Cairns Pride Festival

The Cairns Pride Festival is Far North Queensland's main LGBTQIA+ festival, held every October since 2006. The 2026 festival runs from 9 to 25 October, according to the official site, and is organised by Cairns Pride Inc. It was called Tropical Mardi Gras in 2015 and 2016, and it survived in 2019 only because the Queensland AIDS Council (now the Queensland Council for LGBTI Health) stepped in after the original board voted to wind it up.

The programme changes each year. Recent festivals included the Pride Stride march from Fogarty Park, a Queer Day Out barbecue on the Esplanade, a Pride art exhibition at Tanks Arts Centre, trivia, a seniors' morning tea and the 18+ Tropical Pride Party with drag, held at O'Sheas on the Waterfront in Machans Beach in 2025. Fair Day, with its dog show, was held at Fogarty Park in 2024.

The 2026 events list on the official site appears to repeat 2025's dates and doesn't give venues, so check the festival's social pages for each event. Recent editions ran 4 to 13 October 2024 and 11 to 26 October 2025. Dates for 2027 had not been announced at the time of writing.