Cairns, QLD · Prices checked October 2026
Dry season weddings, beach and rainforest venues from Palm Cove to Port Douglas and a DJ market you can count on one hand.
DJ Glenn W, based in Cairns, publishes three wedding packages: A$1,000 for five hours, A$1,200 for six with a pre-wedding meeting, and A$1,400 adding dance floor lighting. Tourism Australia calls May to October the dry season and high season; February averages 475 mm of rain.
Packages read off each supplier's own price list in October 2026. Sources are linked below.
A QR code on each table opens your album in the browser. Guests add their photos and videos, no app and no account, and you get the whole night in one place.
WEDDING ALBUM
Mia & Josh
Example album
We read each price below off the supplier's own website in October 2026. The rose bars are typical Australian ranges from the guides linked under the table, and the dark dots are the Cairns packages we found.
5 hours with PA and a wireless mic; 6 hours with a face-to-face meeting and venue liaison; or 6 hours plus dance floor lighting. Travel over 15 km may cost extra.
Cairns, Palm Cove, Port Douglas, Tablelands, Mission BeachTheir price listDJ Glenn W lists MC services as available but does not publish an MC price, so ask for it in the quote. Source
Millennium Weddings, a Cairns wedding DJ company, quotes reception packages through an availability form rather than a price list. Its page offers ceremony audio, uplighting and MC add-ons and says travel fees may apply outside the Cairns area. Source
| Entertainment | Typical price (AUD) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Wedding DJ (about 5 hours) | A$1,200 to A$1,900 | Some start from about A$700 for shorter sets Source |
| DJ who also MCs | about A$100 to A$600 more | From the city packages on this page |
| Live band (reception package) | A$2,000 to A$6,000 | Sydney market; bigger bands cost more Source |
| Solo singer or acoustic act | from A$500 | Often paired with a DJ for the dance floor Source |
| Ceremony musicians | A$300 to A$700 | String quartets from about A$1,200 Source |
| Photo booth (open-air) | A$550 to A$650 | Mirror booth A$600 to A$1,000+, 360 booth A$3,000 to A$4,000 Source |
| Roving magician | A$500 to A$2,500 | Or A$300 to A$700 an hour Source |
| Fireworks display | from about A$1,800 | Licensed operator only, in every state Source |
Easy Weddings puts the average Australian wedding at A$38,252, with A$2,142 spent on music. Its older 2020 survey had Queensland couples spending about A$1,475 on music. Easy Weddings
Cairns gets 475 mm of rain in February and 27 mm in August. Tourism Australia describes the dry season, May to October, as high season, with tropical weather and summer showers from November to April.
Dry season, per Tourism Australia. Source
Wettest month: February (476 mm). Driest: August (27 mm).
Good acts go early for peak Saturdays, so lock the music in soon after the venue.
Most Cairns couples book one main act for the dance floor and add smaller pieces around it. Here is where each one lands on the day and what it costs.
A soloist or duo for the ceremony usually costs A$300 to A$700. At an outdoor Cairns ceremony, ask who brings the speaker and the celebrant's mic, because wind and distance swallow vows.
A$300 to A$700
Lawn games, a roving magician or an acoustic set keep guests busy during the hour you are away with the photographer. A roving magician runs about A$300 to A$700 an hour.
Magician A$500 to A$2,500
None of the Cairns acts on this page include an MC in the base price, so ask for the MC add-on in the quote or ask a confident friend.
In Cairns the sun sets around 6:50 pm on 21 December and 5:53 pm on 21 June. Tell your DJ or MC so the formalities pause while you slip out for sunset photos.
Most DJs blend your first dance song into a big floor filler so guests join straight away. A band will play it live, so send them the song early in case they need to learn it.
Check the venue's finish time before you pay for overtime, and plan the farewell (sparklers, a guard of honour or a last song) for 15 minutes before the music has to stop.
