The 2026 BMA River 2 Reef Ride Festival rolled through Mackay with even more riders than last year, with organisers labelling it possibly the best in the festival’s history.
Participation was up 20 per cent, with the 25-kilometre Queensland Country Health Fund Dash selling out completely as riders of all ages and abilities lined up at the Mackay Regional Botanic Gardens for a huge weekend.
Thirteen local community groups were also involved this year, helping out across the course. Mackay City Central Scout Group put on a free sausage sizzle for young riders at the Golding Kids Colour Ride, while Pioneer Swimming Club and their swim families hosted a finish line pit stop and cheered riders home.
BMA River 2 Reef Ride Event Director Nikki Giles said the festival’s new community partnership model was born from a desire to make it easier for local groups to access funding.
“This initiative came from a genuine desire to break down the barriers so many of our local groups face when fundraising or applying for grants.
“We wanted to make it really easy for the people working tirelessly behind the scenes in our local groups to access guaranteed funding, without the added human resource load.
“In return for their volunteer role during the festival we guaranteed each of our community partners proceeds straight to their organisation’s bank account, plus the opportunity to earn $5 for every registration and jersey purchase where an entrant selected them from the dropdown menu in the registration portal.
“It’s a genuine win-win.”
Nikki said the response over the weekend confirmed the new model had struck a chord with Mackay.
“The energy and community spirit out on course this year was alive and well from the moment our first riders rolled out.
“Our riders were cheered from start to finish, our 13 community group partners and their members brought extra vibes to every corner of the course, and it truly felt like the whole of Mackay had come out to be part of something special.
“The support for this year’s ride has been phenomenal and shows just how much this event means to our region.”
Kate Sommerville, General Manager of BHP Mitsubishi Alliance’s (BMA) Hay Point Coal Terminal, said they were proud to see the event’s community-first model deliver such a strong result in its first year.
“It has been fantastic to see this event go from strength to strength, and this year was truly a community event from start to finish.
“BMA is incredibly proud to support a festival that puts community wellbeing and local partnerships at its heart, and to see our local groups, volunteers and riders come together in these numbers is something truly special for the Mackay region.”
