What ’ s on
IN CAIRNS
artworks speak to the culture, history and lifestyle of Tropical
North Queensland, turning the Cairns City Library into an
outdoor gallery of pictures, sound and light.
THE ARTS
HAYLEY GILLESPIE
CAIRNS FESTIVAL August 24th to September 2nd
The overriding vision for the Cairns Festival is to deliver a
bright, bold and challenging program spanning visual and
performing arts, culture and entertainment while showcasing
the city's key cultural precincts, nurturing local talent and
driving tourism. The Festival for 2018 includes some
favourites from previous events and lots of new and exciting
ones.
‘Art on your door step’ if stepping into a gallery space isn’t
your thing, then don't worry. During the 2018 festival, streets
will light up with world-class artworks from a variety of
celebrated artists. Check out just a couple of events below.
SUBURBAN SATELLITES
Truly unique arts events for the whole family to get involved in.
Enjoy multimedia installations, family friendly arts activities
as well as live music and performance and all in a suburb
near you.
CITY LIGHTS
Now heading into its fourth year, the City Lights program
engages local and national artists to create a large scale
projection artwork on the historic Cairns City Library. These
GRAND PARADE AND FIREWORKS
Head to the Esplanade for one of the biggest community
events on the Cairns Calendar. Annually the Grand Parade
attracts over 20,000 to the Esplanade to celebrate Cairns and
our wonderful community. Cairns Regional Council provides
workshops and all the information you could possibly need to
make a magnificent float to represent your group, business,
or just yourself. Check out ideas online too from parades
around the world and the buyback shop at the Transfer station
can be a great place to start looking for things to revamp and
decorate your display.
There are many more wonderful art events around the city
and check out the Cairns Regional Council festival site for all
the dates. Many events are FREE! It's a great combination to
view both international and local artists doing their thing!
CAIRNS ART GALLERY until September 23rd
One of my favourite exhibitions coming up is Continental Drift:
Black/blak art from South Africa and northern Australia. This
first major exhibition from a gallery program that celebrates
and examines global black art and culture. Continental Draft
highlights the shared experiences of contemporary
black/blak artists from South Africa and northern Australia.
While both countries have different histories, British
colonisation had dramatic effects on their black peoples,
many of which continue to be experienced today.