Daly Bay Illuminate – here’s what you need to know

Running nightly from 6pm until 9pm, Daly Bay Illuminate will run until Sunday, July 3 (weather permitting).

Mayor Greg Williamson said the artist-run workshops had booked out in record time and local families and school students had outdone themselves with their creations.

“There was a real insect theme – lots of lady beetles, butterflies, bees, bugs and moths,” Mayor Williamson said.

“These creations will compliment a range of professional installations sourced from across Australia,” he said.

“I won’t give too much away, but expect botanically inspired landscapes, fantasy wonderlands complete with fairies and a dog park complete with neon dogs of all breeds and sizes.

“This is a free, non-ticketed event, there’s plenty of room to move around and there are no limitations this year, so take your time and enjoy the displays at your leisure.

“Climb inside a gumnut or nestle in amongst some flower spikes; snap a photo as you take a neon dog for a walk or feed them a bone.”

The mayor said that the best way to tour Daly Bay Illuminate was to begin your walk at the vine arches on the corner of Goldsmith Street and East Gordon Street.

With some inclement weather forecast, festival-goers are encouraged to keep an eye on the Mackay Festivals Facebook page for updates each night.

Festivals and Events coordinator Sarah Porter said the Festivals team were monitoring the weather closely and had their fingers crossed.

“All the large installations are weatherproof, so we can push on if we have some day showers, but if the rain sets in, we will make an announcement on our social media,” Ms Porter said.

“All going well, it will be an amazing event and we encourage families to make a night of it,” she said.

“There will be food trucks set up at Queens Park, or you can head over to the Festival Hub at Bluewater Quay to enjoy a bite to eat, some beverages from Ballistic Brewery and plenty of live entertainment.”

The following food vendors will be at Queens Park:

• Crave Coffee Co
• Dumpling Hut Mackay
• Marshalls Catering
• Sweet Cakes Dutch Poffertjes
• Let’z Waffle
• Eat Street No.8
• Ma’s Pizza Kitchen