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The sun will soon rise on the 14th Airlie Beach Festival of Music, and taking his own advice to follow it is none other than legendary singer-songwriter, Xavier Rudd.
Headlining the iconic waterfront main stage this Friday, November 6, Rudd is expected to treat the crowd to a mix of new music and classics like Spirit Bird, Storm Boy, and of course Follow the Sun.
“Airlie is a beautiful spot and I’m looking forward to getting back up that way,” he said, adding that the Whitsunday Islands and Great Barrier Reef was a place where he could happily hang out with his boat.
Joining Rudd on the three-day lineup at Queensland’s premier ‘party in paradise’ are some of the nation’s most celebrated acts, including Hunters and Collectors frontman, Mark Seymour, Aussie icons Mental As Anything, The Whitlams, The Radiators, chart-topper Conrad Sewell, Country artist Adam Harvey, and internationally renowned blues guitarist, Nathan Cavaleri.
With 60 acts across 16 venues – from the big-top tent at the Whitsunday Sailing Club to the main strip of Airlie Beach and beyond – here’s what you need to know about the 2026 event.
In addition to the weekend of November 6-8, the festival includes a Beach Jam and Welcome Party on Thursday, November 5, and an After Party at Northerlies Beach Bar & Grill on Monday, November 9.
Titled ‘Women Who Rock’, the opening event at Magnums features an all-star female cast, of Little Quirks, Loonaloop, Tess Fapani, Carinda Christie Band and Tiffany Grace.
Meanwhile, the After Party will be headlined by Nathan Cavaleri, Skinny Living (UK), Mason Rack Band, Salt & Steel, Matt Tandy and Zed Charles Band.
Three-day pass holders have access to both additional events at no extra cost, with general admission three-day tickets priced at $340. For those short on time, two-day passes are available for $250, with single day tickets costing $135.
Come for the big names and leave having found new favourites you’d never heard before.
The festival has a proud history of supporting emerging artists through its national Passport to Airlie initiative, dedicated to unearthing talent and launching careers.
Warming the stage for Xavier Rudd on November 6, will be 10 regional finalists from this year’s Passport to Airlie heats, followed by 2025 national winners, Melbourne band, Monroe.
With jaw-dropping sea views from the main tent and world-famous natural icons just a boat ride away, the Airlie Beach Festival of Music is a tropical escape with a killer soundtrack.
The event was a finalist in the 2026 Queensland Music Awards for the People’s Choice Award ‘Festival of the Year’ and it is supported by the Queensland Government through Tourism and Events Queensland, as well as Whitsunday Regional Council and Whitsunday Sailing Club.
Member for Whitsunday, Amanda Camm, said the Airlie Beach Festival of Music was one of the region’s premier events and a major boost for local businesses.
“This festival brings thousands of visitors to the Whitsundays, supporting our hotels, cafes, restaurants, tour operators and local jobs,” she said.
To keep up with all the latest news during the event, be sure to follow the Airlie Beach Festival of Music social media accounts.
Airlie Beach Festival of Music’s annual ‘Passport to Airlie’ competition will see ten finalists perform for the 2026 title, whilst 2025 winner Monroe cashes in her prize and opens for headliner Xavier Rudd.
Running since 2013, the initiative gives emerging independent artists the chance to be discovered and showcased on an iconic stage.
Each year, the competition starts with regional heats and ends with representatives performing on a national stage at the Airlie Beach Festival of Music. The winner bags the honour of becoming a support act to the headliner at the following year’s festival.
This year, ten regional finalists will be battling it out after winning their individual heats, from solo artists like Topaz, Maya Batra, Nicky Convine, and Sam O’Connell to bands like Tropical Low, The Werins, The Royals and Social Stangers.
All offer a unique sound, spanning hip hop, rock, alt, indie, country, folk, punk, metal and the blues.
The 10 regional finalists will all receive four nights’ accommodation in Airlie Beach, three-day VIP festival passes, tiered prize money based on act size, national PR exposure, and of course the opportunity to perform in paradise.
For the community, it’s a chance to enjoy innovative sound, and make Airlie Beach known as a launchpad for Australia’s next generation of music legends.
