The Babinda Harvest Festival Grand Parade is one of the community’s most loved events and a highlight of the Babinda Harvest Festival program.

Get ready to transport back in time to the swinging 60s at this year’s Grand Parade, marking an incredible 60 years of the Babinda Harvest Festival! Check out the floats with dazzling decorations and creative flair. This parade promises a riot of colour, sparkle, and nostalgia. Embrace the spirit of the 1960s and showcase your community pride in this iconic event.

Come rain or shine, the show must go on in true Babinda fashion, where every day in the tropics brings its unique charm. We can’t wait to see you at Babinda’s most spectacular event of the year—the Grand Street Parade!

Tractor Pull

The Tractor Pull is a great way to engage the family in rural setting. Children of all ages enjoy seeing the tractors on display, as well as what they can do. The Babinda Harvest Festival is one of the only coastal locations in FNQ to showcase the NQ Tractor Pull Series, so be sure to come along to check it out. 

What is involved in a Tractor Pull event?

The Tractor Pull involves 40+ year-old tractors facing off against a purpose-built weight transfer sled, where the tractor pulls the sled as far as it can along a 120m track. The tractor that pulls the sled the furthest wins the event.

Each of the tractors that enter the competition must:

• Be ‘vintage’ (manufactured 1959 or earlier) OR
• Be ‘classic’ (manufactured between 1960 – 1984) with engine capacity categories ranging from 20 horsepower (HP) right up to 200HP and additional crawler classes.
• The competition also features a Garden Tractor Display for junior competitors as young as eight to get involved in.

Modified ride-on lawn mowers with the deck removed and garden tractors under 15HP and over 15HP, pulling a smaller sled will also line up to put their machines to the test. 

What else can we see at the Tractor Pull?

While at the Tractor Pull make sure you call past the LIVE Vintage Machinery display and the blacksmith at work. Be sure to come and check out the amazing old machinery in action. Have a chat with the locals and enjoy the atmosphere. 

If you want to know more about the Tractor Pull, contact Bronwyn from NQ Tractor Pulling via nqtractorpulling@hotmail.com. 

The Live Vintage Machinery display is created by a group of members who collect, restore, preserve, and exhibit vintage tractors and machinery, and engines, with the aim of keeping the history alive. 

The local Sheehan family have been collecting and restoring vintage machinery for the past 45 years. John and Nolan Sheehan are members of the North Queensland Machinery Preservationists Club and have been supporting the Babinda Harvest Festival to create a vintage machinery display for many years. 

The machinery on display hails from the early 1900s through to mid-1900s. You will see a combination of stationery engines, vintage tractors and farm machinery. The vintage machinery display is positioned alongside the Tractor Pull, where you can see the machines in action. 

Why restore old machinery?

Restoring old machinery can be both satisfying and rewarding, being able to restore something some one else has discarded.

Restoring old discarded machinery, to as-new condition or just reviving it helps preserve it for future generations.

If you want to know more about the Vintage Machinery Display, contact Nolan Sheehan on 0407 177 200. 

Get ready to ROCK ON to celebrate the Babinda Harvest Festival turning 60!

Dance the night away with our live stage entertainment, running from 1.30pm through to midnight.  Enjoy the celebrations, festivities and fun that bring our local community together. 

This year’s lineup includes Mother’s Second Choice, Davros, Alisa Q, Mississippi Shakedown, Lunar and so much more! Our Queens from past years will also be in attendance as well as the crowing of our 2024 Harvest Festival Queen! 

This year will be one you never forget! See you at the Main Stage at Bill Wakeham Park!

It wouldn’t be a festival without the amazing fireworks display from Xplosive Art Fireworks. Make sure to stay into the night at the festival to see the fireworks go off with a BANG at 9pm. We can’t wait to see the colour spectacular that will unfold before our eyes this year.

Tug-o-War

The tug-o-war is a test of strength and grit in which teams battle it out for the cash prize, medallions and their team name engraved on the residual trophy. Daring participants organise themselves into same-sex teams of 4. They then nominate their team on the night and pay the small nomination fee to enter. Teams are organised into a draw which excites audiences of all ages, until one female and one male team are crowned the winners!

Gumboot Toss

The Gumboot Toss is a Babinda tradition dating back many years!

It is a test of skill and accuracy to see who can toss the gumboot the furthest. Participants pay a ticket to have their chance to win the cash prize and bragging rights of being the biggest “tosser” for the year. Entrants are allowed as many attempts as they like, accompanied with a ticket for payment. This is a must-see!

IT’S BACK!

The Country Mile Helicopters Giant Lolly Drop is making a return for one year only!  Be sure to be here at Babinda Harvest Festival for the event of the decade. The Giant Lolly Drop is one of the most anticipated and renowned experiences on offer in the Far North Queensland Region.  We couldn’t think of any better way to honour the 60^th Festival, than our prestigious Giant Lolly Drop. 

