Bluey a hit at Kings Beach
Sunshine Coast and visiting families were treated to the debut of Picnic on Kings, a signature event of the region’s premier food festival, The Curated Plate on Saturday, July 26, 2025.
Held at the picturesque Kings Beach Amphitheatre, this vibrant community celebration brought together the best of Sunshine Coast’s food, farming, and fun.
With a strong focus on sustainability and local agribusiness, Picnic on Kings was a cost-effective and educational day out for all ages.
The headline act, Bluey and Bingo’s Live Interactive Experience was a huge hit fans, young and old.
Local award-winning author of 4-Ingredients, Kim McCosker emceed the family friendly stage shows that featured a high-energy Dance Party with Sunshine Coast Performing Arts College, a fun Keepy Uppy game, a Pavlova decorating competition, and live music from father-daughter duo Izzy and Dave.
The Free Activation Zone offered the opportunity to meet a local farmer, be entertained by our very own Coastal Caring Clowns, learn about Bushtucker with Tribal Link and plenty of other hands-on experiences.
Business and Community collaborations
Sunshine Coast Division 2 Councillor Terry Landsberg said Picnic on Kings was a fantastic example of what can be achieved when Council teams, local businesses, and our community groups come together with a shared vision.
“From sustainability initiatives and local food showcases to family-friendly fun, this event reflects the strength of collaboration across our region and the value of working together to deliver something truly special for the Sunshine Coast, Cr Landsberg said.”
7 years to grow
To mark seven years until the Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games, our goal is to give away 2032 trees to be planted in thousands of backyards, schools and clubs across the region, ready to grow and thrive over the next seven years and beyond. Tree stock was limited to one tree per household and more than 500 trees were given away.
Picnickers learnt how to plant, grow and harvest their own produce at home or in the community with the Caloundra Community Gardens collective including Golden Beach, Bells Reach, Little Mountain Community Garden groups.
Supporting local producers
Mums and Dads lined up for Tim Adams Coffee and their kids can now use the empty cups to plant their own garden plants with Mr Fothergills free take home seeds and seedlings.
CommuniBee a boutique honey business founded by twin brothers Karl and Justin Holland brought their brand, Buderim Blossom Honey to the day. Their honey is raw, unprocessed, and harvested from bees that forage in Buderim’s gardens and surrounding native bushland. They pride themselves on producing honey in its most pure form, just as the bees made it. Visitors to their stall got to taste the difference, and take home a jar of their delicious honey!
Sunshine Coast Biosphere
To celebrate the Sunshine Coast Biosphere Chony’s Art Room worked with budding artists to make a special artwork creation using acetate and paint. Let’s look after our Sunshine Coast Biosphere.
EnviroCom
A leader within the waste and sustainability industry, EnviroCom offered activities and education around composting and running a worm farm. Kids had a crack at the basketball hoop game with 60L bins and one lucky family walked away with a new worm farm.
Closed Loop
Council engaged Closed Loop to manage waste at the event using circular economy and sustainable solutions. Our local Caloundra Community Garden Group will now utilise the organics that were collected and sorted on the day of the event in their community gardens.
Containers for Change
Our Sunshine Coast Containers for Change Baringa team exchanged hundreds of bottles and cans for 10cents on the day at the event.
Sunshine Coast Libraries
Our Sunshine Coast Libraries team hosted a pop-up Library Playground, chillout library zone and gave away 1,000 books, thanks to First 5 Forever program, an initiative of the Queensland Government.
ThinkChange BikePark
Families were also encouraged to travel sustainably with Council’s ThinkChange team offering a FREE and secure BikePark for bikes, scooters, and 60 prams!
What’s next
This event was one of more than 50 events taking place as part of The Curated Plate, check out the website thecuratedplate.com.au for this weekend’s events including Picnic on the Green at the Doonan on Sunday August 3, 2025.
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Acknowledgements
Picnic on Kings was presented by Sunshine Coast Council in conjunction with The Curated Plate food and drink festival. This event is made possible through the valued support of our event partners: Caloundra Chamber of Commerce and Sunshine Coast Libraries, featuring engaging activities from the First 5 Forever play-based program.
First 5 Forever is a Queensland Government initiative, coordinated by the State Library of Queensland and delivered in partnership with local government, supporting families to grow a love of language and learning from birth.