The emergency services crews are always a crowd favourite in the Cooktown Discovery Festival grand parade along Charlotte Street. Photo: Cape York Weekly.
If you can’t find something to keep you entertained at this weekend’s Cooktown Discovery Festival, you’re doing fun wrong.
The 2025 edition of the event kicks off on 20 June, with three days of activities and attractions to excite patrons of all ages.
From the ever-popular re-enactment of Captain Cook’s 1770 landing to banana-eating competitions, the Unfenced Asylum Challenge and variety of entertainment on the festival main stage, Cook Shire Council Mayor Robyn Homes said there would be something for everyone.
“Discovery Festival is a really good opportunity for Cooktown to showcase its culture and its history, and aspects of tourism to visitors and locals,” she said.
“I think there is absolutely something for everyone.”
Mayor Holmes said it was hoped a scheduling change for this year’s festival would encourage more visitors from the Cairns region to converge on Cooktown.
“Don’t let an opportunity go by,” she said.
“If you’re thinking about coming, I’d suggest that you come down and have a look; we’ve changed the weekend so it doesn’t clash with the Cairns IRONMAN to try and encourage people from down in Cairns and the southern areas to come up and have a look at it, so, hopefully it’ll be an even bigger draw card for people.”
The 2025 Cooktown Discovery Festival program is available on Pages 12-13 of this week’s print edition of the Cape York Weekly.
For more information about one of Cape York’s favourite annual events, visit the festival website.
