Hughenden Festival of Outback Skies

16/06/2025

Hands-on, heartfelt, and a whole lot of fun! 🖐🎨 This year’s workshops had something for everyone — from pottery and painting to kokedama and creativity galore. Thanks to all the talented artists and eager participants who made these sessions so special. 💫

Visit Queensland, Australia Experience Outback Queensland, Australia

21/05/2025

🌅🎶 SUNDAY SESH BLISS! 🎶🌅
What an unforgettable way to wrap up the Festival of Outback Skies 2025! The Sunday Sesh by the Lake was pure magic — sunshine, soulful tunes, and a whole lot of love. 💛🎸

From laid-back grooves and family-friendly fun to cold drinks, good company, and toe-tapping live sets, the vibes were unbeatable all day long. 🌿☀️

The night closed with an absolutely breathtaking performance by Moonda Nurra, lighting up the lake with sound, spirit, and culture. A truly moving finale to a beautiful weekend. 🌌

🙏 Thank you to everyone who came, danced, relaxed, and celebrated with us. Hughenden — you showed up and showed out!

💫 Until next year…

Visit Queensland, Australia, Experience Outback Queensland, Australia

19/05/2025

Hughenden turned up the heat and the dust flew as the Friday Night Bull Ride kicked off an unforgettable night under the Outback skies! 🌾🔥

With a $10,000 prize purse on the line, the APRA-sanctioned bull rides saw incredible talent across the Open, 2nd Division, Junior, and Junior Steer events — and the crowd brought the energy with every ride, roar, and nail-biting moment in the arena! 💥🙌

After the dust settled, the party rolled on 🎸🎤
Vixens of Fall lit up the stage with powerhouse vocals and country soul, followed by the one and only Pete Cullen, who kept boots stomping until midnight. 🎵🌙

Big cheers to our competitors, the incredible crowd, and the legends behind the bar and food stalls — you made this a night to remember!

Visit Queensland, Australia, Experience Outback Queensland, Australia

17/05/2025

What. A. Night! 💃✨

The 2025 Dinner Under the Stars was one for the ages! Hughenden lit up like the Vegas strip as festival-goers dined, danced, and dazzled the night away. 🎉

With a mouthwatering three-course feast by the award-winning Ochre Restaurant, and lovely drinks from Western Queensland Spirit , guests were treated to the ultimate evening of good times and touch of Vegas-inspired indulgence. 🍽🥂

🎙️ Attori The Entertainers took the crowd out of golden hour and into the classics of the vegas rat pack…
🕺 Then Paul Fenech - ELVIS hit the stage in full Elvis glory, bringing the house down with a show-stopping tribute that had everyone asking — is The King alive?!

From glamorous gowns and sequin ties to Blackjack tables and cabaret sparkle, the night delivered pure Vegas vibes with outback charm.

A massive THANK YOU to everyone who joined us, and to our sponsors for helping make the magic happen. ✨

Visit Queensland, Australia, Experience Outback Queensland, Australia

15/05/2025

🌟 THANK YOU TO OUR INCREDIBLE SPONSORS & PARTNERS! 🌟

The 2025 Festival of Outback Skies was a spectacular celebration of art, culture, music, and outback spirit—and it simply wouldn't have been possible without the generous support of our sponsors, partners, and supporters.

To our Platinum Sponsors:
💚 Shire of Flinders ( Hughenden Connect (Flinders Shire Council) )
🔶 MITEZ
🌱 Iberdrola Australia
🇦🇺 Festivals Australia
🌴 Tourism & Events Queensland
🌀 Kpat Hotels & Great Western Hotel Hughenden

To our Gold Sponsors:
💨 Windlab Limited
🔌 Powerlink Copperstring 2032

To our Silver Sponsors:
📦 Hughenden Freight & Industrial
✈️ Rex Airlines
🛠 GHD Group

To our Bronze Sponsors:
📡 NBN Australia
🏛 Coward & Co
⚖️ Preston Law
📱 Telstra
🔌 Ergon Energy Network
🍸 Western Queensland Spirit
🏨 Royal Hotel Hughenden
☀️ Renewable Energy Partners
⚖️ Ochre Legal
⛽️ IOR
🔧 V8 service station Hughenden ,Queensland
🚜 Wieben Earthmoving

To our Media Partners:
🎙 SCA

And to our amazing Supporters—from local legends to small businesses—thank you for being the heart of this festival. 💛

This event was powered by your commitment to our region and your belief in bringing people together under our iconic Outback skies.

