Festivals and Celebrations

Cape York celebrates - check out the event calendar for dates.

NAIDOC Week
July
Celebrations are held around Australia in the first full week in July to celebrate the history, culture and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

NAIDOC originally stood for ‘National Aborigines and Islanders Day Observance Committee’. This committee was once responsible for organising national activities during NAIDOC Week and its acronym has become the name of the week itself.

The week is celebrated not just in the indigenous community, but also in increasing numbers of government agencies, schools, local councils and workplaces.
www.naidoc.org.au

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Sunday Coming of the Light
July

St James Day – Lockhart River
July

Cooktown Art Festival
August

Cooktown Discovery Festival
June
The Cooktown Discovery Festival is held annually on the Queen’s Birthday weekend in June and features the re-enactment of Cook’s landing in 1770 and his first meeting with Aboriginal people.

Laura Festival
June

The Laura Festival is a gathering of Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people held every two years at the Ang-gnarra Festival Ground near Laura, 300 kilometres north of Cairns. Performers and artists from over 25 Cape York and Gulf Aboriginal communities travel to Laura to perform traditional dance, music and song and to display traditional arts and crafts.
www.laurafestival.tv

Wallaby Creek Folk Festival
September
Three days of music and festivity in the north Queensland rainforest The festival is located at Home Rule Rainforest Lodge at Rossville, Far North Queensland, north of Cairns and just south of Cooktown.
www.wallabycreekfestival.com

Mareeba Multicultural Festival
August

Walkamin Country Music Festival
October