Main stage
Lead vocalist
Inaugural · Saturday 18 September 2027
On Wakka Wakka Country · South Burnett, QLD
An annual gathering on Country, 2027 to 2032.
Cherbourg · Wakka Wakka
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A flagship First Nations cultural, tourism and workforce development programme on Wakka Wakka Country.
Delivered annually for six consecutive years on the road to the Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games. Led by the Cherbourg Aboriginal Shire Council.
Main stage · Sunset over the South Burnett
A community ready to make Queensland proud.
Inaugural
Sat 18 Sep 2027
A single day festival on Wakka Wakka Country.
Programme
Six years
Annual delivery, 2027 through 2032.
Country
Wakka Wakka
South Burnett, Queensland.
Aligned to
Brisbane 2032
Olympic and Paralympic Games.
The festival is led by the Cherbourg Aboriginal Shire Council, with cultural leaders and a founding consortium of stakeholders.
A direct cultural, tourism and economic contribution to the Brisbane 2032 Games. The 2027 inaugural sets the operating model, governance and audience that the next five years build upon.
01 · The festival
A single day, built for six years.
The inaugural event will be staged on Saturday 18 September 2027 as a single day festival. It operates as an annual programme over six consecutive years through to 2032, building cultural infrastructure, audience and workforce capability year on year.
02 · Strategic context
Aligned to Brisbane 2032.
Brisbane 2032 is the most significant cultural, economic and tourism opportunity for Australia in the coming decade. This festival is the proposed delivery vehicle for a sustained, scalable and accountable expression of state and federal First Nations commitments across the six year period.
03 · Outcomes
Tourism, workforce, community, legacy.
The programme is designed to anchor regional tourism, deliver workforce and supply chain capability, and contribute to Closing the Gap outcomes through measurable, accountable annual delivery on Country.
Youth & family · Cherbourg, every September
Intergenerational, on Country.
Aligned to four national priorities.
Closing the Gap
First Nations economic participation, languages, cultures and connection to Country.
Elevate 2042
Queensland's 20 year Brisbane 2032 Games legacy strategy. Celebrating First Nations cultures, languages and stories.
Towards Tourism 2032
A regional anchor in Queensland's $44 billion visitor economy strategy to 2032.
Revive · National Cultural Policy
Australia's federal arts policy. Centres First Nations stories and supports regional festivals through the Festivals Australia grants programme.
Walking the path to Brisbane 2032.
Outcomes for Cherbourg and the South Burnett.
01
Tourism & visitor economy
Anchor event in the Queensland regional calendar. Year on year growth in visitor nights across Cherbourg, Murgon, Kingaroy and the wider South Burnett. Regional dispersal beyond South East Queensland.
02
Workforce & employment
Direct event jobs in production, hospitality, security and creative leadership. Indirect jobs across accommodation, retail and food. A six year training and supply chain pathway into 2032.
03
Community & cultural
Sustained investment in Cherbourg cultural infrastructure, language maintenance and intergenerational transfer, with measurable participation by First Nations young people each year.
04
Legacy beyond 2032
Infrastructure, workforce capability, supplier relationships and partner networks established for the festival remain in Cherbourg beyond 2032 and support the ongoing cultural and economic development of the community.
07 · Programme
First Nations artists at the heart.
Cultural · Yidaki
Didgeridoo
Songwriter
Solo set
Harmony
Sisters
Hip hop
Featured artist
Practitioners
Weaving
Swipe · Names to be announced
Cultural arts · Cherbourg
Stories told by Country.
Partner with us on Country.
Year 1 (the 2027 inaugural event) is the immediate ask. Forward year funding opens separately on the basis of inaugural delivery and reported performance. Read the prospectus, then speak with the Mayor or the Chief Executive.
Download
Invitation to Partner.
The three page prospectus. PDF, 1.4 MB. Updated May 2026.