Cairns Festival: Parade

On Saturday the 30th of August Cairns Festival, an annual event, was kicked off with a grand parade and fire works. Mr Sparky had gone up to the Dairy Farm for the weekend and I decided to head down to check it out. I didn't go last year. Another lesson learnt. When going to huge local events, go early, way earlier than you think you need to, because parking is an interesting affair in downtown Cairns. There were people everywhere. They estimated 25 000 people were down along the Esplanade for the parade.

At 5:30pm the parade started. It was colourful and musical as well as full of dancing, balloons, entertaining characters and even animals. There was plenty to look at with tonnes of floats. There were trucks, cars, vintage vehicles as well as people on foot. Everything and everyone was dressed up to the nines. There were local businesses, associations, groups and volunteers represented. There were different cultures that are prevalent in Cairns on show. There were kids on school floats and dancing schools too. So much to see. So much enthusiasm.

Between the heads of other parade watchers I took some snaps of things I saw. Some photos were just way too crappy blurry or dark to share.

My brother and niece would have loved this minion.

A clown pretending to push the foster care float.

The Lions Club had treats for the kids. I wonder where that trolley was from.

Sailing along the street.

Some dancing Marios that brought a laugh.

A dragon boat just paddling along.

Even Chinese dragons to delight everyone (except for the kid I heard scream)

A local radio station used an old classic.

It was certainly colourful and fun. Then we had to wait for dark to fall. Kids were asking parents 'are the fireworks coming yet' repeatedly.

Then they came with a bang. Some very huge bangs in fact that echoed off the buildings in the city.

There were many sighs and wows throughout the fire works show.

It was a spectacular show, maybe the best I have seen in real life. I think when the last firework went off there was a collective cheer up and down the Esplanade with even the boats joining in with blaring horns.

I won't get to see the Fields of Fire, which I saw last year, because I am working next Saturday night. I am pretty disappointed about that, as it was what I was looking forward to the most. Throughout this week there are lots of free workshops, activities and performances around Cairns. Next weekend it finishes off with the sugar cane burn on the Saturday and then a carnival at the Botanic Gardens on the Sunday. I hope to see some more.

Are there any great local events happening around your area? Do you love fire works?