Visit Queensland, Australia, Experience Outback Queensland, Australia

13/05/2025

What an incredible weekend at the 2025 Hughenden Festival of Outback Skies! The skies may have stayed overcast and the breeze kept us on our toes, but nothing could dampen the spirit, colour, and pure joy that lit up every corner of the festival grounds!

From a thrilling bull ride that had the crowd on the edge of their seats, to electrifying live performances and the glitzy Vegas-themed dinner under the stars, the weekend was packed with unforgettable moments.

Workshops for young and old brought out everyone’s creative spark, and our laid-back Sunday Session by the lake was the perfect wind-down before the show-stopping Moonda Nurra performance brought the festival to a spectacular close. 🎶💥

A huge heartfelt thank you to our sponsors, volunteers, stallholders, workshop facilitators, and incredible performers who made it all possible. Your dedication, talent, and hard work made this weekend one to remember. 💛

📸 Check out the gallery below for some of our favourite moments from the weekend – beautifully captured by Phil Copp.

Until next time, Hughenden! 💫

Visit Queensland, Australia, Experience Outback Queensland, Australia

07/05/2025

🎉 𝗖𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗯𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗢𝘂𝗿 𝗙𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗮𝗹 𝗼𝗳 𝗢𝘂𝘁𝗯𝗮𝗰𝗸 𝗦𝗸𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗔𝗿𝘁 𝗦𝗰𝘂𝗹𝗽𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗲𝘁𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗪𝗶𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗿𝘀! 🎉

Join us in congratulating the winners of this year's Art Sculpture Competition!

👏 A huge congratulations to our winners:
🏆 𝙋𝙚𝙤𝙥𝙡𝙚’𝙨 𝘾𝙝𝙤𝙞𝙘𝙚 𝘼𝙬𝙖𝙧𝙙: Travis Mullaly - Blotchy Bull
🏅 𝙃𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙡𝙮 𝘾𝙤𝙢𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙙𝙚𝙙: Lyn O’Neil - Old Man Roo
🎨 𝙎𝙘𝙝𝙤𝙤𝙡 𝙎𝙩𝙪𝙙𝙚𝙣𝙩 𝙋𝙧𝙞𝙯𝙚: Lawrence Corney - Rusty

Thank you to everyone who participated, voted, and celebrated the creativity that makes our festival so special. A special thank you to Hughenden State School for supporting their students and facilitating their entries 🌟

📸 Photo: Vicki Horton

05/05/2025

📸 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟱 𝗛𝘂𝗴𝗵𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗻 𝗙𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗮𝗹 𝗼𝗳 𝗢𝘂𝘁𝗯𝗮𝗰𝗸 𝗦𝗸𝗶𝗲𝘀 – 𝗣𝗵𝗼𝘁𝗼 𝗛𝗶𝗴𝗵𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀 𝗔𝗿𝗲 𝗜𝗻! 🌅

What an incredible few days in the heart of the outback! From bull ride action to unforgettable live performances and everything in between – the moments were magic.

👇 𝗖𝗵𝗲𝗰𝗸 𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗵𝗼𝘁𝗼 𝗵𝗶𝗴𝗵𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀 𝗯𝗲𝗹𝗼𝘄!
🎉 Spot yourself? Tag you and your friends!
💬 Drop your favorite festival moment in the comments!

Thanks to everyone who came out and brought the energy – you made this festival one for the books. 💛

Photo credit: Phil Copp Photography and We are VA

05/05/2025

𝗔𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁’𝘀 𝗮 𝘄𝗿𝗮𝗽 𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟱 𝗙𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗮𝗹 𝗼𝗳 𝗢𝘂𝘁𝗯𝗮𝗰𝗸 𝗦𝗸𝗶𝗲𝘀! 💫🎉

What an unforgettable weekend — packed with fun, creativity, and community spirit.

