Cairns

Cairns Arts

Cairns’ creative life stretches from contemporary galleries and First Nations art practice to pottery wheels, dance floors, theatre-making and screen production. In and around Gimuy-walubarra Yidi country, people can encounter artists’ work, join a class, develop a performance, write alongside others or commission practical production support. The region also has organisations that connect artists with audiences, cultural programs and creative spaces, making it possible to take part at many different levels.

Here is a selected guide to places and groups working across Cairns and its nearby suburbs. Check each provider’s current arrangements before visiting, particularly for classes, studio access and programs with specific participation requirements.

🎭 Theatre & Performance

JUTE Theatre Company

JUTE creates, produces and tours new Australian theatre from Cairns/Gimuy. Alongside professional productions, it develops new work, supports artists and runs youth and community programs, as well as regional theatre-sector initiatives. Its work suits audiences wanting locally made theatre and artists interested in the development, production and touring of new Australian stories.

Bulmba-ja Arts Centre, 96 Abbott Street, Cairns QLD 4870. ☎ (07) 4281 6832

Miriki Performing Arts

Miriki is a company of young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander dancers aged 11 to 20. With mentors, participants create, choreograph and perform theatre-based works that share Indigenous heritage and Elders’ stories through dance and storytelling. It offers a distinctive connection between youth participation, cultural knowledge and performance-making.

Bulmba-ja, 96 Abbott Street, Cairns QLD 4870. Participants are aged 11–20. ☎ 0427 861 538

🎨 Visual Artists, Galleries & Cultural Practice

NorthSite Contemporary Arts

Based at Bulmba-ja Arts Centre, NorthSite presents contemporary art, craft and design through galleries and a store. Artist talks, special events, learning programs and studios extend the organisation’s work beyond exhibition visits, with ways for visitors, members and participating artists to connect with contemporary practice.

96 Abbott Street, Cairns QLD 4870. ☎ +61 7 4050 9494

UMI Arts

UMI Arts is a First Nations arts and cultural organisation serving Far North Queensland. It works with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists and cultural practitioners across visual art, craft, dance, music and cultural programs. Its gallery and gift shop feature work by member artists, giving audiences a place to encounter and support contemporary cultural practice.

Shop 4, 1 Jensen Street, Manoora QLD 4870, Australia. ☎ +61 7 4041 6152 general enquiries

Cairns Art Society

Cairns Art Society brings artists together through workshops, exhibitions and member gallery spaces. Its CAS Gallery is at DFO in Westcourt, while Artists at Work in Cairns provides a setting where artists collaborate, exhibit work and run classes. It is a community-oriented option for viewing local work and taking part in shared visual-arts activity.

Shop 31, 274 Mulgrave Road, Westcourt QLD. ☎ 0478 902 388 CAS Gallery contact

Cairns Indigenous Art Fair

Cairns Indigenous Art Fair is a First Nations-led, year-round platform for Aboriginal and Zenadth Kes/Torres Strait Islander visual art, performance, music, fashion and storytelling. Its ethical art marketplace and cultural programs connect artists, art centres, audiences and collectors, creating opportunities to encounter, discuss and support First Nations creative work.

Shop 1, Lot 22, 93 Lake Street, Cairns School of Arts Building, Cairns QLD 4870, Australia. ☎ +61 7 4252 6312

🎨 Craft & Making

Cairns Potters Club

This volunteer-run, not-for-profit group centres on pottery and ceramics. It offers pottery classes, social gatherings, demonstration workshops and member activities, with individual, family, concession and associate membership options for new and returning members. The club combines practical making with an ongoing community of ceramicists.

28A Grove Street, Cairns QLD 4870.

Juggle Pots

Juggle Pots is a Stratford pottery studio offering small-group beginner wheel-throwing and hand-building workshops, four-week courses, intermediate classes and limited open-studio time. Listed beginner courses include clay, tools, equipment, glazing and firing. Intermediate classes and open-studio places require an enquiry, making this a studio for both first attempts and developing practice.

Unit 1/21 Johnston Street, Stratford QLD 4870. Intermediate and open-studio places require an enquiry.

🩰 Dance & Movement

Full Out Dance Crowd

This adult-focused Bungalow studio offers casual classes and foundation courses in hip hop and grooves, jazz, commercial, heels, ballet, contemporary and lyrical dance. Classes range from absolute beginner to advanced level, so participants can choose between an introductory session, regular training or a more developed dance practice.

156 Aumuller Street, Bungalow QLD. ☎ 0435 929 377

🎬 Photography, Film & Sound

Screen Queensland Studios, Cairns

The Portsmith facility is available for commercial and creative hire for feature films, television, short films, music videos, events and photoshoots. Its production infrastructure includes a sound stage with rigging, production offices, editing and sound-recording suites, construction and storage areas, wardrobe and green rooms. It is designed for substantial screen and physical-production work.

11–13 Plath Close, Portsmith QLD 4870. ☎ 07 3248 0533 studios and physical production enquiries

Pegasus Studios

Operated by Nigel Pegrum, Pegasus Studios provides music production, recording and tracking, editing, mixing, mastering, soundtrack sweetening and audio problem-solving. The studio also works with session musicians and produces voice-overs, radio and television advertisements, training programs and film soundtracks, supporting both musical and spoken-word projects.

Cairns.

TAFE Queensland Cairns music and recording studios

TAFE Queensland’s Cairns campus includes a performance-based music school, recording studios and a 200-seat auditorium/live-music venue. Its facilities support audio-production education, with recording, mixing and live-sound equipment for learning and performance-related work.

Cairns.

✍️ Writing & Storytelling

Cairns Library Writing Wednesdays

Writing Wednesdays at Cairns City Library is delivered with Queensland Writers Centre. Writers of all backgrounds and experience levels can bring a work in progress or begin something new, making the session suitable for drafting, steady practice and shared writing time. No registration is required.

151 Abbott Street, Cairns QLD 4870. No registration is required. ☎ 4044 3720 Cairns City Library

🏛️ Arts Organisers & Creative Connections

Cairns Regional Council creative opportunities

Cairns Regional Council’s arts service manages performance and creative spaces, artist residencies, venue-hire assistance, grants and ticketing. Its residency program welcomes local and visiting visual artists, musicians, writers, performers, multimedia artists and community cultural developers for long- and short-term stays and projects across the Cairns region.

Cairns region.

These organisations make room for different kinds of creative involvement: joining a pottery group, taking an adult dance class, developing a play, writing in company, supporting First Nations artists or booking specialist facilities for a screen, sound or performance project. Audiences can also follow the work through galleries, cultural programs, exhibitions and performances.

Are you a local artist, maker, teacher, company, community group or arts-support business? Add or update your Cairns-region listing so people looking to create, perform, learn, commission or support the arts can find your work.

⚠️ Accuracy Note: We do our best to keep this information useful and up to date, however details can change over time. If you notice anything that appears incorrect or out of date, please let us know and we will review it. Local business owners and community leaders can also help keep local information accurate by logging in and creating or managing their own listing and useful content on cairns.info.