Airlie Beach, QLD · Winter
Airlie Beach Race Week
One week in mid-August
Airlie Beach Race Week brings a week of yacht racing to the Whitsundays each August, hosted by the Whitsunday Sailing Club. Several thousand sailors race courses set among the islands and Pioneer Bay by day, then fill the town's waterfront by night, giving Airlie its biggest week of the winter season.
For visitors the spectacle is free: the fleet is visible from the foreshore and lookouts, and the town's bars and lagoon precinct carry the regatta mood. August is the Whitsundays' dry-season prime, with trade winds for the racing and clear, warm days for everything else.
- Sport
- Regional Tourism
- When
- One week in mid-August
- How often
- Every year
- Venue
- Whitsunday Sailing Club and Pioneer Bay
- Crowd
- Estimated 3,000 sailors plus visitors
- Entry
- Free + ticketed
- Setting
- Outdoor
Dates shown follow the event's typical pattern; exact dates change each year, so confirm on the official site before booking travel.
Getting there by bus
Tell us where you're starting from and we'll find coach options to Airlie Beach.
Fares and timetables are confirmed on the operator's site before you book.