A DJ gives you any song and no breaks. A band gives you a show. A singer plus DJ, which a lot of acts now sell as one package, gives you live music over dinner and a DJ for the dance floor.
| DJ | Live band | Singer plus DJ | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Typical price | A$1,200 to A$1,900 | A$2,000 to A$6,000 | about A$2,100 to A$3,000 |
| Music range | Any song, the original recording | Covers in the band's style | Live sets early, any song later |
| Breaks | None, music runs all night | Sets with breaks, usually filled by a playlist | Live sets, then continuous DJ |
| Space and power | A small table and a power point | A stage area, more power, earlier bump-in | Small footprint, one performer |
| Requests on the night | Easy, if it suits the floor | Only songs the band knows | Live set list, then DJ requests |
| Volume control | Easy to keep under a limiter | Drums make it harder | Acoustic sets sit low, DJ adjusts |
A Melbourne entertainment company talks through the trade-offs: budget, space, the kind of crowd you have and how the night should feel. Useful anywhere in Australia, even if you are not marrying in Melbourne.
Channel: MEC - Melbourne Entertainment Company
Get every answer in writing, then compare the quotes line by line. Two Cairns acts with the same price can differ by an hour of music or a travel fee.
Hours of playing time, early set-up, lighting, wireless mics and a planning meeting. Two quotes with the same headline price can differ by a whole hour of music.
Some Cairns prices on this page include GST and some add it on top, which is 10% on a A$1,500 package. Ask before you compare.
Ask whether they have a backup DJ or a dep musician, and what the contract says about cancellation and refunds.
Most acts send a planning form with must-play and do-not-play lists. Ask how they handle guest requests on the night.
Allowed: sparklers are unrestricted fireworks and need no licence. Display fireworks are for licensed professionals only. Business Queensland
Your venue's finish time, liquor licence and any sound limiter set the real rules. Ask the venue for them in writing and send them to your DJ or band before they quote overtime.
Most photographer packages end before the dance floor peaks, so the conga line, the dance-off and the sparkler exit end up on guests' phones. Those photos scatter across a dozen camera rolls unless you collect them on the night.
New
New+14Guest photos appear on the screen or projector while the party is still going. Ask your DJ or venue for an HDMI input.
Give guests small missions such as the best dance move or the oldest guest on the floor, and watch the leaderboard during the night.
Guests leave a short voice message from their phone, a nice extra between sets when the music is quiet.
One QR code on the tables in Cairns, no app for guests, and the first 20 uploads are free. Paid plans are a one-off payment, no subscription.
Last dance
Cairns, what a night
Guests scan one QR code and every phone photo lands in one album, live on the reception screen if you want. First 20 uploads free.
From Nan
Scan to join the album
No app, no account
UPLOADING
THE ALBUM
June 21, 2026
647 photos · 95 guests
SCAN TO TRY
pix.wedding/
your-wedding
Compare Cairns with nearby markets, or plan the rest of your Cairns wedding with the guides below.
For your Cairns reception: guests scan a QR code and upload in the browser. The first 20 uploads are free, then you pay once, no subscription.
For collecting every original
Most couples pick this
One-time payment, no subscription
For big guest lists
One payment. Yours to keep. No subscription. No renewals. No surprise charges.
Secure checkout. Polar, Apple Pay, Google Pay.
Money-back guarantee: if your guests never upload a single photo, you get 100% back. See how it works
Short answers on Cairns DJ and band prices, booking and the local rules, from the sources on this page.
DJ Glenn W lists A$1,000 for five hours, A$1,200 for six hours with a pre-wedding meeting and venue liaison, and A$1,400 with dance floor lighting added (checked October 2026). Lighting is not included in the cheapest package.
Few Cairns bands publish prices. Bridebook's Australian guide puts wedding bands from about A$2,000, and travel to Port Douglas or the Tablelands adds to that. Ask two or three acts for written quotes with travel included.
DJ Glenn W serves Palm Cove, Port Douglas, the Atherton Tablelands and Mission Beach, and says travel over 15 km may cost extra. Ask for the exact amount.
If you want an outdoor reception, yes. February averages 475 mm of rain and January to March all top 360 mm. From June to September it falls to 27 to 43 mm a month.
Queensland lists sparklers as unrestricted fireworks, so no licence is needed. Resorts and beach venues set their own rules, so confirm with the venue first.
About 6:50 pm on 21 December and 5:53 pm on 21 June. In the dry season that puts the ceremony around 4:30 to 5 pm for good light.
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