The temperature is cooling down, but things are heating up here on the Gold Coast thanks to our jam-packed program of events. Check out our Gold Coast what’s on for autumn…
HOLI 2023: Gold Coast Festival of Colour | Saturday March 4 at Broadwater Parkland South
Don’t miss this fun-filled day of music, dance and delicious food. Perfect for the whole family, the Gold Coast Festival of Colour will feature a colour play zone, colour fun run, live DJ, food stalls and multicultural performances.
International Women’s Day Luncheon | Wednesday March 8 from 12pm at the Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre
Celebrate the extraordinary contribution of women in tourism and other key industry sectors as they Embrace Equity this IWD. This luncheon will feature a rare opportunity to hear from some of the nation’s most inspirational leaders.
Sunday Harvest | Sunday March 12 at Miami Marketta
It’s the Gold Coast’s best Block Party, featuring some of Australia’s fastest rising talent. This time around, catch Rum Jungle, South Summit, Selfish Sons, The Dandys and more, plus live art and food stalls.
St Patrick’s Day celebrations | Friday March 17 to Sunday March 19 at various locations
To be sure (to be sure), the Gold Coast couldn’t be farther from Ireland – both literally and figuratively. But that doesn’t stop us from getting into the St Patrick’s Day spirit; there are plenty of Gold Coast St Patrick’s Day events to help you celebrate.
Gold Coast Laughs Festival | Friday March 17 to Sunday March 26 at HOTA
The Gold Coast’s annual comedy festival is back in 2023, and it’s set to be massive. GC Laughs will deliver a huge, hilarious, star-studded comedy line-up featuring the likes of Tom Gleeson, Lawrence Mooney, Rove McManus and more.
Somerset Storyfest | Tuesday March 28 to Thursday March 30 at various locations
Storyfest is the writers’ festival for the Gold Coast, with hundreds of author sessions taking place across the three days, plus community events to spark the imaginative minds of avid writers.
Disney 100: The Concert | Friday March 31 to Saturday April 1 at HOTA
Celebrate a century of everyone’s favourite Disney hits – Cinderella, Beauty & The Beast, The Lion King, Moana, Encanto and more. You will be dazzled as a cast of Australian musical theatre stars, 45-piece symphony orchestra and maestra Jessica Gethin bring your favourite Disney animated film scores to life.
Sunday Harvest | Sunday April 2 at Miami Marketta
It’s the Gold Coast’s best Block Party, featuring some of Australia’s fastest rising talent. This time around, catch Wolfmother, The Blackwater Fever, Trapdoor, Zooid and more, plus live art and food stalls.
Scenic Rim Farm Gate Trail | Sunday April 2 at Scenic Rim
The first Scenic Rim Farm Gate Trail of 2023 will see farmers, growers, producers, winemakers, brewers, distillers and flavour-makers across the region open their gates for a day celebrating where food comes from.
Surfers Paradise Easter Markets | Friday April 7 to Sunday April 9 at The Esplanada, Surfers Paradise
The Surfers Paradise Beachfront Markets will host over 100 stalls, handmade and artisan goodies, live entertainment for the whole family, sweets and treats and the Easter Bunny himself.
Byron Bay Bluesfest | Thursday April 6 to Monday April 10 at the Byron Events Farm
Australia’s most awarded music festival returns for its 34th year! With a huge lineup of legends already announced – including Gang of Youths, Counting Crows, Beck and more – there’s no better way to spend your Easter weekend.
Lifelife Bookfest | Saturday April 15 and Sunday April 16 at Carrara Markets
The Lifeline Bookfest is a bookworm’s bliss – a second-hand book sale for book-lovers young and old. It’s one of many reader roundups that will take place across Queensland this year, drawing new and dedicated Bookfestians with the promise of lots of pre-loved books for sale at great prices.
Supanova Comic Con & Gaming | Saturday April 15 to Sunday April 16 at the Gold Coast Convention & Exhibition Centre
Welcome to the welcoming home of Australia’s pop culture fandom – a place where fans inspired by comics, sci-fi, fantasy, anime, gaming, nostalgia and literature come together to celebrate.
Cooly Classic Ocean Swim | Saturday April 22 at 15 Marine Parade, Coolangatta
The Cooly Classic is a rare opportunity to swim a course with some of Australia’s most revered surf breaks as your backdrop – Snapper Rocks, Coolangatta and Kirra. There are four distances, from 1km to 5km, but it’s always the 2.0km Cooly Classic from Snapper Rocks to Kirra Beach which attracts the masses.
