Whitsundays Arts Festival

What Whitsundays Arts Festival does

Whitsundays Arts Festival Inc. is a non-profit incorporated association founded in 2019 and headquartered in Proserpine, Queensland, Australia. The organization operates the biennial Whitsundays Arts Festival alongside the annual Whitsundays Songwriter Festival & Residency, delivering programs across visual arts, music, crafts, and literary disciplines to the Whitsunday regional community. Core offerings include the Whitsundays Art Prize Exhibition (with a $11,200 prize pool and Council Art Collection acquisition program), the Junior Whitsundays Art Exhibition, Handmade Art Markets, the Artist-in-Residence program, art workshops spanning street art, urban sketching, sip-and-paint, and children's book creation, and the JUST WRITE writing competition for school-aged children. The flagship Songwriter Festival features a professional Songwriter Residential Retreat, an Emerging Songwriter Workshop (capped at 12 participants), the Concert & Conversation event, and the newly introduced Songwriting Summit.

The festival is co-led by Karen Jacobsen (original Australian voice of Siri, international performer) and Francesca de Valence (founder of I Heart Songwriting Club), with Jessica Begun as President and a committee-driven volunteer governance structure. There is no proprietary technology; ticketing and workshop registration are handled through the Squarespace website store. Revenue derives from four streams: ticket and workshop fees ($5 to $250 per ticket), a $45 annual membership program with workshop discounts, government grants (Arts Queensland, Australian Government Regional Arts Fund, Regional Arts Development Fund), and corporate sponsorships. Distribution relies on direct event ticketing via the website, venue partnerships with Coral Sea Marina Resort, Whitsunday Sailing Club, and Yangaro Resort, and presenting partnership with Tourism Whitsundays. The organization serves five primary customer segments: emerging and professional songwriters, visual artists and craftspeople, families and children, artisans and makers, and the general public and arts audiences, with audiences drawn from across Queensland and regional Australia.

Name

Whitsundays Arts Festival

Legal name

Whitsundays Arts Festival Inc.

Website

https://whitsundaysartsfestival.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Whitsundays Arts Festival is a Queensland-based non-profit operating a biennial multi-disciplinary arts festival and an annual songwriter festival, delivering exhibitions, workshops, residencies, and markets to the Whitsunday regional community with support from government grants and corporate sponsors.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Arts & Cultural Events

NAICS

Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation (71)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Arts & Culture Community Festivals (Multidisciplinary Arts Weeks) (MPAGAEAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Arts & Crafts Workshops (Painting, Pottery, Ceramics, Sculpture) (THAJAKAA), Cultural Festivals & Events Organizations (BPAGAHAG)

Keywords

• Arts festival management
• Cultural events programming
• Visual arts workshops
• Songwriter residency programs
• Community arts exhibitions

Headquarters

HQ city

Proserpine

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Ticket Sales: Revenue from concert and conversation events, emerging songwriter workshops, and various ticketed art workshops including sip and paint, street art, urban sketching, and children's book creation workshops.
2. Membership Program: Annual membership at $45 providing $5 discount on workshops and a festival t-shirt.
3. Government Grants and Sponsorship: Funding from Queensland Government through Arts Queensland, Australian Government Regional Arts Fund, Whitsunday Regional Council Regional Arts Development Fund, and corporate sponsors.
4. Workshop Fees: Fees for various art workshops ranging from free community workshops to ticketed professional workshops priced at $20-$250.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Whitsundays Arts Festival Inc. organizes and delivers a multi-component regional arts program in the Whitsundays, Queensland. Its core offerings include the annual Whitsundays Songwriter Festival & Residency (with Songwriting Summit, Concert & Conversation, and Emerging Songwriter Workshop), hands-on art workshops (sip and paint, urban sketching, street art, children's books, sand casting), the Whitsundays Art Prize Exhibition ($11,200 prize pool), Junior Whitsundays Art Exhibition, Handmade Art Markets, and an Artist-in-Residence program. Programming is delivered through ticketed events, free community workshops, and memberships.

