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Great Barrier Reef Festival

Great Barrier Reef Festival

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Whitsunday Coast Airport Fireworks on the Foreshore
Whitsunday Coast Airport Fireworks on the Foreshore
Whitsunday Coast Airport Fireworks on the Foreshore
Whitsunday Coast Airport Fireworks on the Foreshore
Whitsunday Coast Airport Fireworks on the Foreshore
Whitsunday Coast Airport Fireworks on the Foreshore
Fireworks on the Foreshore
Cruise Reverse Logo - Black & White
Fireworks on the Foreshore
Cruise Reverse Logo - Black & White
Fireworks on the Foreshore
Cruise Reverse Logo - Black & White
Fireworks on the Foreshore
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Immerse
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Family Fun Day
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2025 Great Barrier Reef Festival

Welcome to the Great Barrier Reef Festival – Where the Reef Meets the Shore

Proudly presented by Cruise Whitsundays, the Great Barrier Reef Festival brings the reef to life in the heart of Airlie Beach, celebrating the Whitsundays’ unique coastal culture with four days of colour, connection, and community.

From the spectacular Friday Night Fireworks and Live Music, to the high-energy fun of Saturday’s Street Parade, Revvin’ the Reef Car Show, and our much-loved Family Fun Day, the festival offers something for everyone—locals and visitors alike.

Dive deeper with Reef Discovery Experiences and guided tours that showcase the magic of the Great Barrier Reef and Whitsunday Islands.

Wander the vibrant foreshore and explore Immerse, our signature reef-themed art installation made entirely from recycled materials—a creative celebration of sustainability and ocean life.

Whether you’re here for the reef adventures, the live entertainment, the art, or the family-friendly vibes, the Great Barrier Reef Festival is Airlie Beach’s premier event—a place where the reef meets the streets and everyone is invited.

Join us this August and be part of something truly great.

Events

Great Barrier Reef Festival 2025

Great Barrier Reef Festival 2025

01/08/2025 - 03/08/2025
All Day
More Info
Immerse Art Installations

Immerse Art Installations

01/08/2025 - 03/08/2025
All Day
More Info
Camira Twilight & Fireworks Cruise

Camira Twilight & Fireworks Cruise

01/08/2025
5:30 pm - 8:45 pm
Book Now
Coral Sea Marina Resort Lantern Parade

Coral Sea Marina Resort Lantern Parade

01/08/2025
5:30 pm - 7:00 pm
More Info
Fireworks on the Foreshore

Fireworks on the Foreshore

01/08/2025
6:00 pm - 11:00 pm
Book Now
ENZED Whitsundays Revvin the Reef Car Show

ENZED Whitsundays Revvin the Reef Car Show

02/08/2025
10:00 am - 2:00 pm
More Info
ENZED whitsundays
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Keep checking back to the website as we update events

See the latest on Instagram

We’re thrilled to welcome back @whitsundayescape We’re thrilled to welcome back @whitsundayescape as a Silver Sponsor of the Great Barrier Reef Festival and one of our most iconic (and most entertaining!) events, the Recyclable Regatta! ♻️⛵
With their fleet of sleek bareboat charters and a true passion for the Whitsundays, Whitsunday Escape knows a thing or two about smooth sailing  and  they’re helping us celebrate creativity, sustainability, and community spirit on the water.

Bringing the perfect mix of adventure and innovation, Whitsunday Escape helps make our favourite floating spectacle a splash hit year after year. Whether you're crafting a vessel out of cardboard or cheering from the shore, this much-loved event simply wouldn’t be the same without their support.
Thanks to them, this year’s Regatta is shaping up to be bigger, bolder, and even more buoyant! 💙🩵🤍
Keen to enter? Head to greatbarrierreeffestival.com.au for all the details.
Kick off your Friday night at the Great Barrier Re Kick off your Friday night at the Great Barrier Reef Festival with the Camira Twilight & Fireworks Cruise! ⛵️🌅
Departing Friday 1st August, 5:30 PM from Port of Airlie, this all-inclusive evening on the water includes grazing antipasto platters, free-flowing drinks 🍻🥂 and the BEST seat in the house for the festival fireworks 🎆
Good vibes, sunset views, and festival sparkle. What more could you want?!

👉 Book now: bit.ly/Camira25
Cruise Whitsundays
🪸 Dive into 'IMMERSE' – A Reef Inspired Wonde 🪸 Dive into 'IMMERSE' – A Reef Inspired Wonderland!

Experience the magic of the Great Barrier Reef like never before at the Immerse Art Installations, lighting up the Airlie Beach Foreshore from August 1–3, 2025.
Wander beneath the iconic fig tree and discover a captivating underwater world crafted from recycled plastics and marine debris, brought to life by talented local artists. From vibrant reef creatures to animated projections, it's a sustainable celebration of art and ocean life. 🪸🪼🐚🐳
🌟 Calling All Stallholders! 🌟 Registrations 🌟 Calling All Stallholders! 🌟
Registrations are now open for the Great Barrier Reef Festival Night Markets! Set to light up the Airlie Beach Foreshore on Friday, August 1, 2025, this is your chance to showcase your unique creations, delicious treats, or handcrafted treasures to a vibrant crowd under the stars.

