Cairns Arts Scene Evolved From 1970s Waterfront Gatherings to Today's Venues

Cairns opened its first permanent arts space in 1983 when the Tanks Arts Centre took over disused fuel tanks on Collins Avenue, shifting local performances from ad-hoc gatherings on the foreshore to a year-round program of exhibitions and live music.

The change matters now because the city’s population passed 170,000 last year and tourism operators report that cultural bookings account for 22 percent of visitor spend, up from 9 percent in 2010.

Venues that marked each decade

Early activity centred on the Esplanade markets and the old Pier Theatre on Abbott Street, where local bands played on Friday nights through the 1990s. By 2007 the Cairns Performing Arts Centre opened on Spence Street, giving the scene a 1,000-seat theatre and a 200-seat studio that now host the annual Cairns Festival. The 2018 renovation of the Tanks added climate-controlled galleries and a recording studio, allowing resident companies such as the Cairns Choral Society to rehearse year-round without competing for space at the Civic Centre on Sheridan Street.

Attendance figures released by the Cairns Regional Council last month show 184,000 paid entries across Tanks and Performing Arts Centre programs in the 2025 financial year, compared with 47,000 in 2005. Ticket prices have risen in line with costs: general admission moved from $12 in 2005 to $28 this season, while the council’s community grants program has grown from $85,000 to $310,000 annually.

Next steps for audiences

Residents can book the Tanks summer program, which opens on 18 July with a four-week run of local short films screened nightly at 7 pm. The box office at the Performing Arts Centre on Spence Street opens at 10 am weekdays for advance sales, and the council website lists free workshops at the Esplanade Lagoon forecourt every Saturday morning through August.