Entertainment
7 October, 2026
Festival ramps up
INNISFAIL will come alive with music, culture and family entertainment when Innisfail Riverfest returns to the banks of the Johnstone River on Saturday 10 October.
The free community festival will run from 3pm to 9pm at Fitzgerald Esplanade, with Australian rock band Eskimo Joe headlining the event.
Riverfest vice-president Michael Skuse said organisers had expanded the festival’s musical line-up after Thirsty Merc headlined last year.
“I think we’ve ramped it up with the music. I mean, last year we did have a big headline act, which was Thirsty Merc, but this year we’ve gone sort of one level up, I think, from that, which is Eskimo Joe,” he said.
The festival will also feature Beer Body, Locky Wayne and the Innisfail Community Band, along with family activities, classic and vintage cars, food stalls, aerobatics and fireworks.
Mr Skuse said this year’s new attractions would include displays highlighting the region’s sugar industry history.
“We’ve got a crane lifting in a very modern cane train locomotive, but we also have one of the original steam-driven cane train locomotives as well, so that’ll be quite interesting,” he said.
“We also have a historic harvester, chain harvester and a haul out bin.”
Organisers have also collaborated with Feast of the Senses and the Innisfail Turf Club to create a dining area.
Visitors will be able to watch the River Regatta on the Johnstone River, see classic, vintage and custom vehicles and watch the Innisfail Temple’s Chinese Dragon performance.
Families will have plenty to explore, with children’s rides and games, a petting zoo, a reptile display, a game fishing simulator and aerobatic entertainment planned for the event.
Another highlight will be the Riverfest Queen crowning, continuing a tradition connected with the town’s former Innisfail Harvest Festival.
Riverfest was revived in 2023 with the support of the Innisfail Fitzgerald Rotary Club after the Harvest Festival last took place in 2009. The inaugural event coincided with Innisfail’s 150th anniversary and attracted about 3,500 people.
Mr Skuse said Riverfest had grown substantially since its first event, when the entertainment consisted of local acts without a dedicated stage.
“Last year, we had approximately 10,000 people attend,” he said.
“This is our fourth year and the growth has been pretty massive and we anticipate Eskimo Joe will bring an even bigger crowd this year.”
Mr Skuse said the event was about more than attendance figures and that it provided a boost to the town.
“I think above everything else, it lifts the morale of the town,” he said.
“This event is completely free. It’s family-friendly, alcohol free, and you know, it’s almost unique.”
The celebrations will finish with an Xplosive Art Fireworks display over the Johnstone River.
Innisfail Riverfest will be held at Fitzgerald Esplanade on Saturday 10 October, from 3pm to 9pm. Entry is free. More information is available on their Facebook page and website: www.observer.s.gy/leodUS
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