As a representative of the festival summed up:
“It’s raw. It’s real. It’s where grassroots talent meets the stage and where venues throw their weight behind live, homegrown sound.”
BY GEORGIA MCDONALD
With the annual Airlie Beach Festival of Music coming up this weekend, we managed to sit down with musician Nicky Bomba, who will be bringing a little extra rhythm to the streets of Airlie Beach.
Nicky will be performing with his group, Bustamento, bringing their lively blend of mento, ska and reggae to the festival.
Looking back at how it all began, Nicky explained that he and his fellow musicians were playing ska and reggae in Melbourne when he first came across mento music at a World Music Expo in Germany.
Nicky was drawn its upbeat sound and improvisational nature, describing it as music that felt familiar and connected to his own island background.
After returning to Australia, he got in touch with his bass player and the idea for Bustamento began to take shape.
With several seasoned musicians making up the group, harmonies are also a big part of their sound.
"It's like painting together, but with the outcome of actually bringing joy to people that are there," he describes.
While mento is where it all began, the group also draws on a range of other influences, from jazz and classical to R&B, funk and reggae.
The group are certainly no strangers to the Whitsundays, with local musician Aaron Saxon on guitar.
And it seems the Whitsundays have even provided inspiration for some of the band's songwriting. Nicky revealed that time spent on Hamilton Island inspired one of their original tracks, 'There's No Coconuts in the Tree on Account of Public Liability'.
Bustamento will be bringing their sound back to the region for this year's festival, taking to the streets of Airlie Beach as part of the daily street parade.
The band will be making their way through town at 12pm on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, with horns, drums and banjo in tow.
"We're harmonising it, walking up the street, playing some drums, going into shops," Nicky said.
And if his description is anything to go by, festivalgoers can expect plenty of music and a lot of fun.
Having performed at the festival on previous occasions, Nicky praised the organisers for their continued support of live music and emerging artists, particularly at a time when putting on festivals has become increasingly challenging.
Nicky also has a special connection to the festival, having been part of one of its most memorable moments back in 2018.
When Smash Mouth frontman Steve Harwell became unwell and was forced to leave the stage after just two songs, Nicky joined forces with a group of musicians to keep the music going.
"I admire anybody that continues to celebrate the ancient ritual of the live performance," Nicky said.
It's that shared enjoyment of music that the group will be bringing to Airlie Beach streets this weekend, with the band also taking to the main festival stage on Sunday at around 5pm.
Make sure to keep an eye out for Bustamento as they make their way through Airlie Beach, bringing plenty of music and good vibes along with them!
Song Recommendation: Coconut Woman - Bustamento
As the Airlie Beach Festival of Music rolled into town, it was only fitting that we sit down with some of the lineup acts- starting with one of this year’s ambassadors: Kane Dennelly.
Kane is the frontman of the band 19-twenty, a rock trio that creates melodies steeped in dirty blues and soulful rock, born in the sticky rooms of local pubs.
19-twenty has always had one mission: to entertain.
This is a skill the band honed through endless gigging – a hustle that is not always easy, but made them the band they are today.
“Growing up playing in pubs, you realize that it's a pretty cutthroat sort of workplace,” Kane said.
“It's very unique playing in this country compared to others. Aussies don't suffer fools, and they don't put up bulls**t, so they want real stuff.
“We’ve learnt to have thick skin, but also to entertain and make people have a memorable night - I think just playing in this country influenced us more than anything else.”
Kane said the band was formed somewhat unconventionally through what he called an act of ‘thievery.’
Kane was watching a band play in a pub, and the room was packed- so he thought he was definitely in for a show. Only, it turned out the hordes were there for a 100 ham raffle.
When the 100 hams were raffled off, the band played to an almost empty room - but the double bass player, John Gwilliam, had captured Kane’s attention.
“I said, ‘Hey, do you want to join a band where you can actually play to people?’ And he's like, ‘Yes, sign me up.’”, Kane recounts.
Shortly after, they tempted drummer Jeremy Berg away from his former band - and the line up was complete.
Then, momentum was built through years of touring and roughing it out on the road.
“It's been hustle, you know. It's a never-ending pursuit. But we love every section of it.” Kane said.