Be part of the magic and bring your stall to life amidst the festival's lively atmosphere.

Register now and secure your spot 🔗link in bio
✨ A big shoutout to @coralseamarina, proud Silve ✨ A big shoutout to @coralseamarina, proud Silver Sponsors of this year’s Great Barrier Reef Festival!
As long-time supporters of the festival, Coral Sea Marina is once again backing one of our most-loved community events, the Lantern Parade, with another exciting  partnership still to be revealed 🥰

#GreatBarrierReefFestival #CoralSeaMarina #LanternParade #AirlieBeachEvents
We’re proud to welcome back @cruisewhitsundays a We’re proud to welcome back @cruisewhitsundays as the Naming Rights Sponsor of the Great Barrier Reef Festival 2025!
 
As returning sponsors and long-time champions of the Whitsundays, Cruise Whitsundays connects locals and visitors alike to the very best of our region — from the vibrant Great Barrier Reef to the breathtaking Fringing Reefs and iconic Whitsunday Islands. Their support helps bring our festival to life and shines a light on the reef we’re all here to celebrate.🤍🩵💙
 
This partnership means more than just a name — keep an eye out for exclusive tours, unique experiences, and reef-themed activities throughout the festival, all thanks to the amazing team at Cruise Whitsundays.
 
#GreatBarrierReefFestival #CruiseWhitsundays #NamingPartner #ReefMagic #LoveWhitsundays

Latest Posts

Dive into a ‘Coral Kingdom’

Whitsundays Community Called to Save Iconic Reef Festival The magic of the Great Barrier Reef is set to explode onto

Itinerary – 2024 Great Barrier Reef Festival

The 2024 Cruise Whitsundays Great Barrier Reef Festival is back! We have detailed the Itinerary below to help you get

Itinerary – Great Barrier Reef Festival

It’s finally here, the 2023 Cruise Whitsundays Great Barrier Reef Festival! We’ve compiled some itineraries for each day to help

Great Barrier Reef Festival 2022

Exciting Entertainment Lineup

The Cruise Whitsundays Great Barrier Reef Festival is thrilled to announce an incredible entertainment lineup for this year’s highly anticipated

Who are the Master Reef Guides

Master Reef Guides are an exemplary addition to reef education, the program was developed by the Great Barrier Reef Marine

Art and Reef merge at the Cruise Whitsundays Great Barrier Reef Festival

The Great Barrier Reef comes alive in the Immerse 2023 art installation at this year’s Cruise Whitsundays Great Barrier Reef

The Cruise Whitsundays Great Barrier Reef Festival is Back for a Whale of a Time

The biggest annual celebration of the Great Barrier Reef and unique coastal lifestyle of The Whitsundays will be on again

Calling all Volunteers

Great Barrier Reef Festival are calling for new volunteers In celebration of Volunteering Australia and volunteer week 2023, we are

Protecting What We Love

Festival events at the heart of conserving our Great Barrier Reef Festivities and fireworks aren’t the only side to the

Heart to Heart on the Great Barrier Reef

Festival offers opportunity of a lifetime with Master Reef Guides Eleven of Australia’s most passionate advocates for the Great Barrier

That’s Entertainment!

Great Barrier Reef Festival experiences you won’t want to miss Behind the scenes a team of volunteers has been busily

Immerse at Great Barrier Reef Festival

Immerse Yourself in the Great Barrier Reef

Festival’s callout to community and creators for visual arts events There will be plenty of ways to ‘immerse’ yourself in

Learn From The ‘Masters’

Festival Experience A ‘First’ For Great Barrier Reef  The Whitsundays’ annual Great Barrier Reef Festival is renowned for being a

The Comedy Gala is a Go !

It will be all laughs at the Reef Gateway Hotel on Thursday, September 23, when the venue finally gets to

Creating an underwater marine wonderland

The community is being invited to be involved in an art installation project to transform a large fig tree in

Anything Environmental Recyclable Regatta

Get ready for Recyclable Regatta

IF YOU want to be involved in this year’s Recyclable Regatta as part of the Great Barrier Reef Festival, now

Immerse

Art project to be part of 2021 reef festival

An art installation project will be a feature of this year’s Great Barrier Reef Festival to be held in August.

Volunteers Great Barrier Reef Festival

Call for Volunteers

Would you like to become involved in the community and learn new skills?   The Great Barrier Reef Festival is looking

Putting the ‘great’ into Great Barrier Reef Festival

When the inaugural Great Barrier Reef Festival started on Thursday, a team of volunteers held their breath. Although this was

Take an exclusive tour to the Whitsundays’ underwater art

Be a part of something unique – the first and only artist talks and tours to the Whitsundays’ Ngaro Underwater

Festival fever hits Airlie Beach

For six solid months a small but merry band of volunteers has been working hard on the Whitsundays’ favourite Great

New direction for Rotary Street Parade

The Great Barrier Reef Festival’s Rotary Street Parade is heading in a new direction this year. Rather than starting on

View all Posts

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