Cooktown
Festival
Cooktown
Festival is held over a
three day weekend in early to mid-June, and it is one of the best Cape York events.
In addition to eating competitions, a truck
pulling competition, cane
toad races and other fun, there is the re-enactment of Cook's landing,
which is great to watch.
Cooktown
Show
Cooktown Show is held over a weekend in early August, and it
is a tiny version of
your Royal Easter Show.
There are the usual competitions and displays, there is entertainment,
street food vans, markets, but with only a small population, don't expect a heap of
rides.
Cooktown
Races
The Cooktown Annual Race Meeting is held at the Cooktown Racecourse in the first weekend of
November, and it is our own tiny version of Melbourne Cup.
Apart from
the horse races there is also the Fashions on the Field competition and
as always, food vans, drinks and fun.
Cooktown
Annual Barra Comp
The Cooktown Annual Barra Comp is held in late October at
the Sovereign Resort, in the main street. It starts on a Friday with anglers heading out,
and ends on a Sunday with weighing in the morning, and presentation in
the afternoon. Drinks, pizzas, hot chips, sausage sizzle, and plenty of freebies are thrown into the
crowd :-)
Cooktown
Hog
Hunt
Cooktown Hog Hunt is a little newer event and has been held in October
as well as August. A good way of helping to clean the
peninsula
of the
feral pigs, like every other pig hunting competition it means the
groups go out hunting pigs, then turn up for the weighing. That is held
at the Top Pub, which means crowds watching with a beer and a lively
evening.
Wallaby
Creek Festival
Wallaby Creek Festival is held over a
three day weekend in late September.
It is
different from many Cape York
events on this page since the entrance itself costs money and not
really a little of it, but it is a
popular one with a bunch of performers and activities
for families.
Mareeba
Rodeo
Mareeba
Rodeo is held in mid July
every year, over a three day weekend at the Kerribee Park rodeo
grounds.
It's a classic
outback event
which,
like other rodeos, is a competition to test cowboys' skills in
different rides.
Wheelbarrow
Race
The Great Wheelbarrow
Race
is held on a three day weekend in late May, and it is one of
the more unique Cape York events.
It's a race from Mareeba to
Chillagoe, and racing are - people walking while pushing wheelbarrows.
In the old
gold rush days a lot of wheelbarrows were pushed this way.
Chillagoe
Festival
Chillagoe
Country Music Festival is a cute
little country festival, just like the town itself. It's held over a weekend in late July,
starting on Friday with the Town Hall turned into an art gallery with
complimentary wine and cheese platters. On Saturday there are the
morning markets and entertainment and live music into the
night.
Chillagoe
Rodeo and Bushmans Carnival
Chillagoe Rodeo and Bushmans
Carnival -
is usually held in the second
weekend
in May
- and is one of the earliest Cape York events after the Wet Season.
With their
dry and sunny climate their skies are so often blue, and their nights
always get so cold! There is a Friday night cabaret with a few
comps, and Saturday is a full day with all the rides.
Mt
Carbine Bull and Bronc
Mt Carbine Bull and Bronc Ride
is another Cape York rodeo, held in early
August. It's not a bad one, and the refreshing thing is
that instead of sitting
in midday sun you watch it into the darkness. Kids rides first, then
adults, and once it ends everybody gathers in the bar for live music
and party.
Laura
Aboriginal Dance
Festival
Laura
Aboriginal Dance
Festival is held over a three day weekend in late June, and
is
easily the best of all
Cape York events.
Aboriginal dance groups come from different communities from all over
the peninsula to perform their dancing programs that consist of a few
different dances each, and are excellent
watching.
Laura
Rodeo and Races
Laura
Rodeo and Races is held
a week after the Aboriginal Dance Festival in the end of June,
and is one of the three day Cape York events starting with a campdraft
on
Friday night, and
continuing with horse races on Saturday and the rodeo on
Sunday. It's a busy weekend, lots of people come from Cooktown and
other places around.
Conquer
the
Corrugations
Conquer
the Corrugations is
a 60km walk for mental health awareness that is held in September
every year. It goes from Coen to Archer River with the first night
camping at Coen, second at the Lagoon in the middle, and third at
Archer River Roadhouse. A bus follows the walkers so that you can have
as much of a break from walking as you like any time.
Ruchook
Festival
One of
the newer indigenous
Cape York events, the Ruchook Festival is on the old Ruchook Cultural
Park
grounds in Napranum that have been there for a long time. It is far
less known than Laura but still a great chance to experience some
indigenous culture if you happen to be around at the right time - it's
most likely held in late
July / early
August.
Weipa
Fishing Classic
Weipa
Fishing Classic
is a very popular event held during the Queen's
Birthday weekend in early
June. Lots of fun fishing, big fish and big prizes to win
over the weekend - even if you don't fish! You could walk away with a
Sea Jay velocity boat or a Can-Am quad bike, and there are lots of
smaller prizes from eskies to fishing rods and reels. Special guests,
live music, food stalls, licensed bar.
Weipa
Bullride
Weipa
Bull Ride
is a two day weekend event in late August every year, and is one of the better rodeos on
the peninsula.
A friday nigh
cabaret is followed by the Saturday bullride, which
starts in the afternoon and ends in darkness. Bulls only, no horses.
Weipa
Pig
Hunt
With all the feral pigs on the peninsula, pig hunt events are a good
thing and are held in the Northern Peninsula Area (as part of the NPA
Show in Bamaga); Weipa, and Cooktown. The Weipa version is cool with
the local crowd and the local band playing - held in late September
usually :-)
Mapoon
Fishing Competition
Officially
called Cullen
Point Barra Bash, it is a great event if you like fishing. Held in September at Cullent
Point, north of
the old Mapoon, it is a few years old event now and getting more and
more popular. Locals attend but travellers are welcome, and prizes -
including a boat - are given at the presentation in the end.
Paanja
Festival
Another
one of the great
indigenous Cape York events, the Paanja Festival of Mapoon has actually
been
around for some time, but is only held once in five or so years. Well
known on the Cape and attracts a good local crowd, it's well worth a
visit if you are around at the right time - held in late September / early October.
Bramwell
Cup and Bush Carnival
Bramwell Cup
and Bush Carnival is a relatively new event, which only
started in 2013, but is getting popular. It is held over a three day
weekend in early July.
The main event is the horse race held on Saturday, while all three
days have different events, competitions, rides and nightly live music.
NPA
Show, Bullride and Horse Races
Northern
Peninsula Area also has its own show,
bullride and horse races weekend,
and it's quite an old event (so far it's all in one but there are plans
on separating the horse races and bullride into their own events).
About mid August
every year, it also includes pig hunt and many other competitions, and
of course the amusement rides like every show.
Bamaga
Mud
Rally
A fun wet season event, the Bamaga
Mud
Rally is usually held on Australia
Day, but can also be during other times such as Easter.
It is a local event with no travellers, the only reason being that
there is enough mud only during the wet season.
NPA
Cultural
Festival
A new event in Bamaga in early October, only started in 2014
(UPDATE now in July in some years) and while it is not sure yet whether
it will be held every year or every
second year - the NPA
Cultural Festival is one of the very best Cape York events
along with our other two indigenous dance festivals.
Torres
Strait Cultural
Festival
Torres
Strait Cultural Festival is held over three days in late
September, every second year. It is up there amongst the best of our Cape York events.
Torres Strait
Islander dancing groups come from different islands from
the Strait, to Thursday Island to perform their dancing, which is great
watching.
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