It truly takes a village to make magic happen, and we’re beyond grateful for every single person who played a part:

• Our incredible 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗺! And a special shout out to our Festival Director, Jen - who was too busy to get a photo of! 📸
• The 𝗯𝗲𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗱-𝘁𝗵𝗲-𝘀𝗰𝗲𝗻𝗲𝘀 𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗼𝗲𝘀: the operational crew, sound, lighting, staging, security, photography, cleaning & maintenance crews
• Our talented 𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗲𝗿𝘀 & 𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗶𝘀𝘁𝘀
• All the amazing 𝗳𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝘃𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗼𝗿𝘀, 𝗺𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗲𝘁 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗵𝗼𝗹𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀 & 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝘀𝗵𝗼𝗽 𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗶𝘀𝘁𝘀
• Our wonderful 𝘃𝗼𝗹𝘂𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗲𝗿𝘀 running shuttle buses, bar and lantern workshops
• Our 𝗹𝗼𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗯𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗲𝘀 & 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆 offering service with a smile, & friendly country hospitality!
• Our generous 𝘀𝗽𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗼𝗿𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘀𝘂𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀.

This festival wouldn’t be possible without all of you.

A final BIG thank you to everyone that came out and attended the range of events and activities across the weekend. This was our 𝗯𝗶𝗴𝗴𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝘆𝗲𝘁, and we thank you for your support!

04/05/2025

𝗥𝗶𝘀𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗲, 𝗯𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗸𝗳𝗮𝘀𝘁 𝗹𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀! 🥓 🥚

The Lions Club is cooking up a hearty breaky this morning at the Showgrounds Foodcourt — come grab a plate before you head home! 🚗

Hot food, friendly banter, and all for a great cause. Don’t miss out!

🥓 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐇𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐧 𝐋𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐂𝐥𝐮𝐛 𝐑𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐁𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐤𝐟𝐚𝐬𝐭!

☕ 📅 𝐌𝐨𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝟓 𝐌𝐚𝐲
⏰ 𝟕 𝐀𝐌 – 𝟏𝟎 𝐀𝐌
📍 𝐇𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐧 𝐒𝐡𝐨𝐰𝐠𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐬 (showgrounds food court)

Come down and fuel up with a hearty brekkie after the weekend’s fun! 🥳🍳

𝐌𝐞𝐧𝐮:
🍔 Egg & Bacon Roll – $7
🌭 Sausage on Bread – $3
☕ Tea/Coffee/Soft Drink – $3
🧃 Poppers – $2

All proceeds support your local Hughenden Lions Club. See you there! 🦁💛

04/05/2025

🔥 𝗙𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗮𝗹 𝗼𝗳 𝗢𝘂𝘁𝗯𝗮𝗰𝗸 𝗦𝗸𝗶𝗲𝘀 – 𝗦𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗮𝘆 𝗦𝗲𝘀𝗵 🔥

Get ready for an unforgettable afternoon packed with fun! 🌊🚣‍♂️ Watch the thrilling Raft Race, marvel at the magical Lantern Parade, and experience the highly anticipated Moonda Nurra performance.

𝗜𝗺𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝗥𝗲𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀:
🎟️ Sunday Sesh tickets are available online only – no gate sales. If you're having trouble purchasing, our gate team will be happy to assist you with processing on your phone.

🍹 𝗕𝗮𝗿 𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗸𝗲𝘁𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗘𝗙𝗧𝗣𝗢𝗦 𝗼𝗻𝗹𝘆 𝘁𝗼𝗻𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁.

🍽️ 𝗙𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝘃𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗼𝗿𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗹𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝘀𝗶𝘁𝗲 – grab a delicious bite to eat and a drink from the bar while soaking up the festival vibes!

Gather your friends, enjoy great food, and make the most of this epic night under the outback skies!

04/05/2025

📢 𝗟𝗢𝗦𝗧 & 𝗙𝗢𝗨𝗡𝗗 – 𝗛𝗲𝗹𝗽 𝗥𝗲𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝗲 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝘀𝗲 𝗜𝘁𝗲𝗺𝘀 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿 𝗢𝘄𝗻𝗲𝗿𝘀! 🕵️‍♂️💼

We've had a few items turn up and go missing around the Showgrounds – can you help?

🧳 Items FOUND – waiting to be claimed at the Information Desk:
• A pink insulated water bottle
• A pair of reading glasses

If they're yours (or someone you know!), come by the info desk and collect them.

🔍 Items MISSING – help us bring them home:
• A white cap for a water outlet on a camper
• A set of 3 keys with a green tag
• Pearl bracelet

If you spot these, please hand them in at the bar or information desk.

Let’s work together to get these items back to their rightful owners – thank you! 🙌

Send a message to learn more