Product overview

Whitsundays Arts Festival is a multi-component arts event organization presenting an annual festival program plus the ongoing Whitsundays Songwriter Festival & Residency. The core offering includes the Whitsundays Songwriter Festival (annual songwriter residency with mentorship, workshops, and concerts), art workshops (Soaring Stingrays, Memory Board, Sip and Paint, Urban Sketching, Children's Books), the Whitsundays Art Prize Exhibition, Junior Whitsundays Art Exhibition, Handmade Art Markets, Artist-in-Residence Program, film screenings, and the JUST WRITE writing competition. The Songwriter Festival components include Songwriting Summit and Concert & Conversation events.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Whitsundays Songwriter Festival: Annual songwriting festival featuring professional songwriter residency, emerging songwriter workshops, and concert events. Co-founded in 2022 by Karen Jacobsen and Francesca de Valence.
• Whitsundays Art Prize Exhibition

Products and services

• Whitsundays Songwriter Festival & Residency An annual festival and residency program that connects emerging regional songwriters with world-class professional mentors through a residential retreat, one-day workshops, and intimate concert performances by resident artists.
• Songwriting Summit A full program of songwriting, collaboration, workshops, and mentorship where songwriters explore their craft, share songs, and learn from industry leaders as part of the Songwriter Festival.
• Concert & Conversation Evening performance event where celebrated songwriters share their songs and the stories that shaped them, featuring interviews and live performances by resident professional artists at $45 per ticket.
• Art Workshops Program A program of hands-on creative workshops covering visual arts, street art, watercolour, children's book creation, urban sketching, sand casting, photography, and sip-and-paint sessions, led by professional artists and priced from $20 to $250.
• Whitsundays Art Prize Exhibition Annual art prize exhibition featuring 2D and 3D artworks from Australian artists responding to an annual theme, with a $11,200 prize pool including a $5,000 Regional Arts Prize, $1,000 Wilmar Sugar Young Artists Award, and $1,000 People's Choice Award.
• Junior Whitsundays Art Exhibition Annual exhibition encouraging young artists aged 5-15 to develop their artistic skills, presented in conjunction with SmartArts with prize categories ranging from $50 to $200 and $5 entry fees.
• Handmade Art Markets Annual artisan market event featuring 50+ stalls of handmade goods, artwork, homewares, jewelry, food, and demonstrations by local and interstate artisans on the Airlie Beach foreshore at Fairy Tree Park.
• Artist-in-Residence Program Program bringing professional artists such as sculptors, photographers, and print artists to the Whitsundays region for residencies, where they create new works inspired by the local environment and offer community workshops.
• Festival Membership Annual membership at $45 providing $5 discount on workshops and a festival t-shirt, supporting the organisation's programming and giving members workshop benefits.
• JUST WRITE Writing Competition Writing competition for school-aged children presented in conjunction with Whitsunday News, encouraging creative writing with prizes including a $250 Harvey Norman voucher towards a laptop.
• Film Screenings Film screening events featuring curated films aligned with festival themes, presented at the Proserpine Entertainment Centre.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 1,000 visitors to Art Prize Exhibition in 2022
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

