Great Barrier Reef Festival 2024

The 2024 program for the Cruise Whitsundays Great Barrier Reef Festival has been launched and people across the region are getting excited about the Above and Below theme that is set to highlight our beautiful region once again.

Earlier this year, Cruise Whitsundays again confirmed their naming rights sponsorship for the event once again, their involvement bringing some exciting environmentally focused boat tours which will become one of the feature events during the festival.

Renowned for being one of the most family-friendly community events of the year, the award-winning Great Barrier Reef Festival has been a cornerstone of the annual events calendar for almost 25 years.

Highlights include the Coral Sea Marina Lantern Parade which sees the boardwalk come alive with beautifully decorated lanterns and the Airlie Beach Rotary Club Street Parade where businesses and community groups decorate their own floats.

There is also the Recyclable Regatta, Magic Mile, Family Fun Day and a crowd favourite – the Sebel Whitsundays Fireworks on the Foreshore where thousands of people gather on the beach to watch the night sky fill with colour.

As the evenings unfold, the main stage heats up with live music and DJs, with Conrad Sewell headlining Friday night and festival favourites Matty Rogers Band and Perry Street Park on Saturday.

The beach-side pop-up bar is always buzzing, and families can enjoy the Side Show Alley and Carnival Rides throughout the evenings.

This year, the environmental theme runs throughout, both within events that incorporate recycled materials, but also through different educational opportunities that inspire and inform.

As part of the initiative, attendees have the opportunity to enjoy a Reef Experience with Cruise Whitsunday’s Master Reef Guides, an immersive day on the Great Barrier Reef learning from the undisputed masters of the Reef.

The Immerse Art Installation will be a focal point of the festival heart, with stunning hand-crafted reef inspired artworks illuminating Fairy Tree Park. In addition, the Above and Below Art Exhibition hosted by the Whitsunday Sailing Club will be on show throughout the festival.

This year there will be some new additions to the festival line-up, these include a special ‘Taste of Treason’ event at the Whitsunday Sailing Club Point and the Whitsunday Life Newspaper Window Dressing Competition where main street business stand to win $1000 worth of advertising for the best dressed shop front.

There is so much going on at the Great Barrier Reef Festival again this year – what are you getting involved with?

A Taste of Treason

Experience the Friday night fireworks in style at the festival’s new ‘Taste of Treason’ event at The Point, Whitsunday Sailing Club.

Brought to you by Whitsundays own ‘Act of Treason’ Agave spirit, tickets to this exclusive soiree include an Australian Margarita on arrival and sensory canapes to perfectly pair by Whisper Restaurant and Gin Bar.

Your taste buds won’t be the only ones dancing as you are mesmerised by fire twirlers and watch the sky come alive over the Coral Sea to the sounds of DJ Bad Girl. Tickets are $85 and available on the festival website.

Saturday Beats on the Beach

Airlie Foreshore will be the place to be Saturday night for Airlie Events Beats on the Beach with live music, pop-up bar and Eat Street happening from 6pm.

The lineup of original music talent will feature the ever-popular Matty Rogers who will be bringing a dynamic musical experience of Americana blues-rock drenched in soul, and his full band to the main stage.

Headlining will be SEQ’s pop rockers Perry Street Park, Airlie Beach Festival of Music’s 2022 Passport to Airlie winners, fresh from playing Bluesfest 2024. They will be supported by local newbys The Diesel Gypsies and blues rocker Zed Charles.

Immerse Yourself In The Reef

‘Immerse – Stories from the Heart of the Great Barrier Reef’ will commence with a special Traditional Owner song and dance and screening of Ngaro Dreaming at the markets site Friday night.

Experience the Immerse installation Friday through Sunday, where local artists have skilfully crafted a breathtaking display of sculptured reef creatures and corals using recycled plastic and marine debris.

This year the installation will include infographic signage highlighting and educating about the special reef creatures within the installation.

Animations appear as the installation is illuminated nightly, transforming the foreshore into a magical underwater wonderland.

Rotary Street Parade

Are you ready to see the main street of Airlie transform into a sea of colour and life with vibrant music, entertainment and imaginative floats?

If the answer is yes, head on down to the Rotary Street Parade on Saturday 3rd August, where you can celebrate the creativity of the region’s best businesses, schools, community groups and dancers at the much-loved event.

If you want to get involved and showcase your community group, business or school to the town, with the potential to win some excellent prizes, make sure to enter the competition.

Whitsunday Escape Recyclable Regatta

Get your sails ready for a wave of fun at the Whitsunday Escape Recyclable Regatta which will take place on Sunday 4th August. Every year participants are tasked with creating eco-friendly rafts made from recycled materials such as bottles, plastic pipes and other materials that would otherwise be dumped. The Recyclable Regatta is one of the feature attractions of the festival each year, bringing creativity and ingenuity to the fore. Wow the crowd with your team’s eco-conscious creation and compete for fantastic prizes (and bragging rights). Don’t miss out, be part of the fun and make a splash!

Saturday Main Street Events

Hot rods, Muscle cars, classic cars – revheads of all ages will be delighted as car enthusiasts from across the region display their prized possessions at the Enzed Revvin the Reef Car Show held on the main street of Airlie Beach on the Saturday morning. Also on the main street, the Wilmar Sugar Wearable Art Parade. Plus, stick around for the Coral Coast Fire Magic Mile, an opportunity for those young and old to enjoy the thrill of a community running race. Adults can participate in the one-mile race while children are encouraged to join in on the 400 metre run.

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