After landing in Airlie Beach, I let myself get swallowed by its easy chaos. Palm-framed streets, salt in the air, and every second shop offering another way to see paradise.
From reef flights over Heart Reef and Hill Inlet to boats cutting through the turquoise to Whitehaven's blinding 98 per cent silica sand (yes I went there!), it's the kind of place that tempts you to forget there's a festival about to start.
DAY ONE
After the Thursday pre-shows comes Friday (7 November) and the official start of Airlie Beach Festival of Music (ABFOM). Thirteen of the fifteen local 'official festival venues' opened Friday’s festivities from 12pm, each hosting three to four quality artists to mid-late arvo.The likes of David Flower, Darren Griffis and the Jukejoint, TRILLA, Rollercam and repeat festival offender, Jolly Jingo entertaining festival goers and music lovin' locals alike.
That's not to say tourists visiting to experience the myriad of local water and land adventures weren't caught up in the atmosphere too. A few I spoke too were quick to nab tickets to the main course of ABFOM after being exposed to the atmosphere and abundant talent on show in town today.
The double-peaked big top main tent at the Whitsunday Sailing Club provides the perfect stage backdrop of the sparkling Coral Sea as the Passport to Airlie finals take off.
Image © Clea-marie Thorne
Each year there is an annual nationwide gauntlet that delivers the next wave of festival talent. Eight regional winners are in the mix showcasing the true musical diversity of emerging Aussie artists, travelling from as far up as Cairns all the way down through Byron Bay out to Newcastle and further south to Melbourne.
Each act plays around three songs to the crowd and the whole affair is masterfully wrangled by emcee Stacy Laree, who deserves a medal for stamina in this heat.
First up, Bryony Drake (Cairns finalist) delivers a set heavy on blues, folk and rock influences, with vocals that reflect a smidge of Joplin tainted with a little Led Zeppelin. She finishes her set with the wonderfully titled 'Driving You Mad', a rhythmic tale of woe.
Alt rock, heavy rock noisemakers The Diesel Gypsies (Mackay finalist) are fronted by Tahlia Meadows. Tracks like 'Power To The People' and 'Dollar Short' prove their point with a solid, heavy rock effort. Meadows shows fans appreciation by throwing out a bunch of merch to punters in front of the stage.
Boss Stomp (from Coffs Harbour but Byron Bay finalist) are a thumping rock-roots duo bringing the swamp to the sea. They are the epitome of fuzz-drenched resonator riffs and footstomping beats.
Jack and the Axes - image © Clea-marie Thorne
Jack and the Axes (Newcastle finalist) are a straight-up, no-nonsense electric, gutsy blues. This band is the kind that makes you realise why the classics endure, offering killer mouth-harp solos and songs with titles like 'Proof Is In the Poison' and the fact Jack is not a member of the band.
Brisbane finalists, Profanity Fair start with a hiccup as Tye Nathan (vocals) accidentally turns off his mic. Handling it like a rockstar they move on keeping the crowd entertained with their brand of alternative rock.
Triple Espresso (Townsville finalist) are led by the commanding voice of Kimmy 'KIMMI' Tait the band dishing up their R&B/ soul/ pop sound with high energy, proving they're here to kick the afternoon into gear.
MONROE, from Melbourne, hit the stage with a flash bang of energy opening with 'Bad Bitch (You Can't Kill Me)' backed by 'Take Me For A Ride'. The real banger that keeps the crowd on their feet is 'Sway Sway Sway'. The cheer is very deserving.
Oceans For Sirius (Sunshine Coast finalist) lean into the ethereal shoegaze/ dreampop sound infused with grunge heart. Despite a necessary reset, their beautiful, experimental set offers a dreamy grunge counterpoint to the rock-pop that came before.
Ashtray Avenue (Gold Coast finalist) are the final act on the Passport stage who proudly call themselves a "trash rock band", a perfect cover for their mix of rock, grunge, hard rock and ska punk infused set.
MONROE - image © Clea-marie Thorne
As the sun starts to sink lower towards the horizon we learn the Passport to Airlie finalist winner is MONROE! I guess that means another trip to the glorious Airlie Beach, another killer festival experience, and a slot on the main stage at Airlie Beach Festival of Music 2026, woot!