Thousands of lollies drop from the Country Mile Helicopter onto an open field at Bill Wakeham Park, where once dropped, children and adults can run to gather all they can manage. Just remember to be fair for all and DON’T BREAK THE BARRIER before the drop!

Proudly sponsored by Country Mile Helicopters.

There is always plenty of fun to be had for the children at Babinda Harvest Festival.  This year we have a variety of activities to keep the kids occupied.  There will be face painting, balloon art, inflatables and jumping castles, pedal karts, under 5s area, petting zoo, rock painting, bubble wands, sand play, and the Giant Lolly Drop!

Keep your children entertained with the unlimited ride wristbands, eligible for use from 4pm to 9pm at the Festival. Rides and entertainment are suitable for children of all ages, from infants to high schoolers. 

Individual ride tickets also available and can be purchased at the Festival.

Join us for the Best Dressed Shop Competition, a vibrant celebration within the Babinda Harvest Festival, where local businesses shine bright! This competition ignites creativity as businesses interpret the festival theme through captivating displays, decorations, and themed attire. This event fosters friendly competition among our community’s businesses, with coveted awards up for grabs, including the prestigious ‘CANE KNIFE’. Categories for judging include:

• Best Dressed Staff
• Best Premises
• Best Window Display

Taking place on the eve of the Babinda Harvest Festival, the Best Dressed Shop competition sees judges traversing through the town, evaluating each participating premises. Winners will be proudly announced on the festival’s Main Stage, adding to the excitement of the event.

We invite our community to immerse themselves in the festival spirit by exploring the creative expressions of our participating businesses. Come and support Babinda’s thriving small business scene!

Are you a local business eager to join in?
Simply decorate your shop window or dress up your staff to catch the judges’ eyes, or ensure a visit by contacting us via email:  info@babindaharvestfest.org.

Get your team together for a fun afternoon at Babinda Golf Club’s Boulders Day Trophy, 9-hole, 3-person ambrose. Groups of three players work as a team. Each player hits off the tee, the best shot is selected and all other players pick up their ball and place it, within one handspan, alongside the best ball. The person who hit the drive however is not eligible to attempt a shot from this spot. The other 2 players then hits a second shot from the same spot. From the 3rd shot forwards all 3 players get an attempt.

As you move forward for each shot the best ball is again selected. This continues until the ball is in the hole. On the putting green the best ball is marked and the other balls are played from this position. One score is thus recorded on each hole. This is the sum of the best shots used throughout the hole.

Registrations are open, for a team or as individual, at midday for a 1pm start. 

You can also register by sending an email to babindagolf@gmail.com.

Think you have what it takes to be the smartest team in town?!

Come and test out your knowledge at the St Rita’s School Babinda Harvest Festival Trivia Night, on Wednesday 4^th September 2024.  Filled with challenging questions, lots of laughter, this trivia night is definitely the best way to spend your evening!

Trivia combines current topics and a range of questions to entertain the crowd! The more the merrier at one of Babinda’s greatest nights of the year. Join in the fun at the Annual Trivia night and stake your claim for the various prizes and prestigious trophy.

Tables can be booked by calling the school on 04065 9580. Don’t miss out! 

The Duck Dash is an annual fundraising event held at Babinda Creek. This event involves hundreds of rubber ducks released, floating down Babinda Creek to reach the finish line. “Ducks” are sold throughout the Princess Quest by entrants, to raise funds for the Harvest Festival & Community.

Check out what’s on offer by local and regional stall holders at the Babinda Harvest Festival Markets. This year the markets move back to Bill Wakeham Park, from 2pm–7pm. The markets form part of our overall family-friendly atmosphere at the grounds and we are excited for this past tradition to return. There will be plenty of variety on offer, including arts and crafts, homemade goodies, produce, clothing, collectables, health products and much more.

The markets are a part of the Babinda Harvest Festival and entry conditions will require a ticket to be purchased.

Competitions are a chance for schools, community groups and individuals in the community to display their talents. Competitions are divided in to age categories 3-8 years, 9-13 years, 14-18 years and adults. Each age group has the opportunity to enter in the available competition; drawing, photography, sugar bowls, recyclable crazy critters and more.

The competitions are a free opportunity for community involvement and to give up and coming artists a chance to display their work. There is a small monetary prize for each age group and category.

School and community group displays are an opportunity to display to the community what they have achieved, learnt or been involved in throughout the year. Displays are encouraged to be connected to the Harvest Festival theme. The Displays bring community engagement to the festival, allowing the younger generation to display their achievements.

The competitions and displays are held in the Babinda Community Shed.

Join us for a Night at the Museum! We’re excited to invite you to the Babinda Museum 2024 Fundraiser! Come and enjoy an unforgettable evening as we unveil the 2024 Harvest Festival POP UP EXHIBITION, celebrating 60 incredible years of the Babinda Harvest Festival! Lucky door prize
tickets are limited, so book early!

Tickets available at Babinda Taskforce, Monday to Friday from 9 AM to 3 PM.

Don’t miss out on this special night! See you there!