Mackay shows up in force as rider numbers surge 20% for BMA River 2 Reef Ride’s biggest community celebration yet

The 2026 BMA River 2 reef Ride Festival rolled through Mackay this weekend, with riders turning out in force to celebrate the region’s biggest community cycling event, delivering an atmosphere organisers are calling the best in the festival’s history.

Participation numbers were up 20% on last year, with the 25km Queensland Country Health Fund Dash selling out completely as riders of all ages and abilities lined up at the Mackay Reigonal Botanic Gardens for a weekend of colour, community and celebration.

This year’s festival was powered by the event’s 13 local community group partners, whose members brought extra energy to the course, cheering, marshalling and fuelling riders from start to finish. New initiatives added even more vibrancy to the weekend including a free sausage sizzle for young riders at the Golding Kids colour Ride courtesy of Mackay City Central Scout Group, a finish line pit stop hosted by Pioneer Swimming Club and their swim families cheering riders as they crossed the finish at the BMA River 2 Reef Ride.

Nikki Giles, BMA River 2 Reef Ride Event Director, 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 grant monies,” said Nikki.

“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. Our riders get a really memorable BMA River 2 Reef Ride Festival experience and our community groups receive funds to put toward their 2026 initiatives.” said Nikki.

Ms Giles said the energy and community spirit on display 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,” said Nikki.

“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 BMA was 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,” said Kate.

“BMA is incredibly proud to support a festival that puts community wellbeing and local partnerships at its hear, and to see our local groups, volunteers and riders come together in these numbers is something truly special for the Mackay region.”

Ms Giles said organisers were incredibly grateful to everyone who helped bring the 2026 festival to life.

“We are so grateful to all of our event sponsors, volunteers and community groups for supporting an event that supports the Mackay region,” said Nikki. “This festival simply would not be possible without them, and we cannot wait to do it all again next year.”

For more information on the festival, visit https://www.river2reefride.com.au/