What's on in Airlie Beach (Whitsundays), Australia through the year

Peak crowds — Queensland summer holidays, Summer holidays in Australia

Nothing new starts in January.

Still on: Stinger season (1 Nov – 31 May), Cyclone season (1 Nov – 30 Apr), Queensland summer holidays (11 Dec – 27 Jan (usually))

Quiet — one of its worst months for weather

Nothing new starts in February.

Still on: Stinger season (1 Nov – 31 May), Cyclone season (1 Nov – 30 Apr)

Quiet — one of its worst months for weather

• Holiday

  Easter long weekend

  3–6 AprEaster & Holy WeekCrowdedBook early

  Good Friday to Easter Monday is a four-day national long weekend, usually next to or inside the autumn school holidays. Australians travel in large numbers, so flights, campsites and accommodation book out early and cost more, and most shops close on Good Friday. Source ↗

Still on: Stinger season (1 Nov – 31 May), Cyclone season (1 Nov – 30 Apr)

Peak crowds — Easter long weekend, Autumn / Easter break in Australia

Nothing new starts in April.

Still on: Easter long weekend (3–6 Apr), Stinger season (1 Nov – 31 May), Cyclone season (1 Nov – 30 Apr)

Busy — Sailing season and the trades

• Season

  Sailing season and the trades

  15 May – 30 Sep · usuallyWind seasonCrowdedBook early

  The south-easterly trades blow hardest through the middle of the year, which is exactly what the bareboat fleet is here for. The crossing to Whitehaven gets lumpy after lunch.

Still on: Stinger season (1 Nov – 31 May)

Peak crowds — Sailing season and the trades, Winter (July) break in Australia

Nothing new starts in June.

Still on: Sailing season and the trades (15 May – 30 Sep (usually))

Peak crowds — Sailing season and the trades, Winter (July) break in Australia

• Nature

  Humpbacks in the Whitsundays

  1 Jul – 15 Sep · usuallyWhale season

  Humpbacks come into the sheltered water between the islands to calve through the winter, and the sailing day trips tend to find them without going looking. Source ↗

Still on: Sailing season and the trades (15 May – 30 Sep (usually))

Peak crowds — Sailing season and the trades, Airlie Beach Race Week

• Festival

  Airlie Beach Race Week

  6–13 AugSporting eventCrowdedBook early

  Eight days of yacht racing out of the sailing club with the whole town in on it. The marina and the main street are as much the event as the water is. Source ↗

Still on: Sailing season and the trades (15 May – 30 Sep (usually)), Humpbacks in the Whitsundays (1 Jul – 15 Sep (usually))

Peak crowds — Sailing season and the trades, Spring break in Australia

Nothing new starts in September.

Still on: Sailing season and the trades (15 May – 30 Sep (usually)), Humpbacks in the Whitsundays (1 Jul – 15 Sep (usually))

Busy — Spring break in Australia, school holidays in 2 of the markets that fill it

Nothing new starts in October.

Busy — Airlie Beach Festival of Music

• Hazard

  Stinger season

  1 Nov – 31 MayInsects & disease

  Box jellyfish and irukandji are in the coastal water from November to May. The town lagoon and a stinger suit on the reef boats are the standard answer; the open beaches are not swum. Source ↗

• Hazard

  Cyclone season

  1 Nov – 30 Apr

  The Australian season runs November to April and the Whitsundays sit in the middle of it. Most years pass quietly; the ones that do not take island resorts out for a season. Source ↗

• Festival

  Airlie Beach Festival of Music

  6–8 NovMusic festivalCrowdedBook early

  A waterfront festival across some fifteen venues brings touring Australian acts to the marina for a long weekend, filling the town's hotels right as the wet season and cyclone risk are building. Source ↗

Peak crowds — Queensland summer holidays, Summer holidays in Australia

• Holiday

  Queensland summer holidays

  11 Dec – 27 Jan · usuallySchool holidaysCrowded

  Six weeks of school holidays from mid-December fill the caravan parks with families from further south, and the boat charters go at their highest rates of the year. Source ↗

Still on: Stinger season (1 Nov – 31 May), Cyclone season (1 Nov – 30 Apr)