Red Hot Summer Tour | Saturday April 22 at the Broadwater Parklands
The Red Hot Summer Tour is bursting into 2023 with a line-up of Aussie music icons like no other. Catch Paul Kelly, Bernard Fanning, Missy Higgins and more, all coming to the Gold Coast for an unmissable concert.
Queensland Vegan Markets | Saturday April 22 at Broadwater Parklands
Enjoy a great day out by the beach with your favourite vegan eats, drinks, shopping and charities. Entry is free, and the event is dog-friendly and picnic-friendly – there is also on-site parking, which is handy.
Dogs on the Green | Sunday April 23 at Benowa State School
If you’re a dog lover, you won’t want to miss this free community market. It’s the ultimate showcase of dog products and services from local small businesses, plus coffee, food vans, bacon and egg rolls, slushees, sweet options, vegan options and more. There’s even a raffle.
Gold Coast Film Festival | Wednesday April 19 to Sunday April 30 across various locations
This annual 12-day film festival will deliver more than 100 films, panels, parties, pop-up cinemas and special events right across the Gold Coast. There will be films from all over Australia and the world, by filmmakers from a diverse array of backgrounds – all coming together to celebrate our local film industry.
The Long Sunset | Saturday April 29 at Elysian Fields, Canungra
The Scenic Rim will roar to life this April with The Long Sunset. Featuring the beloved Lime Cordiale, bringing their signature sunny disposition in spades. Not to mention the bop-worthy, Winston Surfshirt to keep you groovin’ all night long.
Never Ending 80s | Sunday April 30 at Miami Marketta
There’s no other decade like the 80’s. It was THE era of big hair, big hits and big fun. Never Ending 80’s take you back to party like it’s 1989 with a night packed full of the biggest hits by the greatest artists ever. The 80s had the greatest soundtrack, and Miami Marketta is bringing it back to Dance The Night Away.
Yuriyal Eric Bridgeman: A barrow, a singsing | Now until Sunday May 7 at HOTA in Surfers Paradise
Weaving together imagery, colours and materials inspired by Bridgeman’s ancestral lineage in Papua New Guinea with those of the rugby league sporting code, A barrow, a singsing is a highly personal work that reverberates with ideas of celebration and sorrow, life and death, victory and loss.
Candlelight: Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake | Friday May 12 at Palazzo Versace in Main Beach
Candlelight concerts bring the magic of a live, multi-sensory musical experience to awe-inspiring locations never before used for this purpose on the Gold Coast.
Gold Coast Fashion Week | Friday May 12 to Sunday May 21 at the Gold Coast Fashion Project
The Gold Coast is truly coming of age as a fashion capital, and the Gold Coast Fashion Week is the ultimate celebration of that. Showcasing designs and designers that are unique and distinctly coastal, this year’s event will host a new generation of influencers, media and buyers, too.
www.goldcoastfashionproject.com.au
Lost in Palm Springs | Now until Sunday May 21 at HOTA
Connections between Palm Springs and Australia are remarkably strong, particularly when viewed through the lens of the current renaissance of interest in modernist architecture. This HOTA Gallery touring exhibition will debut here on the Gold Coast before undertaking a significant national tour of 11 galleries.
Blues on Broadbeach | Thursday May 18 to Tuesday May 23 at Surf Parade in Broadbeach
Every year, Blues on Broadbeach hosts international and Australian talent throughout Broadbeach. This year, musicians like Tommy Emmanuel, Don Walker and more from the dazzling line up will take to the outdoor stages and venues – all for free.
Sanctuary Cove International Boat Show | Thursday May 25 to Sunday May 28 at Sanctuary Cove
It’s the most glamorous, immersive, unmissable boating lifestyle event in the Southern Hemisphere. From the luxury lifestyle of the superyacht set to the family fun of messing around with everything on, under and around the water SCIBS is sure to deliver.
www.sanctuarycoveboatshow.com.au
Lunar Electric | [POSTPONED TO SEPTEMBER] at Doug Jennings Park
Don’t miss Doja Cat, NLE Choppa and more international acts that are soon to be announced when they come to the Gold Coast for Lunar Electric. The festival is also taking place in New Zealand and Dubai, proving that our city is Australia’s go-to for world-class music.
