I was delighted with the response from business people who were approached this week to become sponsors of the new look Festival Cairns.

Responding to broad community feedback on ways to improve our festival, the 2009 event has been shortened to 16 days and will start off with the inaugural Cairns Indigenous Art Fair in the whole Tanks complex before going into an exciting new parade that will kick start the festival (21st August).  It will finish with Amateurs and a bigger and better Festival on Collins on Fathers' Day (6 September).

There will be a constant festival presence in town with Shields St closed in the evening for entertainment, City Place a hub for events and family activities, and banners and decorations up everywhere.  We'll bring back some Fun in the Sun elements that were much-loved from the first festival in 1962. Lots more is being planned and there is a real buzz about what's possible this year and where we might go in the future.