Gallery: Rangebow Festival launch draws community to Nambour Cinema
A celebratory launch event for the 2026 Rangebow Festival brought together arts supporters, community leaders and festival enthusiasts at the Nambour Cinema & Events Centre on Tuesday night, September 8, setting the stage for what promises to be a vibrant 10 days of arts and culture across the Sunshine Coast Hinterland from October 9 to 18.
Guests were welcomed from 6pm for drinks and nibbles before settling in for a special screening of the iconic film The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, with ticket prize giveaways adding to the festive atmosphere. The dress code, "something different", was fitting for a festival whose motto is "No barriers. No boundaries. Everyone on stage."
Community Bank steps up
Hayley Saunders, Branch Manager of Community Bank Woombye, the local Bendigo Bank branch, announced the bank's association with the festival. "This is the first year that we're sponsoring Rangebow Festival, and I'm hoping it's not going to be the last," she said.
Ms Saunders explained the bank's community-focused model, noting that profits are returned locally rather than flowing to distant shareholders. "We have a cap on our shareholder return of 20% and the rest of the money, up to 80% of our profits, go back into the community," she said. That model, she explained, was precisely what enables the bank to support events like Rangebow.
"Earlier this year, the board and I spent some time thinking about what it was we wanted to sponsor, and events like this that bring the community together, that give people a sense of place and a reason to celebrate, are perfect for us," Ms Saunders said. "If you want your banking to do good things for the community, come and see us and have a fabulous festival.”
A program full of the unexpected
Festival co-organiser Skye Parker’s address captured the spirit driving Rangebow. "Art and culture matter deeply to me. They make me feel connected to people, to place and to ideas I might never have encountered otherwise," she said. "A song can lift us. A performance can challenge us. A story can help us understand someone whose life is very different to ours" Ms Parker described the festival as a place where "being yourself is something to celebrate," and painted a picture of the eclectic program ahead, including sunrise singing, drag performances, a silent disco in a historic cane train depot and the Sunny Coast Symphony Orchestra playing alongside a film in Maleny. "That's the wonderful spirit of Rangebow — a little unexpected, a little quirky and full of possibility," she said.
Ms Parker urged attendees not only to book events they know they will enjoy but to also try something entirely new, and importantly, to bring someone along. "That invitation matters. It might become someone's favourite memory and a moment they feel they've found their people," she said. "Let's build the venues. Let's cheer on the artists and make the Rangebow Festival one to remember.”
Festival organiser Wayne Parcell acknowledged the many people whose generosity made the festival possible, noting that it relied on contributions of both time and money. He acknowledged the support of Councillors David Law, Winston Johnston and Joe Natoli, as well as Sunshine Coast Council and the Bendigo Bank.
He closed the evening on the values at the heart of the festival: "It means a lot to us to support you and to support everyone in the community who feels like they need to belong in a community that accepts them.”
• The 2026 Rangebow Festival runs from October 9 to 18 across the Sunshine Coast Hinterland. Tickets and the full program are available at therangebowfestival.org.
