Buchanan Park hosts rodeo, music and dance
Mount Isa will host its first NAIDOC 4B Rodeo and Music Festival at Buchanan Park on Saturday 11th July 2026, bringing together rodeo, live music, dance and storytelling during NAIDOC Week.
Organisers are calling for Indigenous and non-Indigenous riders to nominate in NAIDOC Week’s 50th anniversary year under the national theme “50 Years of Deadly”.
For the first time, Buchanan Park’s Kalkadoon Arena will stage a full-day programme that blends rodeo competition with cultural performance and community celebration.
Kalkadoon and Pitta Pitta cowgirl Lareece Daley-Kennedy is leading the rider call before trips to the Professional Youth Roughstock Association World Finals in Oklahoma and the World Championship Mini Bulls World Finals in Texas.
Rodeo 101 – Back to Basics runs from 12:00pm to 1:30pm for aspiring and new competitors. The session covers rules, dress standards, preparation and entry pathways into competition.
Gates open at 2:00pm and the NRA-affiliated points rodeo starts at 3:30pm at Buchanan Park.
Open, novice and junior divisions
In the open division, riders compete for a $5,000 prize pool in bull ride, saddle bronc, bareback bronc and ladies barrel race.
Meanwhile, the novice second division offers $2,000 for bull ride and saddle bronc. Junior riders compete for $500 in junior barrel race and junior steer ride.
Cowboys and cowgirls can nominate through the National Rodeo Association website at nationalrodeoassociation.com.au.
Coloured Stone and Tess Fapani
Music and cultural performances begin at 6:15pm, with Tess Fapani on stage until 7:15pm and Coloured Stone following from 7:15pm to 8:15pm.
Normey Jay plays from 8:15pm to 9:15pm, while Lil Mase performs from 9:15pm to 10:15pm. Big Eye Theatre Dancers and Mornington Island Dancers also appear on the bill.
Tess Fapani’s set draws on lived experience in Far North Queensland and strong cultural connection.
After the main event, an official afterparty runs from 11:00pm to 5:00am at the Overlander Hotel. Entry is limited to patrons who pre-purchase a combined event and afterparty package.
Under the NAIDOC Week banner, the festival honours five decades of strength, survival and pride and pays tribute to Elders, leaders, artists and communities.
