King Stingray at Solbar, Maroochydore, August 2024. Photo: Penny Brand / YELO.
King Stingray will headline a free concert on Burketown Airport’s rebuilt runway in remote Queensland on Saturday, October 10.
King Stingray will perform at Burketown Airport in the Gulf Country on Saturday, October 10, as the town celebrates the reopening of its rebuilt runway following the devastating 2023 floods.
The free Runway Under The Stars concert also features Doomadgee’s Indigenous rock-reggae outfit the DMC Boys and Sunshine Coast groove-rock band Dream Thieves.
A runway with a bigger purpose
For Burketown, the airport is much more than somewhere planes land. When floods cut roads, it helps connect the remote community with healthcare, emergency services, supplies and the wider region.
The runway redevelopment is being celebrated with a community concert presented by Durack Civil, with support from Burke Shire Council and project partners.
Instead of a conventional festival paddock, the airport itself will host an afternoon of live music, a free community barbecue and a gathering to mark the town’s recovery.
Sunshine Coast band joins the bill
There’s a Sunshine Coast connection in Dream Thieves, the five-piece groove-rock outfit featuring Durack Civil’s Jarryd Dewar on drums.
The DMC Boys, from nearby Doomadgee, will open the music program. The group shares stories and connections to Gangalidda and Waanyi Country through its rock-reggae sound.
Headliners King Stingray, known for their powerful blend of Yolŋu song traditions and surf-rock, will close the concert.
YELO caught King Stingray at Maroochydore’s Solbar in August 2024, when the band sold out two shows. Read our original review here.
Runway Under The Stars: times and details
- When: Saturday, October 10, 2026, from 3pm
- Where: Burketown Airport, Queensland
- Entry: Free; all welcome
- 4pm: DMC Boys
- 5pm: Dream Thieves
- 6.30pm: King Stingray
Organisers say free camping is available at the Burketown showground, a shuttle will leave the Burketown pub every 15 minutes from 3pm, and the event is alcohol-free.
For full details, see the official Runway Under The Stars event page.
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