Townsville's 2026 Festival Calendar: 40+ EventsUpdated

Townsville's Major Annual Events and Festivals

Townsville has built a reputation for events that might surprise visitors unfamiliar with the city. North Queensland's largest city hosts one of Australia's most celebrated chamber music festivals, an NRL franchise in the North Queensland Cowboys, a V8 Supercars street race and a growing arts and cultural calendar that reflects the city's diverse population and tropical lifestyle.

July to August — Australian Festival of Chamber Music

The Australian Festival of Chamber Music (AFCM) is one of Australia's most celebrated and internationally respected classical music festivals, held in Townsville each year across the first two weeks of August. World-class musicians perform in an intimate tropical setting that is genuinely unlike any other chamber music festival in the world. The AFCM has attracted praise from international critics and is a signature achievement of Townsville's cultural identity.

July — Townsville 400 (V8 Supercars)

The Townsville SuperSprint is one of the Supercars Championship's most popular events, held on a temporary street circuit in the Townsville CBD in July. The event draws tens of thousands of spectators to the city across race weekend and is one of the largest annual events in regional Queensland.

NRL — North Queensland Cowboys

The North Queensland Cowboys at Queensland Country Bank Stadium are Townsville's most significant ongoing sporting attraction. Home games from March through to finals in September (when the Cowboys qualify) are major local events, and the Cowboys' 2015 premiership and 2017 grand final appearance have cemented football as central to Townsville's identity.

May — Townsville Anzac Day and Cultural Programs

Townsville's large Defence community makes ANZAC Day and Remembrance Day significant annual events, with the Townsville Dawn Service at Anzac Memorial Park drawing thousands of attendees.

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