
8 – 11 AUGUST
For four days in early August, Reef to Reef brings mountain biking goodness to the home of one of the world's most famed and fabled natural playgrounds. Around 200 kilometres of riding and 4000 metres of climbing on the kind of trails and scenery you normally only dream about. The tracks and trails of Tropical North Queensland take riders through rainforests and cattle stations, across granite hills and along coast lines, the varied terrain offers a heady mix of fast flowing single trail, farm tracks, groomed downhill, fire trails and a final beach section to the finish line and the festival beyond. This race is doable for anyone with a reasonable level of fitness and bike skills. http://www.reeftoreefmtb.com
AIRLIE BEACH RACE WEEK FESTIVAL OF SAILING
10 – 17 August
Hosted by the Whitsunday Sailing Club and now in its 31st year, Airlie Beach Race Week is a seven-day event that attracts entrants from all over Australia and overseas. Offshore the Regatta offers classes from IRC competitive racing through to cruising divisions attracting around 1450 competitors, officials and volunteers. Onshore the Festival of Sailing, is the Whitsunday Coasts' most significant public event, presenting seven days and nights of high profile, entertainment and social activities. www.abrw.com.au
MOUNT ISA MINES RODEO
Its pure poetry in motion where the romance of the Australian Outback meets the grit of a mining town, east meets west, and man meets beast. The Mount Isa Mines Rotary Rodeo is not only the richest rodeo in Australia, but also the largest in the Southern Hemisphere and it hails from a long history, with 2019 marking its 60th year. In the arena, experience the best of the best as they participate in saddle bronc, bareback bronc, bull riding, rope and tie, steer wrestling, team roping, ladies barrel racing, and ladies break-away roping. Professional rodeo clowns add to all the adrenalin and excitement in the ring. Away from the arena, country and popular music acts, sideshow alley, and Fred Brophy's boxing ring ensure there is never a dull moment in Mount Isa during this jam-packed weekend. www.isarodeo.com.au
ROYAL QUEENSLAND SHOW (EKKA)
Regarded as one of Queensland's most iconic events, the Royal Queensland Show, or "Ekka" as it is colloquially known, will celebrate its 142th anniversary in 2019. Staged in Brisbane, competitors travel from around Australia to partake in 42 competition sections, across 11,000 classes, which attract 23,000 entries. For ten days each August the bush comes to Brisbane and the city is packed with our Akubra-clad country cousins. There's music, bars, wood chopping, sideshow alley and of course, the show's famous strawberry ice-creams. Some reckon you haven't lived until you've been to the Ekka (and tasted one to the iconic strawberry sundaes!). www.royalqueenslandshow.com.au
THE CURATED PLATE
8 -11 AUGUST
The Curated Plate, a new four-day food festival, is making its debut on the Sunshine Coast, August 8-11, 2019. Celebrating the Chef and the Producer, the festival will bring together the region's finest produce with the best chefs in the Australian and international dining scene. Experience the Sunshine Coast's acclaimed produce and producers, immerse yourself in the flavours forged from organic and sustainable practices, and make your next holiday an adventure in taste at this year's inaugural event! http://www.thecuratedplate.com.au/sunshine-coast/
BIRDSVILLE RACES
6 – 7 SEPTEMBER
Welcome to the Melbourne Cup of the Outback. The second race meet of the Simpson Desert Racing Carnival, the Birdsville Races attract crowds of 10,000 to enjoy two days of racing and entertainment. Horse owners, trainers, jockeys and spectators pull up a swag, crack open a tent or simply sleep under the stars during this event which is staged to raise funds for the Royal Flying Doctor Service (RFDS). Fly or drive to Birdsville to experience this iconic Australian racing tradition. www.birdsvilleraces.com
BRISBANE FESTIVAL
6 – 28 SEPTEMBER
Watch Brisbane come alive with all the fan-fare of what is quickly becoming a world-class arts and entertainment festival and the city's biggest cultural event. Around one million people each year flock to the Queensland capital for an explosion of music, theatre, dance, opera, circus and major public events such as Sunsuper Riverfire. www.brisbanefestival.com.au
TOOWOOMBA CARNIVAL OF FLOWERS
15 – 24 September
Think London's Chelsea Flower Shower, but super-sized. Celebrating its 70th year in 2019, Australia's longest running floral show held in Queensland's 'Garden City' isn't just for green thumbs. It also celebrates locally-produced food and wine for which this Southern Queensland Country destination is renowned, alongside a popular entertainment program including live music and classic cars. The Grand Central Floral Parade forms the centrepiece of the 10-day event, staged to celebrate spring in all its glory in one of Queensland's most fertile regions. www.tcof.com.au
GOLD COAST 600
26 – 27 October
The Gold Coast roars into action each October when the Virgin Australia Supercars race into town for the Gold Coast 600. Celebrating its 29th year in 2019, the Gold Coast 600 is Queensland's premier Supercars event and the final endurance race on the Supercars calendar. Hosted by one of Queensland's iconic holiday destinations, Surfers Paradise, the event will have all the on track and off track excited install for all punters this year! www.supercars.com
NOOSA TRIATHLON MULTI SPORT FESTIVAL
30 OCTOBER – 3 NOVEMBER
Adventure and endurance at its best. This annual 'must do' event stakes its claim as the largest Olympic distance triathlon in the world and the largest multi-sport festival of its kind in the Southern Hemisphere. Fitness fanatics won't be disappointed with everything from the Endura Noosa Run Swim Run to the Noosa Tri Charity Golf Day on offer. And did we mention, it's in Noosa? http://ap.ironman.com/triathlon/events/asiapac/multisports/noosa.aspx#axzz4CNvC15Sy
2019 AUSTRALIAN PGA CHAMPIONSHIP
28 NOVEMBER – 1 DECEMBER
This esteemed golfing event on the Gold Coast hits a hole in one every time. Attracting some of Australasia's best golfers who compete at the RACV Royal Pines Golf Course. Consisting of the Green and Gold nines, the championship course boasts tight fairways, undulating greens and immaculately manicured swales, with each nine having its own distinctive challenges. If all that's double Dutch to you, don't worry. You'll probably recognise the names of a few past champions including Greg Chalmers, Adam Scott, Robert Allenby and Peter Senior. www.championship.pga.org.au
WOODFORD FOLK FESTIVAL
27 December – 1 January 2020
Imagine the world as you wish it could be. That's the driving force behind the Woodford Folk Festival, held annually over six blissful days and nights from 27 December to 1 January. Drawing more than 2000 performers and showcasing more than 400 events across 25 venues to an estimated audience of 120,000 people, it's like stepping into another world. Set on 200ha of land behind Woodford in Greater Brisbane, the festival awakens the village of 'Woodfordia', Australia's 67th largest town. Expect concerts by national and international acts, dances, street theatre, writers' panels, a film festival, comedy sessions, acoustic jams, social dialogue and debate, folk medicine, a children's festival, environmental program, art and craft workshops, circus performances, late-night cabaret and a spectacular fire event. www.woodfordfolkfestival.com
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