The evening rotations kicks off with the soulful, raw blues tone of Tim Griffin on the Blackboard Stage. His commitment to the blues was evident, setting a serious tone for the headlining acts to follow.
His set gave way to main stage performer and the 2024 Passport to Airlie winner, Tom Neilson, who follows with a strong set of Americana and country rock, bringing a melodic change of pace. Fans get to sing-along to 'Aotearoa' and are gifted the live version of his new song 'Fool's Gold'.
The Blackboard Stage lit up again with the formidable energy of Jackson Dunn, a master of folk-rock known for fusing passionate poetry with raw rock energy. The short set built a strong, grounded mood before the next main stage giant, Pete Murray, took his spot.
Murray delivered his signature set of laid-back, yet powerfully emotive songs including 'Fall Your Way', 'Home To Me' and 'Always A Winner'. Although Murray is loved for his established acoustic-driven hits, his band bring their talents to the fray.
Crowd highlights are band members showing us their chops and a grand sing-along to 'So Beautiful' that transformed rowdy punters into an almost eloquent choir.
Pete Murray - image © Clea-marie Thorne
The night's final and most electrifying alternating act belonged to Zed Charles. Channelling a mix of traditional blues with a modern rock & roll twist, Zed Charles absolutely killed it on the Blackboard Stage, delivering a performance that clearly rivalled the intensity of the main stagers.
His energy is the perfect turbo-boost right before the Friday night headliners, The Screaming Jets, who close out the night with their usual blistering set of Australian rock anthems. Fans are showered with them. We got 'C'mon', 'Eve Of Destruction', 'Needle', 'Nothing To Lose', 'October Grey', 'Shadows', 'Black And White', 'Sad Song' and 'Scar'.
Johnny Salerno (drums) and the Jets' stage tech Athol Maxwell-Davis are going great guns as fill-ins for regulars Scotty Kingman and Cam McGlinchy. With Paul Elliott (bass) keeping the bottom-end thrumping with precision and Jimi Hockey (guitar) showing off his rip-snorter riffage behind the chaotic and loose-as-they-come frontmen, Dave Gleeson.
Gleeson, of course, pulls his signature funny and lewd facial expressions and dance moves throughout the set.
The Screaming Jets - image © Clea-marie Thorne
Their stunning closing sequence of covers perfectly showcases their hard-rock lineage. We find ourselves swaying and bellowing along to The Boys Next Door's classic 'Shivers', rocking out to Johnny Cash's 'Folsom Prison Blues', and a powerful rendition of Neil Young's 'Rockin' In The Free World'.
What a phenomenal way to end a powerhouse day of live music, flawlessly blending emerging regional talent with established Australian headliners. The best!
More photos from Day One.
DAY TWO
Saturday (8 November) fires off from breakfast in downtown Airlie Beach, with thirteen local venues cracking open for day two of this five-day music love affair. Staggered 9–11am starts mean even the sleep-deprived can stumble into the daylight and still catch something good.KC's humms with Tanya George, The Treehouse with Tim Johnson and Corey Legge, Lola's Bar has Josiah Samuel easing everyone in, and the Anchor is kicking off with Matt Angell and Tiffany Grace.
The whole town feels like one continuous ABFOM street party. Travellers, locals and festival tragics are shoulder-to-shoulder, swapping tales of yesterday's whim-dig and whatever Whitsunday adventure they squeezed in before the caffeine hit. The sun is out, the breeze is cutting through the humidity, and guitar lines are leaking from every doorway.
Tanya George - image © Clea-marie Thorne
By 4pm I wander down to the double-peaked big top. The Natural Culture fire up the main stage while RebelQuinn, Josiah Samuel, Sam McCann and Off Tap keep the Blackboard Stage pivoting between sets. The flow between tents is smooth, with shade, cold drinks, the sea breeze, and the afternoon finally cooling off.
The Natural Culture step in and instantly brighten the place. Their sun-splashed, groove-heavy sound slides straight into the bloodstream. Horns are popping, rhythms locking in, and big smiles bouncing around the tent.
Kids are dancing like their parents fed them nothing but sugar. A couple next to me are still talking about their reef tour until the rhythm section kicks in properly, then they shut up immediately. When the set wraps, the whole tent feels recharged.
