The next Mary Poppins Festival day is due to happen on Sunday 5 July 2026 in Maryborough, Queensland. The annual event celebrates the legacy of author P.L. Travers and offers a mix of free and low‑cost entertainment for locals and visitors.
The festival day will feature traditional activities such as nanny races, chimney‑sweep challenges and a grand parade. Visitors can also expect storytelling sessions, local markets and children’s workshops across the Portside Precinct and Queens Park; the official festival hours for the 5 July 2026 program are 9am–3pm, with individual events scheduled throughout the day.
A central part of the celebration is The Story Bank, the interactive museum housed in the former Australian Joint Stock Bank building where P.L. Travers (Helen Lyndon Goff) was born. Fraser Coast reporting (via an LG Focus item quoting Mayor George Seymour) indicates The Story Bank recorded 16,452 visitors in 2023 — its highest annual attendance since opening in 2019.
The festival grew from the Proud Marys’ ‘Mary’s Morning Tea’ in 1999; volunteer groups including Mary Inc and the Proud Marys have been key organisers as the event expanded. The Story Bank restoration cost about $1.5 million, with the Queensland and Australian governments each contributing $395,000 (a combined $790,000) toward that project.
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