Jungle Love & Airlie Beach Music Fests Score Share In $245,000 Funding Grant

Beloved Queensland boutique event Jungle Love Music & Arts Festival and northern comrade Airlie Beach Festival Of Music have been awarded a share in more than $245,000 in funding from the state government.

The annual festivals are two of 13 to be named as successful applicants for the sixth round of Tourism & Events Queensland's regional Queensland Destination Events Program (QDEP), which began in 2015 and has provided "destination tourism events" with almost $4.5 million in funding.

Jungle Love will receive a $10,000 share of the $245,999 funding pool, while the Airlie Beach fest will be granted $15,000.

Other events to make the cut include Brisbane's Abbey Medieval Festival ($36,000), the Spirit Of Bundaberg Festival ($15,000), the Stanthorpe Apple & Grape Harvest Festival ($40,000) and the Yarrabah Band Festival ($20,000) and more.

Previous recipients include the award-winning Toowoomba Carnival Of Flowers and Mount Isa Mines Rotary Rodeo, both of which took out gold medals at the Australian Tourism Awards in Darwin this year.

In making the announcement for round six, Tourism & Major Events Minister Kate Jones specifically acknowledged Jungle Love, a first-time recipient of funding through the program, which holds three rounds a year and "supports our vision to build Queensland's reputation as the leading tourism and events destination," she said.

"We want to support events that attract visitors to regional Queensland destinations and contribute an economic boost to local communities," Jones said in a statement.

"As we look to grow our events offering around Queensland, I'm pleased to say the Jungle Love Music & Arts Festival at Imbil, near the Sunshine Coast, will receive funding for the first time under this round."

The seventh round of QDEP is open now for events held between December this year and January 2019. For more details, see the Tourism & Events Queensland website.

Jungle Love will be held at Borumba Deer Park, Imbil, from 30 November to 2 December — see its website for more info — while Airlie Beach returns to the Whitsundays from 9-12 November (further details available here).

QDEP Round Six Funding Recipients — may 2017

• Abbey Medieval Festival, Brisbane, 8-9 July 2017 — $36,000
• Quandamooka Festival, Brisbane, 1 August-1 October 2017 — $24,999
• Spirit of Bundaberg Festival, Bundaberg, 14 October 2017 — $15,000
• Mackay Beach Horse Races, Mackay, 17-19 August 2017 — $15,000
• Blackall Heartland Festival, Outback Queensland, 20-22 October 2017 — $10,000
• Lake Moondarra Fishing Classic, Outback Queensland, 27-29 October 2017 — $10,000
• Warwick Gold Cup Campdraft & Australian Championship Rodeo, Southern Queensland Country, 23-29 October 2017 — $20,000
• The Stanthorpe Apple & Grape Harvest Festival, Southern Queensland Country, 23 February-4 March 2018 — $40,000
• Jungle Love Music & Arts Festival, Sunshine Coast, 30 November-2 December 2017 — $10,000
• Taste Port Douglas, presented by Sheraton Mirage, Tropical North Queensland, 11-13 August 2017 — $15,000
• Yarrabah Band Festival, Tropical North Queensland, 4 November 2017 — $20,000
• Cairns Tropical Pride, Tropical North Queensland, 30 September — 8 October 2017 — $15,000
• Airlie Beach Festival of Music, Whitsundays, 9-12 November 2017 — $15,000
• Total Funding: $245,999