Canvas of Cairns illuminated the 2025 Cairns Festival, transforming the Esplanade and Lagoon into a vibrant after-dark destination for locals and visitors alike. Produced by Laservision, this original, multi-sensory light show combined fountains, lasers, light, sculptures, interactive projections and immersive installations to create a nightly celebration of culture, art and storytelling. Running each evening from 29 August to 7 September 2025, the festival drew hundreds of thousands into the heart of Cairns’ cultural precinct.
Canvas of Cairns centered on a visually spectacular nightly Lagoon water show titled, Fragments of Light, which invited audiences to witness a cosmic universe of fractured light and dynamic 3D projections across the water. Using cutting-edge fountain choreography and visual effects, this installation demonstrated how public spaces can be reimagined through technology and creativity.
Beyond the water, the broader Esplanade experience offered an immersive light walk through glowing installations and interactive zones that activated the foreshore after sunset. Collaborations with storytelling artists ensured that the project was also deeply connected with local identity and First Nations culture, bringing to life a unique narrative.
For Cairns, a city celebrated for its tropical lifestyle and proximity to the Great Barrier Reef, Canvas of Cairns added a new dimension to night-time cultural programming. The festival’s overall 2025 program attracted more than 144,000 attendees, underscoring the strong public appetite for innovative and accessible experiences that fuse technology, art and community.
Laservision’s creative approach embraced collaboration with regional artists and cultural custodians. Most notably in the vivid interpretation of ‘The Story of the Rainbow Serpent’ by accomplished First Nations artist Connie Rovina, connecting festival audiences with cultural heritage through contemporary technology. “It is exciting to see technology transform spaces like this and allow so many people to witness cultural richness. I love that our young people will carry these stories into adulthood with a deeper understanding of togetherness,” detailed Connie Rovina.
From concept to execution, the light and water show production exemplified Laservision’s philosophy of blending large-scale spectacles with nuanced storytelling, enhancing place and identity by enabling audiences to experience familiar landscapes in unfamiliar ways.
Canvas of Cairns is a multi-sensory experience created especially for Cairns Festival. It is inspired by the reef, rainforest and cultures that make this place so special.
The Esplanade will become a living canvas of light and storytelling, offering locals and visitors a whole new way to enjoy the city after dark.”
In coordination with Cairns Festival’s wider program, which included parades, fireworks, large-scale puppetry and community performances, Canvas of Cairns anchored the festival, while providing a visual experience that enriched the night-time economy and extended visitor dwell time in the city.
The production’s popularity contributed to the 2025 Cairns Festival’s strong overall attendance, reinforcing the role of immersive multimedia in attracting diverse audiences and supporting cultural tourism in Far North Queensland.
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