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Your Event Line Up
Some say we like to see ourselves as the main event, but really, we do it all for you! High-energy stage show sound good? How about beach cinema or symphony under the stars? If sport's more your thing, why not check out a NRL or AFL game? Or for lovers of low-key, get into one of the many grassroots arts and food festivals. Check out the latest events on Gold Coast below.
All Events
- Free Event
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From now until 28 Feb 2027
Paradise Country Koala Breakfast
Relax on a Sunday morning with buffet breakfast at the Farmhouse Restaurant. In this encounter you'll enjoy a visit from cute Koalas as they snack on their breakfast of eucalyptus leaves perched on a purpose-built koala habitat. Plus, the passionate wildlife team will tell you all about these most lovable native animals with an exclusive educational presentation.A portion of proceeds from every Koala Encounter will be donated to Paradise Country's Save a Mate conservation campaign, proudly supported by the Sea World Foundation.Paradise Country Admission Included.
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Wednesday (Weekly)
Mini Music Club with ELSKA
Join us for a vibrant, musical adventure packed with singing, dancing, and lots of sparkle! Expect live instruments, whimsical sounds, and plenty of changes for little (and big!) musos to move, groove and sing along!More about the artistJoin award-winning music artist, educator, and children's performer ELSKA for Mini Musos - a playful, interactive music experience for young children and their grown-ups. Through live music, singing, movement, instrument play, storytelling, and imaginative adventures, families are invited to explore, create, and connect together. Each session unfolds around a different theme, inspiring curiosity, creativity, and joyful participation. Expect plenty of singing, dancing, laughter, and musical magic along the way!
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From now until 11 Dec 2026
Gold Coast Hinterland Nature Adventures for Kids (School Holidays)
Birdwings Forest School offers Kids Nature Adventures in the Gold Coast Hinterland, providing visiting families with a unique, nature-based day camp experience for children aged 5–12 years. Set across bushland, rainforest, creeks, and open spaces, the program invites participants to spend the day exploring, creating, and connecting with nature.Guided by experienced nature mentors and forest school leaders, participants engage in bushcrafts, handcrafts, creek play, and campfire cooking within a natural adventure playground. With no gear required, this fully facilitated experience offers a meaningful alternative to theme parks and typical holiday activities.Located in Guanaba, near Mt Tamborine, it's ideal for families visiting the Gold Coast. While children are immersed in nature, parents can enjoy exploring the surrounding hinterland. Bookings are essential for this small-group experience.
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From now until 26 Sep 2026
Glow and Tell
Glow and TellAn interactive, light-filled storytelling adventure.This engaging interactive experience blends the magic of light and the simplicity of storytelling.Using UV light watch our custom-built tent be transformed into a magical performance space where stories and imagined worlds come alive as glowing drawings appear on the walls and floor.Following the performance, Families are invited to create and illustrate their own stories in glowing UV light.
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From now until 26 Sep 2026
Erth's Dinosaurs
Erth's DinosaursErth’s Dinosaurs is a bold new adventure from Australia’s internationally acclaimed puppet innovators. This stunning new production reimagines Erth’s most iconic prehistoric creatures with updated design, immersive storytelling and the latest paleontological discoveries.From the moment the lights go down, audiences are transported back millions of years to encounter life-sized dinosaurs that walk, roar and interact in jaw-dropping realism. From towering carnivores to gentle herbivores, each creature is brought to life through masterful puppetry that will captivate children and adults alike.Packed with thrills, surprises and dino-sized wonder, Erth’s Dinosaurs is an unforgettable theatrical experience that ignites curiosity, imagination and awe. Whether you are five or ninety-five, this spectacular show promises a fun and educational journey into the ancient past.Book now and prepare to meet the giants of prehistory like never before.
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From now until 26 Sep 2026
Kids Take Over Festival 2026
You're invited into a world of imagination where things are wonderfully strange and delightfully unexpected.Dive into a vibrant program of performances, free daily activities, immersive installations, and hands-on workshops. With something new to discover every day, one visit is never enough… well, not for a true adventurer!This is your chance to imagine, explore, and play.
