Celia Pacquola’s Gift Horse at CPAC Cairns, Saturday 14 November 2026: Tickets $59.90 to $64.90, Free Parking During the Show (Cairns, QLD)

Celia Pacquola brings her stand-up show Gift Horse to the CPAC Theatre in Cairns on Saturday 14 November 2026 at 7:30pm. Reserved tickets cost $64.90 for an adult or $59.90 for a concession, with booking fees included, and the CPAC car park is free while the show is on, plus one hour either side, if there is room. Cairns is in Queensland and stays on Brisbane time all year (AEST, UTC+10), so every time below is local time with no daylight-saving change.

This guide uses Cairns Regional Council’s Ticketlink event page (read on 4 November 2026), plus the council’s CPAC Theatre page and CPAC visiting guide (read on 3 November 2026). Ticketlink is run by the council and is the ticket seller for the venue.

What is the show and when does it start?

Ticketlink describes Gift Horse as a show about the people we love and the things they give us that we hate. The blurb says Celia Pacquola was not planning a show in 2026 until her boyfriend gave her an inflatable kayak for her birthday. It calls her a multi award winning stand-up comedian with a new hour of observations and honest stories.

The page lists three 2026 awards for the show or its comedy: the Most Outstanding Show Award at the Melbourne Comedy Festival, the AACTA Award for Best Stand-Up Special, and the Weekly Award for Best of Comedy at the Adelaide Fringe. It also quotes five-star reviews from Chortle and a four-star review from The Age.

Item	Detail
Date	Saturday 14 November 2026 (one session)
Venue opens	6:30pm
Show time	7:30pm
Duration	60 minutes
Seating	Reserved
Food	Bar snacks and light bites
Bar	Full bar and barista coffee

There is only one session. Counting 60 minutes from the advertised start, the show would finish at about 8:30pm. That finish time is calculated, not published, and the event page does not mention an interval.

How much are the tickets?

Ticket	Price
Reserved Seating, Adult	$64.90
Reserved Seating, Concession	$59.90
Reserved Seating, Group 6+	$59.90

Ticketlink says the ticket price includes booking fees, and these were the prices on the page on 4 November 2026. Seating is reserved, so each ticket is for a particular seat. The page does not say who qualifies for the concession price or how many people make up a group booking beyond the “6+” label. CPAC publishes a Theatre seating plan that you can open before you choose. The venue page says the theatre has 941 seats across the stalls, the balcony and the balcony boxes.

Ticketlink adds the usual condition that there is generally no right to a refund or exchange except as required by law or as provided in the Live Performance Australia Ticketing Code of Practice. Read the Ticketlink terms and conditions before you pay.

Is the show suitable for teenagers or children?

The event page rates the show M (Moderate). The CPAC guide describes M as recommended for mature audiences. The page also says the show is recommended for ages 15 and over, has occasional coarse language and adult themes, and does not allow babes in arms. For comparison, the CPAC guide says that many adult performances allow children up to about three to sit on an adult’s lap, but individual shows vary, and this one is listed as not permitting babes in arms.

Where do I park, and what does it cost?

CPAC has its own public car park with 132 spaces, including 4 accessible bays. You can enter from Grafton, Sheridan and Florence Streets. For people attending a show, the council says the car park is free for the length of the performance, plus one hour before and one hour after it. The council adds that free parking for patrons is subject to availability.

Counting that rule from the 7:30pm start and the 60-minute running time, the free window is roughly 6:30pm to 9:30pm. That window is calculated from the rule and the advertised times, so use it as a guide only.

Where	Spaces	Cost	Notes
CPAC car park (Grafton, Sheridan and Florence Streets)	132	Free during the show plus 1 hour before and after, if there is room. Otherwise regulated 8:30am to 5pm Monday to Friday: $2 an hour, capped at $4 a day. Free outside those hours.	Boom gate at entry and exit; take a ticket on entry even when parking is free. Two pay stations take cash, Mastercard and Visa.
Lake Street multi-storey car park (between Shields and Aplin Streets)	300	$1.40 an hour, capped at $10 a day; free on public holidays	Open 24 hours. Pay at the ground-floor machine or by credit card on exit. The council says prices can change.
On-street parking around CPAC	Varies	Mix of free and paid, generally limited to 1 to 3 hours; free on public holidays	“Ticket” under the time limit (for example 2PTicket) means paid; no wording means free.

Saturday is outside the Monday to Friday regulated hours in the CPAC car park. You still have to take a ticket at the entry tower, because the council says one is needed even outside regulated hours, and you must pass it through the exit tower after any payment.

The council’s instructions are to press the button at the entry tower, take the ticket and drive in once the boom gate rises. Keep the ticket with you, because payment is made at the pay stations only, and the validated ticket goes into the exit tower. The pay stations take coins, notes and Mastercard or Visa, and the exit also has a contactless card reader. Help buttons are at the towers and pay stations. Only holders of a valid disability permit can use the marked accessible bays, and payment is still needed before exit.

For a quick drop-off, the council says the box office drive-through has a couple of 2-minute spots and one 15-minute spot. Vehicle access to that area is from Florence Street, travelling away from the city. The council’s arts venues table describes a sheltered drop-off point at the theatre.

Can I get there by bus?

