CIAF 2026 PROGRAM
DIGITAL PROGRAM
From 9–12 July 2026, CIAF returns to Tanks Arts Centre and sites across Gimuy/Cairns with four days of art, fashion, performance, music and cultural exchange responding to the 2026 theme, Reclamation & Regeneration.
The festival begins with the ticketed CIAF Opening Night on Thursday 9 July, a large-scale celebration across the Tanks precinct marking the official launch of CIAF 2026. From Friday 10 to Sunday 12 July, the Free Public Program opens to audiences with exhibitions, talks, fashion, live performances, masterclasses and the renowned ethical art marketplace presented across the weekend.
TICKETED EVENTS
Get tickets for CIAF Opening Night, Fashion Performances, Talks Program, Masterclasses and more below.
The Boy Who Found His Way Home (Theatre) - Tuesday 7 July - Tanks Arts Centre
CIAF 2026 FASHION PERFORMANCES - THURSDAY 9 & FRIDAY 10 JULY - THE MILL
CIAF 2026 OPENING NIGHT - THURSDAY 9 JULY - TANKS ARTS CENTRE
CIAF 2026 ON COUNTRY VIP PROGRAM WITH TONY ALBERT - FROM TUESDAY 7 JULY
CIAF Talks Program curated by Tania Major - Friday 10 - Sunday 12 July - Tank 5, Tanks Arts Centre
CIAF Masterclass Series - Friday 10 - Sunday 12 July - Botanic Gardens Visitor Centre (BVGC)
FREE EVENTS
CIAF 2026 ART FAIR SHOWCASE EXHIBITORS - 9-12 JULY - Tank 3 & 4, TANKS ARTS CENTRE
CIAF 2026 ARTISANS SHOWCASE - 9-12 JULY - TANKS ARTS CENTRE Promenade
CIAF 2026 Art Awards Ceremony - 1pm – 2pm Friday 10 July | Tank 5, TANKS ARTS CENTRE
CIAF 2026 Art Fair Showcase Guided Tours & Exhibitor Floortalks - Friday 10 to Sunday 12 July
FIRST NATIONS ELDERS LOUNGE - 10-12 JULY - Fig Tree (near Tank 4), TANKS ARTS CENTRE
CIAF KIDS: Púuna Playspace - 10-12 JULY - TANKS ARTS CENTRE PROMENADE
CITY-WIDE PROGRAM
Explore the City-Wide Program at participating galleries and activated spaces across Gimuy/Cairns.
Woven Together: Undivided We Rise - 18 May – 22 August 2026 - Courthouse Building
Brush: Women Painters - 27 June – 4 October 2026 - Public Curators Building
Spirits In The Ink - 6 June – 12 September 2026 - Mulgrave Building
Philomena Yeatman: Babim, Muudjum, Djanguul - 27 June – 22 August 2026 - Court House Building
Sam Harrison: Kin’O’Centrism - 27 June - 22 August 2026 - Court House Building |
navigator spirit ark: Arone Raymond Meeks - 2 May - 19 July 2026 - NorthSite Contemporary Arts
CIAF launches new digital truth-telling initiative for First Nations creatives
CIAF 2026 announces Torres Strait Islander participation in TSRA-supported program
From Taiwan to Tropical North Queensland: CIAF Fashion Curator explores Indigenous textile traditions and contemporary fashion ahead of international exchange at CIAF 2026
CIAF 2026 invites audiences beyond the exhibition floor with an immersive talks and masterclasses program
CIAF 2026 to present Torres Strait theatre work The Boy Who Found His Way Home
Elders Lounge: Welcome Blak Home creates space for connection, care and cultural memory at CIAF 2026
CIAF celebrates QMusic win for Opening Night headliner Djawarray
CIAF Fashion moves to historic timber mill as international designers join record 2026 line-up
CIAF awards inaugural Resonance commission to Sam Harrison for large-scale work unveiled in July
CIAF mourns the passing of respected artist, designer and cultural leader Simone Arnol
Nine First Nations artists selected for BLAK Camp 2026 residency
