The Cairns Amateurs Racing Carnival is four days of fun, fashion, glamour, food and entertainment built around two days of horse racing in Cairns in early September each year.

What began as a small meeting in 1959, designed to bring city and country together, has expanded over the years to become one of Australia’s premier spring horse racing carnivals. Registered as the Far North Queensland Amateur Turf Club Inc., our event has become widely, and affectionately, known as "THE CAIRNS AMATEURS"

53 years on, the Cairns Amateurs is now complemented by a host of social activities, some formal and some very informal including a number of Members-only and corporate functions as well as events and areas for the general public on both race days. The beautiful mild September climate entices large crowds of locals as well as interstate visitors. The dates for the 2011 Cairns Amateurs are from Thursday the 1st to Sunday the 4th of September.

The Far North Queensland Amateur Turf Club Inc (“FNQATC”) is the incorporated association which operates the annual Cairns Amateurs racing carnival each September. The Cairns Amateurs started in 1959 in order to attract people from the cattle properties west of Cairns to the city.