Yes. The CPAC guide says the closest bus stop is one block away, on Florence Street between McLeod and Sheridan Streets. The Cairns City Bus Station on Lake Street is an 8-minute walk of 650 metres. Translink lists Cairns paper-ticket fares of $0.50 for a single trip, $1.00 for a day and $5.00 for a week, and says you can pay on board with a card or cash (checked 26 October 2026). Translink says bus services are run in Cairns by Kinetic Cairns, while the CPAC page still refers to Sunbus for route information, so check the Translink Cairns page for current routes.

The airport is 5 kilometres from the theatre, according to the CPAC guide. The guide describes the theatre as about a 10-minute stroll from the heart of the city, 500 metres from the Esplanade and 500 metres from Shields Street, directly opposite Munro Martin Parklands.

How early should I arrive?

The event page says the venue opens at 6:30pm. The CPAC guide says the foyer opens an hour before show time and recommends arriving at least half an hour before the advertised start, which leaves time for a pre-show drink and avoids being locked out. For a 7:30pm show that means about 7:00pm, with the foyer open from 6:30pm.

The guide warns that many shows sell out, the foyer can get crowded, and you need time to find parking, collect tickets, buy a program and find your door and seat. All performances begin promptly. Latecomers are seated at the discretion of the stage manager, and some shows have long lock-outs; CPAC says lock-out times are advertised during booking. The event page does not publish a lock-out time. There are no refunds for latecomers.

How do I collect my tickets?

When you book online more than 7 days before the show, CPAC says you can have tickets emailed as a PDF, one ticket per page, 48 hours before the start. You can print them or show the PDF on your phone at the door. You can also collect from the box office during opening hours or at CPAC generally one hour before the start. With this show on a Saturday, the box office opens at the advertised “venue opens” time of 6:30pm, according to the event page. The main box office is on the ground floor, through the front right of the building near the drop-off area.

Booking closer than 7 days before the show is a different case: the CPAC guide only describes the emailed-PDF and collection options for bookings made more than 7 days ahead, and the Saturday 14 November show is 10 days away on 4 November 2026.

What food and drink can I get?

The event page lists bar snacks and light bites, and a full bar with barista coffee. The CPAC guide describes a bar with wine, beer, cider, spirits, soft drinks, sparkling water and juice, and nibbles, chips and chocolate. The council’s venue table says the bar opens 30 minutes before performance times. You can pre-order drinks up to 5pm on the day using the link on the event listing. Water and other drinks in plastic bottles, and snack food bought from the theatre bar, may be taken into the theatre.

What should I wear and what can I bring?

• Dress: CPAC says formal dress is not necessary. Smart casual is fine and shoes are required. The theatre is air-conditioned, so the guide suggests a light jacket or wrap.
• Cameras: The council’s venue table lists cameras as not allowed at CPAC. The guide adds that unauthorised photos, video and audio recordings break copyright, and that you will be told if recording is banned.
• Phones: Turn off mobile phones and other devices that could disturb the production.
• Smoking: Only in the designated area outside, beyond the box office to the left of the building.

What access help does the theatre offer?

The council’s venue table says the theatre is fully accessible, with wheelchair seating available on booking, level entry and a lift to the upper levels. It lists four accessible parking bays in the CPAC car park, accessible toilets on each level, a hearing loop, and Companion Card acceptance. If someone brings a wheelie walker, an usher will mind and return it. The event page says the Companion Card is accepted, and the venue page asks you to tell staff about individual needs when you book. Ticketlink’s number is 1300 855 835.

What else is on at CPAC around the same time?

Ticketlink’s calendar, read on 3 November 2026, lists other CPAC Theatre shows close to this one: Dance Force Tour 2026 on Friday 13 November, The Toy Shop on Saturday 21 November, The Glass Slipper on Sunday 6 December, and The Greatest Christmas Show on Saturday 19 and Sunday 20 December. Disney’s Frozen: The Broadway Musical plays from Friday 15 to Saturday 30 January 2027. Each has its own event page with its own times and prices. The CPAC visiting guide covers the whole building, so its parking and arrival rules are the same for every show; check the event page for each start time.

Who do I contact if something changes?

Ticketlink is the first call for tickets and sessions: 1300 855 835, Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm, or info@ticketlink.com.au. It sits at the Cairns Performing Arts Centre, corner of Sheridan and Florence Streets. This guide will be checked again on the morning of the show, and the page will be updated if Ticketlink changes the time or prices.

Sources

• Ticketlink — Celia Pacquola, Gift Horse (checked 4 November 2026)
• Ticketlink — CPAC Theatre (checked 3 November 2026)
• Cairns Regional Council — CPAC visiting guide (checked 3 November 2026)
• Cairns Regional Council — Our arts venues (last updated 24 April 2026)
• Ticketlink — Cairns Events calendar (checked 3 November 2026)
• Translink — Cairns fares and tickets (checked 26 October 2026)

Featured image: Twilight at the Esplanade, Cairns, 2025 (photo: Chris Olszewski / CC BY-SA 4.0) (text added). The photos in this guide show Cairns places near the theatre, not the performer or the show.

OZ Local Updates is an independent local guide and is not affiliated with Cairns Regional Council, Ticketlink, the Cairns Performing Arts Centre or Celia Pacquola. Sessions, prices and arrangements can change; check the official pages above before you travel.