It's Live in Queensland - May, June, July 2016 Events Guide

BLUES ON BROADBEACH

It's Live! in Queensland calendar of more than 116 events feature Australia's best live events staged in the best destinations.

Visit www.queensland.com/events to discover all the action.

BLUES ON BROADBEACH

19-22 May 2016
One of Rolling Stone Magazine's 100 Greatest Voices of All Time Eric Burdon and The Animals will headline Australia's largest free music festival this May with the spectacular Gold Coast as the backdrop. Held over four-days, the jam-packed lineup gives music lovers from soul, blues and more something to explore.

http://www.bluesonbroadbeach.com/

NOOSA ULTIMATE SPORTS FESTIVAL

27-28 May 2016

What better backdrop could beginner and seasoned athletes ask for at this weekend billed as the ultimate for sports, fun and entertainment. Participate in the Zinc 96.1 Swim Noosa over 3.8km, 2km, 1km or 500 metres. Or the Etixx Run Noosa, held as a Half Marathon, 10km or 5km event, might be more your style. Failing that, what about the Subaru Cycle Noosa in which you can compete over 85km or 160km. Or what about all three? Yes, there's something for every one and every fitness level at this festival which practically screams adrenalin.

www.ironman.com

QANTAS WALLABIES V ENGLAND RUGBY TEST

June 2016
Ready yourself to cheer on the Wallabies as they tackle a match with the English lads in a three-test series Down Under. Australian Rugby Union football coach Michael Cheika will pit his men against their old rivals for the Cook Cup in one of the matches at Brisbane's iconic Suncorp Stadium. Expect a sea of green and gold at this history-making match.

www.rugby.com.au

CAIRNS AIRPORT ADVENTURE FESTIVAL

5-13 June 2016

Set in Tropical North Queensland, this seven-day event is part of a Multi-Sport Tri and includes Ironman Cairns, Ironman 70.3 Cairns, and the Coral Coast 5150 Triathlon. Escape the winter cold down south and head north for warm days and nights, crystal-clear waters and palm-fringed beaches which are all trademarks of the Cairns Airport Adventure Festival. Other events in this exciting week include the RRR Mountain Bike Challenge, Great Barrier Reef Ocean Challenge, Quicksilver Reef Swim – Green Island, The Cairns Post Bright Night Run and McDonalds Ironkids Cairns – a triathlon designed especially for kids. So strap on your stamina, you're going to need it.

www.ironman.com.au

AUSTRALIAN OPEN – LAWN BOWLS

11-24 June
Bowls Australia 'Australian Open' is bringing their largest and most prestigious bowling event to the spectacular Gold Coast. Making the most of the stunning backdrop, the week-long competition will see over 4000 bowlers from around the world compete at 14 clubs across the Coast for their share in the AUD$225,000 prize purse. Bowlers from all categories including Bowlers With A Disability and Junior Bowlers will compete.

www.australianopenbowlsaustralia.com.au

GOLD COAST AIRPORT MARATHON

2-3 July

Pitted as Australia's premier road race, and the first marathon in the country to hold an International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) Road Race Gold Label, it's hard to beat this course based on pure scenery alone. They say if you want to post your personal beast, the flat, fast course which hugs the Gold Coast's beaches and Broadwater, is the place to do it. Held annually on the first weekend of July, more than 27,000 participants compete in a variety of races including the Gold Coast Airport Marathon itself, Wheelchair Marathon, ASICS Half Marathon, Wheelchair 15km, Southern Cross University 10km Run, Suncorp Bank 5.7km Challenge, and Junior Dash 4km and 2km races. So esteemed and established is this event, 2016 will mark its 38th year.

www.goldcoastmarathon.com.au

BIRDSVILLE BIG RED BASH

3-4 July

Sure, Paris may have the Eiffel Tower, but Birdsville has Big Red. Smack bang in the middle of the Simpson Desert in Queensland's Outback, the Big Red sand dune is home to this annual camping and concert gig. Travelers have added this authentic event firmly onto their bucket list to experience the thrill of a rock concert under the biggest star-studded skies in the world. The 2015 Big Red Bash attracted the likes of former Cold Chisel front man Jimmy Barnes, so expect plenty of Australian music royalty this year. And there's loads for the kids to do too, with around 600 children attending the bash and using the steep sand dunes to practice sand surfing on boogie boards, cardboard and the odd esky lid or two. Staged between two other exciting nearby Outback events – the Bedourie Gymkhana and Rodeo and the Bedourie Pig and Camel Races – the Birdsville Big Red Bash provides plenty of reason to head Outback on an exciting adventure covering all three events. And you really haven't lived until you've seen an Outback sunset from the peak of Big Red.

www.bigredbash.com.au

CASTROL EDGE TOWNSVILLE 400

8-10 July

If you like your tropical Queensland destination infused with some extra revs, then the Castrol Edge Townsville 400 is the event for you. This is three days in which you will rock and race, while you watch the powerful V8s roar their way through Reid Park, just south of the Townsville CBD, on specially constructed roads which form 70 per cent of the circuit. Measuring 2.86km long, while the average speed is 144km/h, top speeds clock at 260km/h and adding to the excitement, it's anyone's race with six different drivers snatching the last six V8 Supercar pole positions on this circuit. Townsville in July, you're going to hear it roar.

www.v8supercars.com.au

ABBEY MEDIEVAL FESTIVAL

9-10 July 2016

It doesn't cost a King's ransom to step back in time to the medieval era at the fantasy-filled Abbey Medieval Festival in Brisbane. Enjoy historical re-enactments, cheer jousting and falconry, gorge on sizzling meats and fine mead and leave with the taste of history on your lips. Considered a combination of Lord of the Rings and the Game of Thrones, highlights of this two-week festival include The Medieval Banquet; authentic medieval costumes, swords and shields; puppet shows; gypsy dancing; and Turkish oil wrestling. Re-enactments feature Viking raiders and traders; Middle-Eastern warriors and nomads; and nobles and peasants from the Great European households.

www.abbeymedievalfestival.com

JUMPERS & JAZZ IN JULY FESTIVAL

21 - 31 July 2016

You've all heard of photo bombing, but what about yarn bombing? In this quirky Queensland festival, you'll find they have a way with wool turning it into creative art forms around the city. Staged in Warwick in Southern Queensland Country, Jumpers & Jazz celebrates everything cool about this region every July, a time when the trees are decorated in colourful knits by local schools and community groups. The jazz component of the festival takes place around the district in a number of venues in Warwick, Goomburra and Killarney with musicians performing Dixieland, Swing and mainstream. There's art workshops, artist talks and the opportunity for visitors to knit their own tree creation at this fun festival which is the epitome of cool in every sense of the word.

www.jumpersandjazz.com