Whitsundays Arts Festival not to be in 2024

Festival favourites Baala Baajo perform with the community in 2022. Image by Andrew Pattinson.

We regret to announce that there will not be a Whitsundays Arts Festival this year. On a positive note, our organisation is evolving to focus more on mentoring and supporting both ongoing and emerging art and cultural events. Fortunately, the Festival team is thrilled to see our community’s enthusiasm for the arts and that other like-minded organisations and individuals have been inspired to present and champion the arts in our region. We look forward to working with them to advocate for opportunities for artists and audiences.
 
So, mark your calendars for the Great Barrier Reef Festival's Art Exhibition, set to take place from August 1-5, 2024, at the Whitsunday Sailing Club in Airlie Beach, in partnership with Creative Connections. The theme is ‘Whitsundays Wonders: Above and Below the Surface’ and is now open to artists residing in the Great Barrier Reef region from Agnes Waters to Cooktown. Judged by Lauren Turton, curator of Artspace Mackay, they invite submissions of ‘works on paper,’ ‘painting,’ ‘sculpture,’ and ‘photography,’ with a prize pool of over $6,000. The Whitsundays Arts Festival is proud to be sponsoring the Local Art Prize in honour of our late founder, Cathy Knezevic. 
 
We are also thrilled to continue mentoring the Whitsundays Songwriter Residency & Festival, as well as the ARI Artist Residency this year. Both events are scheduled to take place in October. 
 
It is also wonderful to see the return of the Whitsunday Writers Festival after a seven-year hiatus, which will run from 6-8 September in Airlie Beach.
 
Our volunteer committee is proud of our experience of running a regional arts festival and securing funding for three consecutive years and hope to continue to be a resource in our region. With our standing as an incorporated association, we will continue to provide advice and advocacy in an auspicing capacity for the arts in our community. 
 
And we look forward to celebrating the vibrant arts scene together with you soon!