Airlie Beach Paint and Sip Recap: Big Skies, Good People, and Proper Holiday Energy
Airlie Beach always hits different. The climate, the colours, the ocean doing its thing, and the general “why would I be stressed here?” vibe. After a massive week of events and a few private sessions scattered all over the place, James and I rolled into Airlie for a breather and of course we couldn’t help ourselves, we ran a session too. Because relaxing is clearly not in our skill set.
The weather up here had been doing that classic North QLD mood swing. A solid amount of rain, then all of a sudden, blue skies like nothing ever happened. The kind of day where you wake up and go, alright, I forgive you for yesterday.
The pre-game: Airlie Beach reset mode
Before we even got into the paint chaos, it was one of those “we needed this” stops. Airlie’s the sort of place that gets you back in your body again. Fresh air, bright light, people smiling for no reason, and the water looking like it’s been edited. Love that for us.
We also had some local wildlife company too. Curlews just wandering around like they own the joint, watching everything with that suspicious face they do. They’re basically the unpaid security guards of North Queensland.
The session vibe: holiday energy, but make it Paint Juicy
The best part about running Paint and Sip in Airlie is the crowd. You get locals, travellers, people who are “just here for the weekend”, and suddenly everyone’s mates within ten minutes. No awkward warming up. No weird silences. Just straight into it.
We had plenty of laughs, plenty of “wait, why does mine look better than I expected?”, and heaps of proud little moments where people realised they actually can paint when they stop overthinking it for five seconds.
It’s never a classroom. It’s a night out with a canvas.
About the photos: we’re not posting people without the nod
We only snapped a few pics because a couple of tables left before the final photos, and we didn’t get their approval to post. Simple rule: if we don’t have the “yep, go for it”, we don’t post you. No one needs to wake up to themselves online mid-chew, holding a half-dry painting, looking like they’ve seen a ghost.
So, here are the lucky legends who stayed till the end and are now stuck seeing themselves on the internet looking fabulous and arty. Congrats. You did this to yourselves.
Why we love Airlie (and why we’ll keep coming back)
Airlie’s one of those places where the people match the scenery. Easy-going, friendly, up for a laugh, and weirdly supportive of each other’s paintings. Like, strangers genuinely hyping strangers. It’s wholesome… but not annoying wholesome. The good kind.
If you came along, thank you for bringing the energy. If you missed it, keep an eye out for our next Airlie Beach Paint and Sip because we’ll be back through the Whitsundays region again. We’re physically incapable of staying away from places with this much natural flex.