The Natural Culture - image © Clea-marie Thorne
Tex Perkins and Matt Walker roll in next as the Saturday crowd thickens. Tex barely touches the mic before slipping into story mode. By song three he's telling us about his four-year-old grandson Ernest.
"Brand new man, brand new bike." He laughs about suddenly writing songs about kids, home ownership and accidental house-pride. It is classic Tex, heartfelt and piss-taking but oddly sincere underneath. 'Wild Side Of Life' lands warm and steady.
He drops a line about being lucky to be part of The Cruel Sea and nods at Walker, the newest recruit. 'The Honeymoon Is Over' goes down a treat. Walker's guitar is basically doing sorcery. Sitar-like rings drift toward the ocean before melting into deeper jangly tones. We all sing "this is not the way home".
Bachelor Girl follow and flip the tent into clever, crowd-pleasing pop-rock. Tania Doko leans straight into the stage fan like she's finally filming a '90s video clip she never got to shoot. 'I'm Just A Girl' gets the bounce going. Her Motels cover, 'Maybe Even You', shocks two older punters into yelling "NO WAY!" at nobody.
Then those iconic lines from 'Buses And Trains' ring out. "I walked under a bus, hit by a train." Half the tent belts it like they've been rehearsing all week. They wrap on 'Lucky Girl? Lucky Me', a clean palate reset before Diesel steps in.
Bachelor Girl - image © Clea-marie Thorne
Bowie's 'Young Americans' drifts over the PA as dusk settles. Perfect timing. Diesel steps out calm and sharp. No fuss, no chit-chat, just straight to it. His voice cuts clean through the salty evening air.
When 'Soul Revival' hits, the tent becomes one massive choir. A deep "heyyyy" rolls under the canvas and it sounds like the whole town has joined in.
During "give me reason why I'm feeling this way. . . I don't need love but I sure need you," the couple next to me pull each other in like they're filming their own music video. Exhibitionists. Bless them.
Diesel - image © Clea-marie Thorne
Headliners Choirboys wander on and the tent instantly erupts. Someone up front yells something about Van Morrison and cane-cutting. Later we get the story. One of the band members grew up "100 metres from where Van was born before the family moved to Queensland to cut cane". A whole section near me cheers like they're in church.
Then the set begins properly. 'Gasoline' hits first. Chrissy Amphlett gets a shout-out. "Seventeen I was a dreamer and a poet." Each track feels like opening an old Aussie pub diary and letting the pages fly.
'One Perfect Day' arrives and the crowd "whoaahs" so loudly the roof vibrates. Then the big one. 'Run to Paradise'. The sing-along is volcanic. Strangers grabbing strangers, people jumping, voices cracking as they howl the chorus like it is the whole reason they bought a ticket.
Tonight's line-up is Ian Hulme on bass and Brett Williams on guitar, repping Brisbane proudly. On drums is special guest Gavin Robertson, the '90s NSW cricketer who played four tests for Australia and is a member of Six & Out with Brett and Shane Lee, absolutely nailing the kit like he has secretly been a rock drummer his whole life.
They close on something straight out of the 'Bad Boy For Love' universe. Then the final surprise. A young fella from the crowd is hauled up for the last guitar break. He nails it. The tent loses its mind and the roar carries straight into 'Chained To The Wheel'. It's one of those instant-folklore moments that people will claim they witnessed even if they were in the toilet.
Choirboys - image © Clea-marie Thorne
The last notes bleed out over the Coral Sea. The breeze rolls through the tent like it is giving the night a round of applause. From tiny bar stages to the main marquee, day two has been pure Whitsundays energy filled with salt, sweat and sound. Nobody is heading home early. The night is still young and the rest of Airlie Beach is calling us back to the main drag.
More photos from Day Two.
DAY THREE
Sunday (9 November) rolls in warm and bright, and downtown Airlie Beach is already humming before I even get within sniffing distance of the foreshore. Thirteen venues are again cracking their doors again, spilling coffee steam, early guitar lines and bacon smells into the street.Late risers crawl back from last night's questionable choices while the early birds clutch iced lattes and swap "you won't believe who I saw at Magnums" stories.
KC's is buzzing with harmonies drifting out the side door, Lola's Bar is easing everyone in with soulful crooners, and The Treehouse is packed with brunch die-hards. Everywhere I look someone's comparing sunburn patches, talking reef tours or showing shaky videos of last night's sing-alongs.
