Festival Day FAQs

ATMs There are a number of ATMs in Churchill Street (the main street) as well as extra ATMs located in Crescent Street on Sunday 28 July.

SMOKING is not permitted in the Festival event area outside of the designated smoking areas.

ALCOHOL can be purchased to take home from winery and liquor stalls at the event, but can only be sampled/consumed in the designated consumption areas, generally adjacent to these stalls. A bar with a licensed area will be open on Saturday night and Sunday near the stage in Crescent Street. Patrons are asked to drink responsibly and reminded that only adults 18 years or over are allowed to consume alcohol.

QUEENSLAND POLICE A marquee located at the corner of Bruce Highway and North Street, as indicated on the Festival map, will be manned by Queensland Police on Sunday 28 July. Police will also be on patrol in the festival area.

WRIST BANDS To ensure the safety of your little ones, we will be providing wristbands to enable the team to assist any lost children on Festival Day. Parents can collect wristbands at the following locations from 9 am Sunday 28 July:
- Isis Cultural Centre
- First Aid Tent in Millennium Park
- QPS stall on the corner of North and Churchill Street

FIRST AID for the festival is located in Millenium Park, whilst the Queensland Ambulance Station is located in North Street (to the north of the Childers Neighbourhood Centre).

BABY FEED AND CHANGE AREA The Australian Breastfeeding Association Childers Group feed and change tent will be located in Millennium Park in Crescent Street. There are also baby changing stations in the toilet facilities located in Millennium Park and at the Isis Cultural Centre, 49 Churchill Street.

LOST PROPERTY handed in during the festival will be located at the Isis Cultural Centre, 49 Churchill Street Childers. Otherwise contact our Events team on events.admin@bundaberg.qld.gov.au.

TOILETS with facilities for the disabled are located inside the Isis Cultural Centre, 49 Churchill Street and at Millennium Park. Toilet trucks will also be located in North Street outside the Neighbourhood Centre and in Crescent Street at the rear of the carpark near the Main Stage.

PHOTOGRAPHY Bundaberg Regional Council may engage photographers to take photos of or film people attending this event. By attending, you agree to Council making images or recordings of you at the event and you authorise the storage, use, publication or reproduction of the images in any form and by any medium for public relations, promotional and advertising purposes, which may include newspapers, magazines, websites, social media etc. and may result in your personal information being transmitted outside of Australia. Information obtained will be handled in accordance with the Information Privacy Act 2009 and the information privacy principles. Please notify a Council representative if you do not wish to be photographed.

FEEDBACK can be submitted to events.admin@bundaberg.qld.gov.au

Parking

SUNDAY FESTIVAL PARKING There are a number of parking options including the Childers Showgrounds free of charge and a designated area at the corner of Lord and Crescent Streets for disabled parking only.  Motorists are asked to consider residents, and are not to park in driveways. Police will be monitoring the situation throughout the day. 

Paid parking is available at St Joseph's Catholic Primary School from 7.45 am to 2 pm for $10 per vehicle and at Isis District State High School for $10 per vehicle.

RV CAMPERS and CAMPING Apple Tree Creek Showgrounds will be open for RV Camping from Tuesday 23 July to Monday 29 July. There is no site fee and we will not be taking reservations for these sites. Please note that there are limited facilities which are only suitable for self-contained campervans and RVs. Campers are advised when they arrive on site to park around the edge of the grounds.

ROAD CLOSURE A section of Bruce Highway / Churchill Street will be closed on Sunday 28 July from 5.30 am to 5.30 pm for the staging of the 2024 Childers Festival. Traffic will be diverted as follows:
SOUTHBOUND - Via Broadhurst, Macrossan and Stewart Streets
NORTHBOUND - Via Taylor St, Thompson Road and Broadhurst Street

Crescent Street will be closed from 12 noon - 10 pm on Thursday 25 July and again from 6 am Saturday 27 July until 5.30pm Sunday 28 July.

Pets

No pets are allowed on the event site with the exception of assistance animals. Please be aware that the sun, dehydration, noise and huge crowds increase the stress and health problems for pets. If attending Childers Festival please leave your fur babies at home.

Getting to the festival

DRIVE The Childers Region is within comfortable driving distance from Brisbane, Sunshine Coast, South Burnett and Darling Downs regions. Childers is just 3.5 hours’ drive north of Brisbane 360 km along the Bruce Highway (A1).

SHUTTLE BUS A shuttle bus will operate during the Festival to pick up and drop off festival goers at Apple Tree Creek Showgrounds, Childers Showgrounds and Childers Council Depot (Corner of Lord and Crescent Street).

