Airlie Beach Festival of Music claims top prize, celebrates decade of work

About 10 years ago, a boy from Toowoomba drove through Airlie Beach and among the blue ocean and pretty girls, all he could think was ‘why doesn’t Airlie Beach have a festival?’

A self-confessed ‘hopeless musician’ has nonetheless served the people of the Whitsundays with some of the best experiences and live music performances of their lives.

Toowoomba boy Gavin ‘Butto’ Butlin drove through Airlie Beach about 10 years ago and was instantly transfixed.

“I saw all the boats, and the beautiful ocean, and all the girls, and I thought — why doesn’t Airlie Beach have a festival?” Mr Butlin said.

The publican attended countless music festivals as he travelled the country for work, unconsciously jotting down the good and the bad.

He decided to give it a crack, enlisting the help of his long-time mate and musician Kieran McCarthy.

“He’s done about 4000 gigs in the Whitsundays, I thought if he’s on board, we’ll be halfway home,” Mr Butlin said.

Mr McCarthy agreed founded the Airlie Beach Festival of Music with the help of a close circle of other founders.

“The team we have now has been together for 10 years, same crew, everyone puts their hearts and soul into it,” Mr Butlin said.

Airlie Beach Festival of Music.

The festival has brought the likes of The Sex Pistols, Toni Childs, Smokie, Tim Finn, 10cc and countless others to the Whitsundays’ shores.

But it’s not just international headliners that get their time in the spotlight, with many local Australian artists getting the chance to hit the stage.

Mr Butlin said about 200 artists play every year across the three day festival.

“I used to go to Tamworth Music Festival, and that’s spread right out — you gotta get a bus everywhere,” he said.

“But between the two marinas, we have 16 venues all with live music.

“You can walk in and out. Wherever your ears take you.”

Now Mr Butlin and his colleagues friends have been recognised with the festival taking home a top spot in this year’s Queensland Music Awards.

Singer-songwriter Sarah McLeod of The Superjesus fame will help judge the Passport to Airlie finals at Magnums on Thursday, November 4. Picture: Supplied

The Airlie Beach Festival of Music was crowned People’s Choice Festival of the Year, beating its fellow finalist Big Red Bash.

The festival’s 2022 ambassador The Superjesus frontwoman Sarah McLeod praised the festival for its support of emerging artists, particularly through its Passport to Airlie talent search.

“[It’s] something I’m especially proud to judge and be part of,” Ms McLeod said.

“There is so much that is unique about this particular festival.

“Its location on the Great Barrier Reef for a start, and the way the music isn’t just confined to that main stage but spread across an entire town.”