Queensland is well known for being a coastal relaxation destination, but the state offers so much more. Winter brings with it a season of festivals, with a large enough offering to attract just about everyone. Regardless of whether you’re keen to spend a few days eating, drinking, or soaking in some culture, here are five festivals to add to your winter escape hit list.
Vision Splendid Outback Film Festival (June 23 to July 1)
Vision Splendid is Australia’s only outback film festival, taking place in the Central West Queensland town of Winton each year. Running since 2014, the festival celebrates and promotes outback filming and locations and First Nations storytellers. The line-up hasn’t been announced yet, but you can expect a range of feature films, alongside a short film competition and plenty of workshops and masterclasses. Majority of the screenings will take place outside in the Royal Theatre, a 104-year-old open-air cinema, with a few other select locations.
Winter Harvest Festival (July 1)
The Scenic Rim region is just an hour’s drive away from both Brisbane and the Gold Coast, and boasts an array of farms against a stunning backdrop of national parks and the foothills of the Great Dividing Range. The region’s world-class produce is spotlighted every June during Scenic Rim Eat Local Month, which ends with the Winter Harvest Festival in Aratula on July 1. The one-day event gives you the ability to taste your way through a cross-section of food and wine from the area, while also celebrating farming itself with an epic tractor pull competition pitting various teams against a 12-tonne tractor. Expect to make your way through tasting plates, cooking demos and live music, all with a homegrown country feel and a focus on winter produce.
Cairns Indigenous Art Fair (July 13 to 16)
Running since 2009, the Cairns Indigenous Art Fair (CIAF) is dedicated to celebrating the culture of Queensland’s distinctive traditional owners and custodians through not just visual art but fashion, dance, music, theatre, food and other interactive forms of expression. There is a mix of free and ticketed events in the Cairns Convention Centre precinct across the four days, as well as activations at arts centres and galleries around the city. This year’s theme is “Weaving our Future: Claiming our Sovereignty”, with the full program to be announced soon. If you missed last year’s festival and want to know what to expect, you can view a digital walkthrough of the 2022 fair.
Australian Festival of Chamber Music (July 28 to August 6)
Townsville is the seaside setting for this annual celebration of chamber music, which has been running for more than three decades. The ambitious 2023 program brings together dozens of concerts and events, with 14 international artists joining a raft of Australian musicians. British-German violinist Jack Liebeck is this year’s artistic director, with highlights ranging from a special commissioned piece from Deborah Cheetham Fraillon to composer Robert Constable’s live score for Buster Keaton’s classic 1926 silent film The General. Ferry trips to Orpheus Island are included in your ticket so you can attend the daytime concert hosted on the island; acclaimed didgeridoo player William Barton features this year. Assorted ticket packages are available, as well as tickets for single events.
The Curated Plate (July 28 to August 6)
Chefs, distillers, farmers and winemakers converge on the Sunshine Coast for this industry-driven showcase, which debuted in 2019 before taking a pause for two years. It returned last year in a reduced capacity, but is back for 2023 with the full 10-day bevy of events, all with a focus on Queensland produce sourced from the sea, the hinterland and in between. Expect events to feature a drinks-focused partnership with coastal suburb Mooloolaba, an Asian food festival presented by Spicers Tamarind Retreat and a paddock-to-plate program, with the full program set to be announced soon. Local distillery Sunshine & Sons will be serving up cocktails, with sample produce coming from nearby farms and plenty of face time with a range of star chefs.
This article is produced by Broadsheet in partnership with Tourism and Events Queensland.