ELECTRIC CARS The Childers car charging station in Crescent Street will be closed from 12 noon - 10 pm Thursday 25 July and again from 6 am Saturday 27 July to 5.30 pm Sunday 28 July. Please factor this into your travel through the region.

FLY Qantaslink and Link Airways operate direct flights between Brisbane and Bundaberg. Childers is a 35 minute drive from Bundaberg. The next closest airport is at Hervey Bay, a 1 hour drive from Childers.

TRAIN Queensland Rail operates regular services from Brisbane, Rockhampton and Cairns into Bundaberg railway station. For more information visit their website.

BUS CaCh Tours and Events are operating several transfers form Hervey Bay throughout the four-day festival. For more information visit their website.
Greyhound and Premier operate several northbound (from Brisbane) and southbound (from Cairns) services each day to Bundaberg. Please note that coaches will not drop off or collect in Childers when the road closure is in place between 5.30 am to 5.30 pm on Sunday 28 July. For more information visit the Greyhound or Premier websites.

RV Campers + Camping

CAMPING Apple Tree Creek Showgrounds will be open for RV Camping from Tuesday, 23 July to Monday 29 July.

There is no site fee and we will not be taking reservations for these sites. Please note that there are limited facilities which are only suitable to self-contained campervans and RVs. Campers are advised when they arrive on site they are to park around the edge of the grounds.

A shuttle bus will run from Apple Tree Creek Showgrounds to the festival approximately every half hour between 9 am - 3.30 pm.

During the festival the RV carpark in Crescent Street will be closed from the evening of Tuesday 23 July, reopening Monday 29 July. During this time the Apple Tree Creek Showgrounds will be open for RV’s and motorhomes to utilise.

Due to road closures, the water access and dump point in Crescent Street will be unavailable from 12 noon - 10 pm Thursday 25 July and again from 6 am Saturday 27 July to 5.30 pm Sunday 28 July.

The accommodation providers listed below support the Childers Festival.

Grand Hotel Childers

Good Night Scrub Community Hall

Childers Nature Camp

Lake Redbrook Holiday Retreat

Motel Childers

Woodgate Beach Houses

Childers Gateway Motor Inn

Childers Oasis Motel

For other accommodation options visit the Bundaberg Tourism website.

History of the Festival

The Childers Festival, a successful initiative of the former Isis Shire Council had modest beginnings in 1996 as a 'Food and Wine Festival' that attracted 5,000 people. The timing of the event was selected as the last weekend in July, as it was a drier time of year, and did not collide with other major events in the region.

The following year the Bruce Highway was closed to accommodate the event, and the crowd immediately doubled.  More performers and more stalls were added to the festival and the number of people coming to the Childers Festival increased annually. The festival grew to gradually claim Crescent Street, where the main stage was eventually moved to. 

As the event developed, more power outlets were strategically placed along the main street so that a greater number and variety of food vendors could be successfully incorporated into the festival.  As the event changed, so did the names, and the Childers Food and Wine Festival became known as the Childers Multicultural Festival, before being renamed the Childers Festival of Cultures in 2006.  

Today it is simply known as the Childers Festival, and has established itself as a major event on the Queensland and Australian Events Calendar. Attracting crowds of over 35,000 people, the event runs over four days and is now coordinated by Bundaberg Regional Council with the assistance of a local committee. The most popular day of the festival is the Sunday, which features over 400 stalls with an incredible range of wares, delicious cuisine from all around the world and a huge array of entertainment.

FRIENDS OF THE FESTIVAL The 'Friends of the Festival' is a combination of people from a wide range of Childers Businesses such as local wineries, local attractions and accommodation places, representatives from local service clubs, musical and multicultural groups, Councillors and staff from Bundaberg Regional Council.

The Friends have been meeting since 2014, being instrumental in the creation of a number of activities, including the Isis Central Sugar Mill and Cane Fire Tour and Historical Bus Tours.

Festival Partners

It is a well known fact that visitors are often interested in anything from the local district, whether it be produce, arts and crafts and performers. 

In response, the Friends have created a 'Look for the Local' logo, which includes the Childers Festival logo. The logo will be displayed by stallholders, food vendors and wineries who come from Childers and its immediate district. 

The Childers Festival is one of the most vibrant and popular events in regional Queensland, attracting crowds in excess of 40,000 annually and presents great opportunities to expose your business.

Looking to partner with Childers Festival? Reach out today!