Kane’s most memorable gig so far was at the Byron Bay Bluesfest. The band had a lunchtime spot - unpopular amongst musicians - but they filled the whole tent.
“There were about 10,000 people in front of us, and it was just one of those magic moments where you go, wow, this is the pinnacle, like we could die tomorrow, and you know we’ve ticked all of the musical boxes.” Kane said.
He added that getting to perform at Airlie Beach Festival will be an honour for the band,
“We’re super grateful. We love doing what we do, and music has helped us in so many ways,” he said.
Catch 19-twenty band at Magnums on Friday night and on the main stage on Saturday night.
And, in his words, you can “probably catch us on the jet skis too, to be quite honest.”
Song recommendation: Thirsty Merc by In the Summertime
From humble beginnings in a high school band David Flower has become a regular performer on national stages, and staple musician on the Whitsunday music scene.
Moving between styles and sounds, David blends the boundaries of genres. Mixing indie, alt-pop, and funk folk, he creates melodies and poetic lyrics that tell a story.
A skilled guitarist and harmonica player, David mentioned that his style of music has been influenced by legends like Crowded House and the Beatles.
“They all have beautiful little detours in their music. And somehow they find their way back to the original part of the sound of the song. That's what I try to do,” David said.
A love of performing live has been a driving force of David's career. He recalled memories from gigs in the 90s, with one standout being his performance at the 1997 Woodstock festival. Experiencing the support and energy from the festival organisers and crowd was “unbelievable”.
“And just seeing a tent full of people, that was when I thought to myself, wow! That was my first real big, sizable crowd of about 600 people.”
A high school band called the Frogs marked the start of David's music career. Creating songs with friends was really beautiful, he shared.
Now, with years in the industry, David reflected on how the music industry has changed. His main observation is how everyone can now record whenever and however they want. David himself has adopted techniques like voice memos and recording platforms that make the songwriting process a lot easier.
His excitement for the upcoming festival stems from his love of performing live and his belief that every year is proving better than the last.
“This festival is getting better and better, and in the lineup this year it is just fantastic in the main tent,” David said.
“There’s the bigger acts like Xavier Rudd who has done so many great things in music for Australia and then Butto gives up-and-comers a great shot, too.”
Catch David performing at the Colonial Palms on Friday at 11:30am and Sunday at 9am, and at KC’s Bar and Grill on Saturday at 10:45.
Song recommendation: Anything by Joe Jackson
BY GEORGIA MCDONALD
Next up in our Airlie Beach Festival of Music series, we caught up with homegrown singer-songwriter Tiffany Grace.
Originally from Mackay, Tiffany first made her mark on the local music scene after winning the Young Whitsundays talent competition in 2022.
Her love of music started young, putting on shows for family before picking up the guitar at around 13 and beginning to write her own songs.
Having spent time performing in the Whitsundays, Tiffany said the region's live music scene and support for original music made it a great place for emerging artists. Although she has since moved to Brisbane, she still returns for gigs.
"There's music everywhere here, like seven days a week, and people just really support original music," she said.
Her sound blends Americana, folk and country pop, with influences including Noah Kahan, Dean Lewis, Maisie Peters and Taylor Swift.
But Tiffany likes to have a sound of her own, explaining that people are sometimes surprised by the style of music she makes.
"I'm actually really soulful, and I'm a deep songwriter, and there's a bit more grunt in there," she said.
While she plays a mix of covers and originals, one of her favourite songs to perform is her own song called Haunts Me, which she describes as a track that really draws people in.
One of her standout performances was opening for Australian musician Alex Lloyd in Brisbane last year.
"Every single person was listening in that room, so it meant a lot," she said.
When it comes to advice for other musicians, Tiffany believes it's important to find your own voice rather than trying to follow someone else's path.
"What's really going to work is being your own unique artist and finding your voice," she said.
Looking ahead, Tiffany is currently working on her second album and is also hoping to bring ticketed shows featuring her original music back to the Whitsundays next year, giving local audiences another chance to catch her performing her own songs.
First, she'll be back for this year's festival, with six performances across the weekend.
Song Recommendation: Another Life – Tiffany Grace
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