I
t wouldn’t be Port Douglas Carnivale if there weren’t a celebrity or two and the 2015 program won’t disappoint with some of Australia’s greatest cricketers to the who’s who of Australian television, sport and entertainment set to roll into town as Port Douglas Carnivale officially gets underway next Friday, May 22.
Port Douglas Carnivale general manager Roy Weavers said they were expecting in excess of 10,000 people in town for Carnivale’s opening weekend, with highlight signature events the Jansz Longest Lunch, Feast Port Douglas, the Macrossan Street Parade and Four Mile Beach Day all crowd pleasers.
“The opening weekend of Carnivale is always a highlight for visitors, with the Longest Lunch setting the tone for the whole weekend,” he said.
The Longest Lunch has always been a firm favourite for lunchers and this year promises to be no different with Rex Smeal Park the new venue for the event.
After lunch, all the action can be found in town with the street parade festivities kicking off at Market Park from 5pm. The street parade will commence at 6.30pm with fireworks scheduled for 8pm.
Special guests over the weekend include the Queensland Bull Masters, who are set to arrive in Port Douglas on Saturday for some R&R after their charity invitational match on the Friday in Cairns.
Rumour has it they are set to let their hair down at Carnivale’s newest event – Feast Port Douglas – when it gets underway from 5.30pm on Saturday, May 23.
The Family Beach Day will once again take place on Four Mile Beach, and will feature all the favourites such as market stalls, beach busking, and Kids Fun Zone. Yabusame on the Beach will kick off at 11am with the Medieval Jousting taking place at 2pm.
Sunday, revellers can catch their breath with a number of events including the Backyard Games, and the inaugural World Motorised Cooler (Esky) Championships.
Mid-week events include the Mickey Ink Clipper Cup, which will see more than 25 yachts taking part this year as well as the Port Village Street Art and Music Festival.
The Today Show will also roll into town mid-week with Karl Stefanovic no stranger to Carnivale festivities. They will be broadcasting live from St Mary’s on Wednesday, May 27 and the public are welcome to come along.
“It is no secret Karl loves Port Douglas and he is especially fond of Port Douglas Carnivale. For many years he has attended the Longest Lunch with his mother. Karl grew up in Cairns, so his visit will be about a local boy returning home. It will be great to have him broadcasting live from town during Carnivale,” he said.
The Radiant Life Festival will commence at the Sugar Wharf on Thursday and Friday, May 28-29, while Seafood Extravaganza will close out Carnivale on May 31 from 10am to 7pm.
Mr Weavers said there was still time to book tickets to all your favourite events. “Carnivale has never had such an amazing program of events. People should definitely get in to book their tickets or risk missing out,” he said.
