The Quandamooka Festival returns to Minjerribah on 29–30 August 2026 — dance, music, art and storytelling shared by the Quandamooka People, right in the heart of whale season. Here is what to expect and how to visit respectfully.
There's a moment, late each winter, when North Stradbroke Island (Minjerribah) becomes more than a beautiful place to spend a day. The Quandamooka Festival returns to Country, and the island fills with music, dance, art and storytelling shared by the people who have cared for it for tens of thousands of years.
If you've wanted to understand Straddie beyond its beaches and headlands, this is the time to come. Here's what the festival is, what to expect in 2026, and how to plan a visit that's as respectful as it is memorable.
The Quandamooka Festival is an annual celebration of the living culture of the Quandamooka People, the Traditional Owners of Minjerribah and the wider Moreton Bay (Quandamooka) region. It honours the three clans of Quandamooka — the Nughi, Nunukul and Goenpul — and is presented by the Quandamooka Yoolooburrabee Aboriginal Corporation (QYAC).
QYAC also holds and manages Native Title over much of Minjerribah, recognised in 2011, and plays a central role in caring for the island's land and sea Country. That's part of what makes the festival distinctive: it isn't a festival about a place, but a festival of a place — hosted on Country, by community, for everyone. (For more on the island's living culture, see our guide to the cultural heritage of Minjerribah.)
Held over a weekend in the cooler months, the festival has grown into one of South-East Queensland's most significant First Nations cultural events — a chance for visitors to learn directly from community, and for the Quandamooka People to share Country on their own terms.
The Quandamooka Festival 2026 takes place on Saturday 29 and Sunday 30 August 2026, from 10:00am to 5:30pm each day, on Quandamooka Country at North Stradbroke Island.
Entry is free and all ages are welcome. One thing to know before you go: registration is usually required, even for free entry, so check the official Quandamooka Festival website closer to the date to lock in your spot and see the full program once it's announced.
Since 2025, the festival has had a permanent home: the QUAMPI Arts & Culture Centre at Dunwich (Goompi), overlooking Deanbilla Bay a short walk from the ferry. It's the first Indigenous-owned and operated arts and culture centre on the island, and it carries a long history — a cultural centre on Minjerribah was a dream of the Quandamooka community for decades, with early designs imagined by the celebrated Quandamooka poet and activist Oodgeroo Noonuccal.
That dream was finally realised as a roughly $17 million, regional-standard gallery under the Minjerribah Futures program. Inside you'll find a permanent gallery of Quandamooka art, workshop and performance spaces, a talking circle, an Elders space, and a café and gift shop, with the building itself crafted from rammed earth, shells and native timbers. Visiting QUAMPI is one of the most meaningful things you can do on the island, festival weekend or not — we cover it alongside the island's other local favourites in our guide to where to eat, drink and stay on Straddie.
Each year the festival brings together a rich, multi-artform program. The 2026 lineup is released closer to the event, but past festivals give a good sense of what's in store:
It's the kind of program where you can dip in for an hour or lose yourself for the whole day.
Here's a detail we love. The festival traditionally opens with a Welcome to Country and a Smoking Ceremony that celebrates the yalingila (whale) migration season.
Late August sits squarely within humpback season, when the whales are passing Minjerribah in their thousands. A festival visit lets you experience both at once: the cultural meaning of the season, and the whales themselves out on the water at Point Lookout. To make the most of it, our guide to whale watching on North Stradbroke Island covers the best headlands and timing.
The festival is an invitation onto Country, and a little awareness goes a long way. A few simple things make for a good visit:
None of this is complicated. Come curious, come generous, and let the community lead.
You can visit North Stradbroke Island any day of the year and have a wonderful time. But timing a trip to coincide with the Quandamooka Festival adds a layer you can't get otherwise:
The festival weekend is one of the busiest of the year on Straddie, so a little planning goes a long way. Register early, check the ferry timetables, and think about how you want to split your day between the festival and the rest of the island. Our guide on how to get to North Stradbroke Island from Brisbane covers the crossing, and QUAMPI sits just minutes from the Dunwich ferry, so it's an easy first or last stop.
If you'd rather leave the logistics to someone else, our eco-certified day tours are a relaxed way to experience the island and its Quandamooka heritage throughout the season — we travel gently, tread lightly, and share the island's stories with the respect they deserve, the same values that sit at the heart of the festival itself.
However you come, come with an open heart. Minjerribah has a way of staying with you long after the ferry home.
It runs on Saturday 29 and Sunday 30 August 2026, from 10:00am to 5:30pm each day, on North Stradbroke Island (Minjerribah). Confirm the exact program on the official Quandamooka Festival website, as details are released closer to the event.
Entry is free for all ages. Registration is usually required even for free events, so book your spot in advance once registrations open.
On Quandamooka Country at North Stradbroke Island, presented by the Quandamooka Yoolooburrabee Aboriginal Corporation (QYAC). The QUAMPI Arts & Culture Centre at Dunwich is now its home.
QUAMPI is the first Indigenous-owned and operated arts and culture centre on Minjerribah, opened in 2025 at Dunwich overlooking Deanbilla Bay. It houses a gallery of Quandamooka art, workshop and performance spaces, a talking circle and Elders space, plus a café and gift shop — and it is now the festival’s home.
Yes. The festival welcomes all ages, with music, dance, markets, food, storytelling and hands-on kids’ activities.
Often, yes. The festival falls within the humpback migration season, so a trip to the Point Lookout headlands can pair beautifully with the festival weekend.
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