School Holiday Programs in Cairns

Summer 2026-27 holiday dates for QLD, and real holiday programs with dates, ages and prices, each checked on the provider's own site.

QLD summer school holidays 2026-27

Saturday 12 December 2026 to Tuesday 26 January 2027

Government schools finish Term 4 on Friday 11 December 2026 and students go back on Wednesday 27 January 2027. Department lists the summer break as Sat 12 Dec 2026 to Tue 26 Jan 2027 (46 days). Independent and Catholic schools can differ, so check your school's calendar.

Source: Queensland Department of Education, checked October 2026.

Holiday programs in Cairns (3)

Every program here has published dates and was checked on the provider's own page. Where a provider has not published a price or age range, the entry says so rather than guessing.

Sport and active (2)

Kids Club Sessions - School Holidays (Smithfield): Mon 14 Dec 2026 to Mon 25 Jan 2027. Ages 7 to 12. The cost is $39 per session though multiple passes purchased at once will reduce the price. When purchasing Buy 4 Get 1 Free ($32 per session) or 10 session pass ($29 each).. Coached kneeboarding and wakeboarding sessions for younger kids on the cable wake park, run on set mornings during the Queensland school holidays. The cable runs at a slower speed than normal and a buggy picks the kids up around the lake so they do not carry their boards back. Drop-off session, 8:30am to 10:00am; bookings are essential due to limited spaces. 8:30am to 10:00am on Monday, Wednesday. Checked October 2026 on provider site
Wake Squad sessions - School Holidays (Smithfield): Tue 15 Dec 2026 to Thu 21 Jan 2027. Ages 10 and up. Cost for 1 Day $99, 3 Days $269, 5 Days $379.. Full-day wakeboarding and kneeboarding progression program for confident swimmers aged 10 and over, run on Tuesdays and Thursdays in the Queensland school holidays. Days are fully supervised from 9am to 4pm and include instructional lessons, goal setting, progression charts, lunch plus fruit and an icy pole, and off-water activities such as basketball, table tennis, swimming and games during rest. Checked October 2026 on provider site

Arts, craft and performance (1)

The Greatest Christmas Show (Cairns City): Sat 19 Dec to Sun 20 Dec 2026. All ages. A Reserve - Child (2-15yrs) $59.90; Premium - Child (2-15yrs) $69.90; A Reserve - Adult $69.90; Premium - Adult $79.90 (B Reserve rows also listed, from $59.90 adult). A ticketed family Christmas stage show at CPAC Theatre with dancers, aerialists, singers, an illusionist, carols and an appearance by Santa Claus. Rated G, reserved seating, duration 1 hour 50 minutes including a 20 minute interval. Three performances across the weekend; warnings for haze, smoke and strobe effects. Show Time Sat: 7:00pm | Sun: 2:00pm & 6:00pm. Checked October 2026 on provider site

Questions parents ask

When are the QLD summer school holidays in 2026-27?

QLD government schools finish Term 4 on Friday 11 December 2026 and students return on Wednesday 27 January 2027, so the holidays run 12 December 2026 to 26 January 2027. Department lists the summer break as Sat 12 Dec 2026 to Tue 26 Jan 2027 (46 days). Independent and Catholic schools set their own dates.

How do we choose what goes on this page?

Only programs with published dates for the holidays, read on the provider's own website. Each entry shows the dates, ages and price the provider published, and links to that page. If a provider has not published its summer dates yet, it is not listed.

Do school holiday programs in Cairns need to be booked?

Day camps, workshops and zoo or museum sessions almost always do, and popular weeks sell out. Library and council drop-in sessions often do not. The link on each entry goes to the provider's own page where the current availability is shown.