The festival energy is thick now. Everyone feels fully tuned into that shared Airlie rhythm. By mid-arvo I've checked out Viva Band (briefly joined by The Natural Culture), Andy Penkow, The Swine Club and Triple Espresso with a fill-in singer giving it everything. I'm fed, caffeinated, and drifting toward the double-peaked big top, passing the Blackboard Stage on my way to shade.
Viva Band and The Natural Culture - image © Clea-marie Thorne
The Sunday crowd feels relaxed but ready, a little dusty but hungry for more. I missed the very start of the main stage where David Flower Band apparently brought pure sunshine with coastal, rootsy grooves. A fellow punter told me it felt "like someone tipping a bucket of warm salt water over the crowd". Sounds about right.
By the time I arrive the marquee is filling fast. Randoms are dancing, couples swaying, barefoot-hippie types drifting toward the front like sunflowers hunting the light. It's the perfect opener: warm, easy and honest.
Jayne Denham steps in and flips the vibe into big, stomping country-rock. She's belting with full force, grinning at the crowd, pulling people into her orbit. Guitars sharpen, drums hit harder, and the tent reacts instantly.
A few punters start line-dancing terribly but proudly. Someone yells "GO ON, JANIE!" even though her name is clearly Jayne. Nobody cares. It's Sunday.
Jayne Denham - image © Clea-marie Thorne
Lloyd Spiegel then rolls in and everything shifts into blues, grit, humour and wizard-level guitar playing. He doesn't just perform; he wrangles sound out of that guitar like it owes him money. Between jokes and stories he's joined by Lisa Baird on trombone and Tim Byrne on drums, with a retelling of how he retrieved her stolen trombone.
His fancy Cole Clark hybrid axe sounds unreal, perfect for lines about "whiskey for breakfast and murder for tea". He closes with a spiralling blues burner that earns a long, lingering applause as he walks off in his 'Alligator Shoes'.
Golden hour lands and Jessica Mauboy steps out glowing like she's been charging up all weekend. Her voice slices straight through the sea air, bright and effortless. The whole tent lifts. Fans around me jump an octave the second she hits those soaring notes.
It's pure pop-soul joy. Couples hold hands. Friend-groups scream choruses like they're 16 again. Her 'Flame Trees' cover cracks open a few hearts. She's done before we want her to be, encore chants ringing out unanswered.
Jessica Mauboy - image © Clea-marie Thorne
Tim Griffin, today's emcee, wanders out with a furry Muppet puppet that apparently starred on some OG TV show I don't remember, but older punters absolutely lose it over seeing it!
Night has fully settled by the time The Black Sorrows take the stage. The tent feels alive in that unique Sunday-night festival way; tired but transcendent, sweaty but euphoric. Joe Camilleri storms in with a band who never deliver anything below world-class.
Sax lines punch through the humidity. Guitars glow under blue lights. The whole crowd lifts, dancing even when their legs threaten mutiny. Lisa Baird is invited back up to improvise with the band, and a woman Joe introduces too quickly for me to catch sings 'Never Let Me Go' with a voice that sounds half heaven, half hell. It's gutsy and glorious.
'Harley & Rose' floats across the tent like everyone's shared memory. 'Chained To The Wheel' turns the place into a full-body dance riot. Strangers linking arms. Voices cracking. Pure release. As the final act, The Black Sorrows deliver everything you want: big, soulful, generous and soaked in decades of musicianship.
The Black Sorrows - image © Clea-marie Thorne
Walking out of that tent at the end of day three, Airlie feels like it's vibrating underfoot. The music has seeped into the sand, the palms, the people. Three days in and the whole town is moving as one giant, half-sunburnt, fully alive organism.
This festival isn't just a run of sets. It's a living entity shaped by every roar, every guitar riff, every shared moment between strangers who will never meet again but will always remember singing the same chorus under the same canvas.
With ringing ears, sore feet and grins we won't shake for weeks, the festival rolls into its Monday wind-down. You can come for a day, a weekend, the three-day romp or go all-in for the warm-up and cool-down sessions. Stick around longer and there's a whole tropical playground waiting for you.
You could come for a festivation to a freakin' awesome November destination. In the voice of Debbie Harry: "One way, or another," I know I'll be back. Are ya comin'?
More photos from Day Three.
