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Photo Credit: Lucy Seddon-Brown from Stories in Light Imagery.
Airlie Beach came alive over the weekend as the Great Barrier Reef Festival celebrated its 25th anniversary with one of its biggest and most colourful programs to date.
Three days packed with entertainment, markets, music and family activities helped draw the crowds back after wet weather saw attendance dip in 2025.
"We went back to our prior year numbers, maybe even increased a bit," said Great Barrier Reef Festival President, Heather Batrick.
Friday night alone attracted an estimated 6,000 people to the Airlie Beach Foreshore, where the milestone fireworks display gave way to a packed Bloom Festival after-party that kept the celebrations going late into the night.
Saturday was packed with activity from start to finish, with the Hog's Breath Revvin’ the Reef Car Show kicking off the day before the Club Whitsundays Street Parade filled Main Street, with the live music then driving the festivities well into the night.
"The street parade was amazing, I think we've had the biggest crowd that we've seen there," Heather said.
"It was quite emotional for us as a committee, with St Catherine's doing the Stevie Wonder Happy Birthday with an adapted version for the festival."
Sunday offered something for everyone, with the Tasman Holiday Parks Family Fun Day giving families the chance to unwind or jump into a range of games and activities.
The Recyclable Regatta brought out the competitive spirit as homemade vessels took to the water, while Bait to Plate with Kevin Collins gave festival-goers the opportunity to enjoy fresh local seafood paired with fine drinks.
The weekend wrapped up on a relaxed note with the SOLLOS Sunday Session, where Australian Margaritas, live music and a headline performance from The Jungle Giants brought the 25th Great Barrier Reef Festival to a fitting close.
“We'd like to say a big thanks to our corporate sponsors this year, which really enabled us to keep the festival running,” Heather said.
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