THE Great Barrier Reef Festival is cruising towards its most exciting program yet, thanks to a brand new platinum partnership with Cruise Whitsundays.

The three-year sponsorship deal will see tried and tested festival events reinvigorated as well as additional reef themed events introduced.

Festival chairwoman, Margie Murphy, said there were obvious synergies between Cruise Whitsundays as the region's premier reef operator and the festival's celebration of life in the community at the heart of the Great Barrier Reef.

"The festival has always been about connecting the reef to the shore and it's been one of our long-term goals to have more events on that theme, so Cruise Whitsundays is the perfect partner," she said.

Cruise Whitsundays regional sales manager Renee Branton-Brown said partnering with the festival would also help shine a positive spotlight on the Great Barrier Reef.

"Cruise Whitsundays has a long and proud history of supporting our region's community events but with this one particularly, we see a great opportunity to tell good news stories about our beautiful reef," she said.

Tourism Whitsundays chief executive officer Tash Wheeler said the benefits from this partnership were just the beginning of what the community could expect from the Great Barrier Reef Festival's recent rebrand.

"By taking ownership of our position at the heart of the reef and aligning with other strong reef-related brands like Cruise Whitsundays, the festival is poised to capture attention not just locally but nationally and internationally," she said.

The Great Barrier Reef Festival will be held from August 1 to 4, incorporating a range of events including live entertainment, an art installation, Family Fun Day, Wearable Art Competition, Recyclable Regatta, classic car show, Miss Pin-up Parade, Comedy Gala, Magic Mile running race, and the ever-popular Rotary Street Parade.

The new website www. greatbarrierreeffestival.com. au will go live this week and you can also follow the festival on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.