Welcome to Horizon
Horizon is an annual 10 day festival exploring the intersections of art, people, and place on Kabi Kabi and Jinibara Country, Sunshine Coast.
Welcome to Horizon 2025. It’s our ninth year now, and we’re excited to show you around.
We pay our deepest respects to the Traditional Owners, the first artists, storytellers, and dancers, whose enduring connection to Country continues on the lands and waters we now share.
As always, our program invites you to explore the whole region — from a country pub in Mapleton, to Stumers Creek in Coolum, the urban streets of Maroochydore and Nambour to the stunning coastline of Alexandra Headland.
Horizon 2025 is grounded in the proposition of radical hope urging us to move beyond passive optimism by embracing collective action, shared purpose, and resilience. It asserts that creating and experiencing art is a radical act — one that brings communities together and inspires us to envision new futures.
You’ll find live music in unexpected places, dance that moves you, art and technology, exhibitions and installations, events for the whole family, bespoke food experiences, and more — with over 50 events across 10 locations there is plenty to discover.
So, please explore the program, and when you find something that tickles your fancy, get your tickets.
See you on the horizon.
Horizon team x
First Nations Sub Committee members
AUNTY HELENA GULASH, LYNDON DAVIS and JASON MURPHY
It is our great pleasure to bring you Horizon 2025.
As the Traditional Custodians of Kabi Kabi (Gubbi Gubbi) and Jinibara Country, our role within the festival is twofold: to strengthen the ecology of Kabi Kabi and Jinibara arts and cultural practices, and to position Horizon Festival as a place where you can experience beautiful First Nations work from both local and national First Nations artists, that is deeply connected to Country and community.
First Nations programming beats throughout the heart of the festival this year; including traditional and contemporary music, visual art, dance, ceremony, performance and story.
Please join us, as we move towards a future where Kabi Kabi and Jinibara arts and culture are strengthened and centred.
Sunshine Coast Mayor
ROSANNA NATOLI
A huge welcome to Horizon 2025, our region’s flagship 10-day arts festival, which is proudly presented in collaboration with artists, producers, communities and Traditional Owners.
Deeply connected to place, Horizon celebrates the stories and beauty of the Sunshine Coast and I thank everyone involved in bringing together this unique celebration of our region.
The festival provides a platform for our artists to showcase their practice, while connecting and inspiring communities.
This year’s program features internationally acclaimed artists showing on the Sunshine Coast for the first time, together with much-loved Sunshine Coast-based artists displaying new work.
I invite you to experience unique music, food and arts events in the hinterland, a magical celebration of traditional dance, song, music, language and storytelling in Coolum and the diverse collection of works and experiences nestled into streets and laneways of Maroochydore and Nambour.
However you choose to experience Horizon, I know you’re going to love it!
Minister for Tourism
ANDREW POWELL MP
Message from the Minister for Environment and Tourism and the Minister for Science and Innovation, the Honourable Andrew Powell MP
It’s a pleasure to welcome you to Horizon 2025, an event that truly captures the character and charm of the Sunshine Coast.
Supported by the Queensland Government through the Tourism and Events Queensland’s Destination Events Program, this event showcases the unique connection between our state’s vibrant communities and the diverse regions they call home.
Events like Horizon bring people together, celebrate local culture and contribute significantly to the community’s pride and economy.
While you’re here, I encourage you to explore all that the Sunshine Coast has to offer—whether it’s our scenic beauty, local flavours, or the warm hospitality that makes this part of Queensland so special.
A big congratulations to the organisers and everyone who worked hard to bring this wonderful event to life. Thank you for being part of the thriving Queensland Destination Events Program.
Creative Director
MEGAN ROWLAND
It’s an absolute joy to share the Horizon 2025 program with you.
Festivals aren’t just about performances and exhibitions—they’re about connection. They’re where ideas emerge, conversations unfold, and creativity meets the world’s challenges head-on.
Art, both in its making and experience, is a catalyst for transformation. In a time of economic, environmental, social, and political uncertainty, we turn to art not only to reflect and resist but to inspire new ways of thinking and being.
Horizon is a meeting place, a platform for bold ideas where creativity inspires new ways of thinking, disciplines collide, and fresh futures take shape.
This year’s program is grounded in the proposition of radical hope—not a passive state but an active force—one that moves us beyond optimism toward collective purpose and meaningful change for both people and the planet.
A huge thank you to the artists, producers, partners, organizations, businesses, and communities who bring Horizon to life. Together, we’re creating space for creativity, conversation, and connection.
Through music, performance, visual arts, and more, we encourage you to step beyond the familiar and immerse yourself in diverse experiences—Kabi Kabi and Jinibara voices, the fusion of art and technology, and stories that shift perspectives.
Horizon 2025 is your invitation—to dive in, explore, listen, and see.