18 partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• Tourism WhitsundayscoreGTM or Marketing PartnerPresenting partner for the Whitsundays Arts Festival. Provides regional tourism marketing support and helps position the festival as a cultural drawcard for the Whitsunday region.
• Flying Arts AlliancecoreGTM or Marketing PartnerAdministers Regional Arts Fund in Queensland on behalf of Regional Arts Australia. Provides project support and industry guidance.
• I Heart Songwriting ClubcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-founded by Francesca de Valence. Provides online songwriting programs and methodology used in the Whitsundays Songwriter Festival workshops.
• Whitsunday Sailing ClubmajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorVenue partner for Concert & Conversation events and emerging songwriter workshops. Located at 11 Ocean Rd, Airlie Beach.
• Coral Sea Marina ResortmajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorVenue host for Art Prize Exhibition at The Elbow Room. Part of Arts Acquisition Program with prize-winning artworks acquired into Council collection.
• Yangaro ResortmajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorVenue for Songwriter Residency and professional retreat programs in Funnel Bay, Airlie Beach.
• Sea Star ApartmentsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerLocal business sponsor supporting the Whitsundays Songwriter Festival.
• Airlie Beach Music CentreminorGTM or Marketing PartnerLocal music retailer and sponsor supporting songwriter festival activities.
• Think Real Estate MackayminorGTM or Marketing PartnerMackay-based sponsor supporting the Whitsundays Songwriter Festival.
• Aussie MackayminorGTM or Marketing PartnerLocal business sponsor supporting the Whitsundays Songwriter Festival.
• Cruise WhitsundaysminorGTM or Marketing PartnerMarine tourism operator and sponsor supporting the Whitsundays Songwriter Festival.
• Elementa WhitsundaysminorGTM or Marketing PartnerLocal sponsor supporting the 2024 Whitsundays Songwriter Festival.
• SmartArtsmajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorLocal gallery partner hosting Junior Whitsundays Art Exhibition and supporting the overall Art Prize Exhibition.
• Umbrella Studio Contemporary ArtsmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTownsville contemporary arts organization partnering as selector for Art Prize Exhibition finalists.
• HOTA Home of the Arts Gold CoastmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGold Coast gallery providing guest judge Tracy Cooper-Lavery (Director, Gallery & Visual Arts) for the Art Prize Exhibition.
• ARIA WhitsundayscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMember of international Res Artis network. Co-sponsors Artist-in-Residence programs with Whitsundays Arts Festival.
• Eco Barge Clean SeasminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEnvironmental organization providing recycled marine materials (rope and fishing netting) for Soaring Stingrays art installation workshops.
• Whitsunday NewsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerLocal newspaper partner presenting the JUST WRITE writing competition for school-aged children.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Blue Mountains Music Festival: Regional Australian music and arts festival featuring concerts, workshops, and community programming. Comparable in scale, regional-town setting, workshop/concert mix, and nonprofit community-led structure.
• Festival of Small Halls: Touring Australian/regional music and cultural festival held in small rural towns, featuring professional songwriters and community workshops. Comparable in scale, regional workshop/mentorship model, and reliance on local venue partnerships.
• Noosa Alive: Regional Queensland arts festival presenting music, literature, and visual arts over 10 days. Closely comparable in scale, Queensland regional setting, multidisciplinary programming, and reliance on workshops, residencies, and ticketed headline events.
• Woodford Folk Festival: One of Australia's largest regional multi-arts festivals, presenting music, workshops, visual arts, and community programming in rural Queensland. Most directly comparable to the Whitsundays Arts Festival in scope, audience, and nonprofit/community-led operating model.

Others

• Tourism Whitsundays: Regional tourism body presenting Whitsundays Arts Festival and supporting its marketing. Not a competitor but the primary GTM and ecosystem partner that gives the festival access to tourism marketing channels and funding pathways.
• I Heart Songwriting Club: Online songwriting methodology and community founded by Whitsundays Songwriter Festival co-founder Francesca de Valence. Not a direct competitor but the strategic co-development partner that supplies the curriculum and online audience for the festival's emerging songwriter workshops.

Emerging players

• Queensland Music Festival: State-level touring music festival presenting established and emerging artists across Queensland communities. Comparable in regional Queensland footprint and songwriter-focused programming, but operates at significantly larger scale and statewide remit.
• Byron Writers Festival: Regional Australian literary and arts festival with workshops, panels, and keynote programming. Comparable in regional footprint, workshop/residency programming, and community-driven nonprofit model, though focused on writing rather than music/visual arts.
• Cairns Indigenous Art Fair: Regional Queensland visual arts fair with exhibition, awards, and market components. Comparable in exhibition-plus-market structure, regional arts organization backing, and reliance on Queensland Government and council funding.

Broad incumbents

• Adelaide Fringe: Australia's largest open-access arts festival, featuring music, visual arts, workshops, and markets across multiple venues. Comparable in festival format and multidisciplinary scope, but operates at much larger scale with year-round infrastructure.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/whitsongfest
• Instagraminstagram.com/whitsongfest
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/whitsundays-arts-festival

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Whitsundays Arts Festival