Port Douglas Carnivale is one of those exciting events not to be missed!

Each May for ten days or so, Port Douglas Carnivale transforms the Douglas Shire area with an action-packed programme of events, ranging from a music festival and rodeo to an elegant food and wine evening on the waterfront, a seafood extravaganza and, occasionally, a stunning art competition.

The event is a showcase for colour and glamour, for masquerade parties and dancing in the streets… for amateur designers, intent on carving the best beach sand sculpture, for stalls of aromatic tropical fruit… freshly squeezed cane sugar, macadamia nuts, mango juice and coconuts… their tops lopped off in front of your eyes.

This is when artists can give full reign to their creative ideas, where they can design outrageous costumes, glorious masks, lanterns and lumbering, huge sculptures for parades through the small resort town of Port Douglas. The Port Douglas Chamber of Commerce has organised the festival for the last few years and are to be commended for their excellent voluntary efforts.

Fishing tournaments compete for your attention with fashion parades, the circus, a sailing regatta, street entertainers, the longest lunch, aboriginal cultural walks and art exhibitions, sporting competitions…the list goes on!

For a full list of activities and a dozen reasons why you shouldn’t miss this spectacular annual event, check out the Port Douglas Carnivale website or drop in to the Carnivale office, especially if you are a willing volunteer with some relevant skills.

Port Douglas Carnivale seeks your involvement.

May 2018 was the 24th Anniversary of Port Douglas Village Carnivale, which began as the result of the pilots' strike and consequent disastrous Tourism season in Port Douglas.

Businesses and individuals banded together to introduce a draw-card for the region, at what was, typically, a quiet time of the year. Competitions were held to name the fledgling event and to devise an attractive logo for it, one that has changed little over the years.

Our gallery, Port Douglas Gallery of Fine Art, ran spectacular exhibitions and introduced the idea of competitions for the best crafted, hand made masks at the openings, which were sophisticated, but fun, events.

Carnivale in 2018 looks set to be at least as good, if not better than previous years with events such as the usual Street Parade, Longest Lunch, Family Beach Day as well as golf competitions, Seafood Extravaganza, Palates of Port, the Longest Lunch and the food and wine festival, now called Feast Port Douglas - to name a few!

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