Experience
Rangebow Festival - 9 to 18 October 2026
Looking for something colourful, creative and a little unexpected to add to your Sunshine Coast escape this spring? The Rangebow Festival returns from Friday 9 to Sunday 18 October 2026, bringing ten days of art, performance, culture and community to the Sunshine Coast hinterland.
Held across the Blackall Range and surrounding towns, Rangebow celebrates diversity, inclusion, sustainability and reconciliation through a program of live music, theatre, cabaret, workshops, film, cultural experiences and wonderfully original events.
From sunrise performances and silent discos to drag, music, art and intimate hinterland experiences, Rangebow invites you to explore a different side of the Sunshine Coast.
And from Oceans Mooloolaba, the festival is an easy scenic drive into the hinterland, giving you the best of both worlds: colourful days in the hills and relaxed coastal mornings back in Mooloolaba.
What is the Rangebow Festival?
Rangebow is a celebration of creativity, community and connection, bringing together artists, performers, locals and visitors across the Sunshine Coast hinterland.
Its program is built around four key themes: diversity, inclusion, sustainability and reconciliation, creating space for different voices, stories and experiences to be shared.
Rather than taking place in one central venue, events unfold across towns and locations throughout the hinterland, encouraging visitors to explore more of the region along the way.
The result is a festival that can feel theatrical one moment, thoughtful the next and delightfully unexpected in between.
What to Expect in 2026
The 2026 Rangebow program runs across ten days, with events ranging from live performance and music to visual art, film, conversation and immersive experiences.
Highlights include:
- Sunrise Celtic Chorus on Jinibara at Flaxton Gardens, opening the festival with live music as the sun rises over the hinterland
- Icons Only – Rangebow Drag Pageant, bringing glamour, performance and plenty of personality to Nambour
- Remote Control, a chaotic live comedy game show featuring Christian Hull
- Trax on Tracks: Silent Disco, held inside a historic cane train depot
- Chapel of Love: Baroque Botanica, an intimate evening of music in Montville
- MicroFilm Festival, celebrating short films, micro games and creative storytelling
- Plus music, art exhibitions, cultural experiences, community events and plenty of the unexpected throughout the festival
With events scheduled across mornings, afternoons and evenings, you can dip into one experience or build an entire hinterland day around the program.
Explore the Sunshine Coast Hinterland
One of the best things about Rangebow is that the journey becomes part of the experience.
Festival events are spread across locations including Flaxton, Mapleton, Montville, Nambour and the surrounding hinterland, giving you an easy excuse to explore some of the Sunshine Coast’s most charming towns along the way.
Spend the morning wandering Montville, stop for lunch with a view, catch an afternoon or evening Rangebow event, then make your way back down the range to Mooloolaba.
From Oceans Mooloolaba to Rangebow
From Oceans Mooloolaba, many festival locations are around 35 to 50 minutes away by car, depending on where your chosen event is being held.
Oceans makes a relaxed coastal base for exploring the festival.
Start your morning with coffee on your balcony or a walk along Mooloolaba Beach before heading into the hinterland for the day. Take in a performance, explore the villages and make time for a long lunch or a scenic stop along the way.
Then head back to Mooloolaba for an evening by the ocean, dinner along the Esplanade or a quiet night in your apartment.
It’s an easy way to experience two very different sides of the Sunshine Coast in the same escape.
Why Stay at Oceans Mooloolaba
Set directly opposite Mooloolaba Beach, Oceans puts the coast at your doorstep while keeping the Sunshine Coast hinterland within easy reach.
Choose from spacious two-, three- and four-bedroom apartments and penthouses, many with sweeping ocean views and private balconies made for slow mornings and sunset drinks.
Guests can also enjoy the heated pool, spa, gym and steam room, with Mooloolaba’s restaurants, cafes, shops and beach all just outside.
Whether you’re travelling as a couple, with friends or making a longer Sunshine Coast break of it, there’s plenty of room to settle in between festival adventures.
Make a Weekend of It
With Rangebow running across ten days in 2026, you can shape your visit around the events that interest you most.
Spend one day exploring the hinterland, another beside the beach, or mix a morning festival experience with an afternoon back in Mooloolaba.
The beauty of staying on the coast is having the freedom to do both without overplanning it.
A Colourful Addition to your Sunshine Coast Escape
The Rangebow Festival brings something a little different to the Sunshine Coast each spring.
Creative, inclusive and spread across some of the hinterland’s most beautiful locations, it’s an opportunity to experience local culture while discovering more of the region beyond the beach.
The Rangebow Festival 2026 runs from Friday 9 to Sunday 18 October across the Sunshine Coast hinterland.
Book your stay early at Oceans Mooloolaba – click here to check rates & availability.
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