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26 Sep 2026
Movies Under the Stars: The Magic Faraway Tree, Ormeau - Free
The City of Gold Coast Movies Under the Stars program is free, family-friendly fun on offer from September 2026 through to April 2027 right across the city.Gather your family and friends, pack a picnic or take advantage of delicious food options available in the local area.*** TICKETS NOT REQUIRED – JUST SHOW UP! ***Tickets are not required, however you can ‘reserve a spot’ on Eventbrite to sign up for event updates/reminders.Event date: Saturday, 26 September 2026Location: Pimpama River Parklands, OrmeauEvent starts at 4.30pm with kids' activities, face painting and mouth-watering eats from onsite food trucks. 😋Then stay for the movie starting at 6.30pm!Movie: The Magic Faraway TreeA modern family relocates to the countryside where the children discover a magical tree with eccentric residents. They are transported to fantastical lands, rekindling their family bond through adventures.Rating: G | Length: 110 minsThis Movies Under the Stars event is proudly brought to the Division 01 community by Cr Mark Hammel. @MarkHammelDiv1If weather is uncertain - or for more information including updates - please see the Spectrum or Facebook Event page.#GCMoviesUnderTheStars
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27 Sep 2026
AFLW Round 7: Gold Coast SUNS v St Kilda
Sunday afternoon footy returns to People First Stadium as the Gold Coast SUNS take on St Kilda. Lock in Sunday plans at People First Stadium for an afternoon of footy and fun. Kids go free! Free public transport is included with all pre-purchased tickets. Terms and conditions apply.
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29 Sep 2026 - 04 Oct 2026
2026 Australian Pickleball Championships
This is the flagship event on the Australian Pickleball calendar; as it brings together players of all ages, skills and offers inclusive opportunities for players with disabilities, to compete alongside some of the best homegrown and international talent.The event offers maximum participation with players competing in singles, doubles, mixed doubles and specialty formats.Stay up to date with all the latest news and updates about the APC 2026 by following us on social media. Join the conversation using the hashtag #APC2026 and be apart of the excitement!
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30 Sep 2026
Charlie Mitchell and Project Swing Big band
Step into the golden age of swing and jazz with The Ultimate Big Band Tribute Show, featuring Charlie Mitchell and Project Swing. Backed by a spectacular 16-piece big band of outstanding Gold Coast musicians, Charlie Mitchell and Project Swing have built a reputation for delivering unforgettable live performances filled with world-class musicianship, style and infectious energy.From the iconic songs of the great crooners to soaring brass arrangements, smooth ballads and toe-tapping swing classics, this spectacular concert captures the excitement and sophistication of the big band era. Whether you're a lifelong jazz enthusiast or simply love exceptional live entertainment, prepare for an evening of timeless songs, dazzling performances and pure musical joy.
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01 Oct 2026 - 11 Oct 2026
BEACON
BEACONA bright and bold BEACON of belonging this epic, large-scale installation becomes a landmark for joy across the 11-days of BLEACH Festival taking over the HOTA Lakeside Precinct. Led by Award-winning Gold Coast Arts Organisation Everybody NOW!, BEACON is a new commission designed by Internationally acclaimed Artist Morag Myerscough (UK), in collaboration with hundreds of Gold Coasters who participated in creative workshops. Impossible to miss, BEACON calls you in with vibrant colours, hand-painted patterned entrances and adorned gateways. Step inside to discover a welcoming space for all people, of all ages to explore, connect and create. Become mesmerized as the natural world interacts with the artwork; light dances through space, shapes move with the wind, and poetic text by best-selling author and ABC TV presenter Holly Ringland signal messages from people and place. Across the festival, as dusk falls BEACON sends out a siren of song with local community singers performing a special musical arrangement of Holly Ringland’s poem, before neon light transforms the artwork into a glowing nighttime festival hub. Be sure not to miss the festival choir signing the artwork to life at the BEACON Opening Night on Thursday 1 October as part of BLEACH 2026! BEACON is supported by the EGC Arts Fund.
