Queen & Princess
Gala Ball
Special High Tea
Window Display
Street Parade
29th August 2026
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Our Mission
To create a festival for the Tablelands to experience a sense of community, fun and celebration.
Foster and invest in our local youth and encourage their development and involvement in our community.
Keep the history book open and continue to write the story of The Maize Festival a testimony to the community spirit.
Create a platform that promotes collaboration between the business, not-for-profit, and young members of our community.
Our Story
The annual Maize Festival is an eagerly anticipated feature on every Tablelander’s calendar, with attendance and participation enjoyed by multiple generations of families for more than five and a half decades.
Our story began in 1962, when the Atherton Branch of the Queensland Ambulance Transport Brigade held the first-ever Maize Festival to raise much-needed funds for the local Atherton Tablelands community and celebrate the annual maize harvest.
Over the years, the Maize Festival has grown into a much-loved community celebration, creating lasting memories for generations of Tablelanders and visitors alike. While the festival has evolved over the decades, its heart has always remained the same: bringing our fantastic Tablelands community together, celebrating our local region, and supporting important local charities and causes.
Today, the Maize Festival is run by an independent voluntary Committee of dedicated community members. After a period of change, the festival returned in 2023 and has continued to grow each year, becoming bigger and more vibrant as the community comes together to celebrate all that makes the Tablelands special.
The festival offers something for everyone. Our High Tea is growing in popularity every year, providing a wonderful opportunity for the community to come together, enjoy great company and celebrate in style. The annual Maize Ball is a fantastic night out, featuring live music, dancing and plenty of fun. Of course, one of the highlights of the festival calendar is the Main Street Parade, bringing colour, music and excitement to the heart of Atherton, along with the ever-popular Tug-A-War competition.
The Maize Festival is a celebration for the whole community, and everyone is welcome to join in the fun. Whether enjoying the High Tea, dancing the night away at the Maize Ball, being on a float or cheering from the sidelines at the parade or taking part in the Tug-A-War, there is something for everyone to enjoy.
The Maize Festival has also had a long history of enabling youth participation. Since our inception in 1962, the annual Maize Queen contest has been a well-known feature of the program of events, providing a platform for young women to enhance their community involvement and take an active role in the festival. We are thrilled to currently host the annual Maize Queen and Maize Princess competition, supporting youth to engage with their community.
To build on this tradition, the Maize Festival continued to expand youth participation, keeping the festival relevant, inclusive, and welcoming to future generations.
As the Maize Festival continues to grow, its purpose remains firmly rooted in community spirit. It is a time for Tablelanders of all ages to come together, celebrate our shared history, support local causes and businesses, and create new memories for generations to come.
Since 1962
60 years of Celebrating Wet Tropics Farming
The “Harvest Festival” commenced in 1952 by the Atherton Tableland Maize Growers’ Association to celebrate their harvest. It was held at the Atherton Showgrounds. The community was invited to attend a picnic luncheon served at long tables laden with delicious food and novelty sports events.
This was followed by a night Harvest Ball all to celebrate the end of the maize and peanut harvest.
Today, the Maize Festival is run by an independent voluntary Committee of dedicated community members. The focus continues to be on farming in the tropics and sharing the story of Far North Queensland.
ARTICLE SOURCE
Cairns Post 8th May 1952