MEDIA RELEASE - Shine On Gimuy Festival On Hold For 2026
MEDIA RELEASE - 15th July 2026
Community mourns festival visionary Rhoda Roberts OAM and reimagines next chapter of festival
It is with heavy hearts that the Shine On Gimuy team would like to share that the event will not proceed in 2026. The Shine On Gimuy festival family are taking time to mourn the profound loss of their visionary Artistic Director Rhoda Roberts OAM, who passed away in March this year.
The 2026 pause will also create space for Cultural Guides, Executive Producers, Creative Directors and key stakeholders to revisit, reimagine and recharge the festival’s future -carrying forward the strengths, lessons and stories from Shine On Gimuy’s journey from 2022 to 2025 and setting sights on the road to the Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games and beyond.
“Rhoda’s unwavering passion for arts and culture laid the groundwork for Shine On Gimuy,” said Merryn Hughes, Shine On Gimuy Founder and Executive Producer. “Her passing leaves a profound gap for our festival family and for the wider community. In 2026, taking time to mourn, cherish what we built together, and come together with purpose is the right way to honour Rhoda’s legacy.” The decision follows a highly successful 2025 festival season, which welcomed record attendance - over 100,000 festival goers from across the region, Australia and internationally, converged on the Gimuy/Cairns Boulevard, to share in the First Nations cultural celebration.
“2025 showed the power of this festival - people travelled to be part of it, and the energy across the program was extraordinary. Shortly after our beloved Rhoda passed away, she worked with us right to the very end. That is how important this festival was to her,” Ms Hughes said. “That’s exactly why this is a pause, not a farewell. It’s a year to listen, to reflect, to honour and to shape the next chapter with ambition and care.” Throughout 2026, Shine On Gimuy will focus on consultation and planning to support a strong, lasting future for the festival. Cultural Guides will continue meeting with Creative Directors and Producers to share insights that will help shape future festivals for the community.
“Together, 2026 is the time to lock in our ambitions, dreams and goals,” she said. “Cultural Guides, Creative Directors, Producers and partners have invaluable knowledge from the early years of Shine On Gimuy. Bringing those voices together is how the original vision is respected, while making sure what comes next is truly special.”
Shine On Gimuy sincerely thanks all supporters to date, including funding partners and sponsors, for their ongoing commitment, as well as the artists, staff, volunteers and community members who helped deliver the festival from 2022 to 2025 and who have continued to grow in numbers.
Further updates will be shared as planning progresses across our website and social media channels throughout the year. “We’d like to take this opportunity to express our deepest of thanks to all of our corporate and funding partners to date, we couldn’t have grown the event to the size we have without your support,” said Ms Hughes.
Corporate, Funding & Supporting Partners: Arts Qld | Department of Premier & Cabinet | Cairns Regional Council | Australian Government | Flying Arts Alliance (Regional Arts Australia) | TEQ | Tourism Tropical North Queensland | Creative Australia | QMF | CIAF | Crystalbrook Collection | Danae Jones Consulting | Bumma Bippera | CityLife Media | Impress Art Graphic Designs | Northsite Galleries | BoneMap | Salthouse | Google | Shine On Productions | On Country Events & Production | Marigold Enterprises | The Production Office | Brooks World Events | Final Touch Productions | Bukal Consulting | Minjil | QMusic | Jam Pro Lighting | Lotsa Printing | Cultural Guides Past & Present: Professor Henrietta Marrie AM, Lydia Miller, Linc Walker, Elverina Johnson, Dr. Gerry Turpin, Francine Hollingsworth, Ernie Brimm, David Hudson, Sandra Levers and Teho Ropeyarn.
KEY NOTES:
• Shine On Gimuy Festival will not take place in 2026.
• 2026 is dedicated to review, consultation and future planning with key stakeholders Cultural Guides and the community in the lead-up to Brisbane Olympic Games 2032.
• Over 100,000 attendees converged on the Gimuy/Cairns Boulevard in 2025 to experience the Shine On Gimuy Festival, taking attendance numbers to their highest level in the festival’s history.