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03 Oct 2026 - 01 Oct 2026
THAW
THAWHigh above, suspended by a crane, a figure isolated on three tonnes of melting ice struggles for balance. As sunset approaches what will be left? Created by Joshua Thomson, with an original score by Alaska’s Matthew Burtner, THAW is a potent metaphor for our time and an inspirational act of endurance, supported by unprecedented achievements in design and engineering. “It’s reflective of the real world, what’s happening now. We have glaciers melting.” - audience member, Sydney An urgent call to act on climate together, from leading Australian physical theatre company Legs On The Wall, THAW reaches across languages and circumstances to reflect humanity’s shared contemporary truth: There’s no time to waste.Thu 1 Oct, 5:00am - Surfers Paradise Beach Sat 3 Oct, 12:00pm - HOTA Lake Precinct
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02 Oct 2026
Lady Blackbird & Electric Fields
Lady Blackbird & Electric FieldsBLEACH Festival 2026 kicks off its opening Outdoor Stage Concert Series with a double bill of Australian and International soul with Lady Blackbird and Electric Fields – and best of all, it’s free! Heralding from the United Kingdom by way of the USA, is the internationally acclaimed “Grace Jones of Jazz”, Lady Blackbird. Featuring a powerhouse of soul, jazz and storytelling that collide in a voice that stops you in your tracks. Every Lady Blackbird song is an unmistakable sound of freedom. Harnessing a mighty voice that effortlessly embodies power, yearning and balladry, her powerful sound can evoke joy in one moment and then heartbreak in the next. Opening the night will be Electric Fields, the multi-award-winning duo who will bring their breathtaking beauty and power to the stage in a merge of traditional culture and electronic music. Featuring the rare and beautiful voice of Zaachariaha Fielding (who often sings in the traditional language of the Anangu People) and the brilliance of Producer Michael Ross to deliver soulful pop sounds of epic proportions to intensely intimate story-songs. This special music event is a celebration of song, soul and storytelling from two very powerful voices. Lady Blackbird and Electric Fields play HOTA’s Outdoor Stage, free for the opening weekend of BLEACH Festival 2026. Gates open: 6pm
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From now until 31 Oct 2026
Fright Nights at Warner Bros. Movie World
As day fades, darkness takes hold. Fright Nights has returned to corrupt the farthest corners and darkest depths of Warner Bros. Movie World. With nowhere safe to turn, one question decides your fate... Will you Survive the Night?Conquer five petrifying Scare Mazes, brave returning and new Horror Encounters, explore brain-melting Panic Rooms, take on scream-inducing night rides and roaming monsters. Fright Nights rises during October only, so make sure to grab your tickets before it's too late...
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03 Oct 2026
Gods and Monsters, Exhibition Launch
Gods and Monsters, opening eventDavid Smouha Studio presents Gods and Monsters, a new body of work tracing the pop and camp sensibility from classical statuary to the superhero comic. Smouha's practice sits squarely in the lineage of Warhol, Lichtenstein and Rosenquist, filtered through the theatrical excess Sontag identified as camp, the Greco-Roman ideal recast as spandex icon, myth rebuilt from the visual language of mass culture.Presented to coincide with BLEACH Festival, the exhibition opens at David Smouha Studio, Mermaid Beach. The artist will be present. All welcome.
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03 Oct 2026
SIX60
SIX60It has been 7 years since SIX60 have graced HOTA’s Outdoor Stage with their collision of roots, soul, pop and dubstep; Now they return to Gold Coast audiences as part of BLEACH Festival 2026 for a pure celebration of New Zealand born music alongside powerhouse SUB-TRIBE. SIX60’s ability to infuse their music with deep kiwi roots and rich cultural heritage has generated them a devoted fan base, numerous accolades and sold-out performances all over the world. Their live performances are widely praised for being high-energy, anthemic, and genuinely engaging leaving audiences hyped and truly euphoric. Supporting SIX60 is SUB-TRIBE, delivering their tropical party of roots, reggae and hip-hop with deep base and solid grooves. They have been festival favourites at WOMAD, Good Love and Island Vibes, bringing the high energy feel-good vibes that have crowds skanking for more. Gates open: 6pm
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF COUNTRY
Experience Gold Coast acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of the land on which we are situated, the Kombumerri families of the Yugambeh Language Region.
We pay our respects to their Elders past, present and emerging, and recognise their continuing connections to the lands, waters and their extended communities throughout Southeast Queensland.