Keep up to date
-
01 October 2026
BLEACH Festival Awakens at Dawn Dripping a Monumental 11-Day Lineup
Suspended high over iconic Surfers Paradise beach, BLEACH Festival opens today with soaring outdoor performance work THAW by Legs on the Wall. The dawn spectacle launches 11 days and nights packed with over 50 events, in a landmark full precinct takeover at HOTA, Home of the Arts. From midday perfor...
-
30 September 2026
International Visitor Wave Bolsters Gold Coast Visitor Economy
International visitors are flocking to the Gold Coast in growing numbers alongside a surge in domestic day trips driving the city’s visitor economy. The new data from Tourism Research Australia1 points to the continued resurgence of Gold Coast’s international performance in the year ending June 2026...
-
23 September 2026
A New Wave of Aussie Artists Adds to the Ultimate Country Music Beach Party
The countdown to Groundwater Country Music Festival (CMF) 2026 is officially on, with more than 30 artists added to the full festival program being dropped today including Andrew Farriss, Dan Davidson, Melanie Dyer, Allan Caswell, Tori Forsyth and The Pigs. KASEY CHAMBERS KAYLEE BELL | THE WOLFE B...
-
03 August 2026
Gold Coast Business Events Famil to Deliver a Sensory Showcase
Experience Gold Coast’s signature business events familiarisation, This is Gold Coast 2026 (TIGC26) will welcome more than 60 business event organisers and decision-makers this week from Monday 3 to Thursday 6 August, representing an estimated $50 million in potential business event leads. Now in it...
-
22 July 2026
Palette And Pipit Unite for an Exclusive One-Night Regional Culinary Collaboration
HOTA, Home of the Arts is set to bring together two of the region's most celebrated culinary talents this September, as Palette Restaurant welcomes renowned chef and restaurateur Ben Devlin, of Pipit in Pottsville. The exclusive one-night dining experience will see Palette’s Executive Chef Dayan Har...
-
21 July 2026
Groundwater Country Music Festival 2026 Drops Lineup of Country Icons, and Festival Favourites.
Dust off the boots and pack your hat, Groundwater Country Music Festival (CMF) 2026 is saddling up for another unforgettable three days of country by the coast, returning to the Gold Coast from Friday 16 - Sunday 18 October 2026. Australia’s ultimate country music beach party is once again bringing ...
-
20 July 2026
HOTA’s Annual Kids Take Over Festival Set to Return with Larger-than-Life Adventures
HOTA, Home of the Arts will once again become the ultimate destination for family fun these September school holidays as the annual kids' festival returns with an exciting program of theatre, circus, music and free interactive experiences designed to ignite young imaginations. Transforming every cor...
-
07 July 2026
Powerful First Nations Triennial Unveiled on the Gold Coast
Opening on the eve of NAIDOC Week's 50th anniversary, HOTA, Home of the Arts has unveiled the 5th National Indigenous Art Triennial: After the Rain - a National Gallery Touring Exhibition. The Gold Coast is the first stop on the exhibition’s national tour outside the National Gallery of Australia in...
-
24 June 2026
Record Visitation to the Gold Coast as International Recovery Surges
The Gold Coast has welcomed a record 14.7 million visitors in the year ending March 2026, according to new data from Tourism Research Australia1. The positive results have once again cemented the Gold Coast as the number one domestic holiday market in Queensland, and third largest in the country. ...
-
08 June 2026
Huge Crowds and Sold-Out Shows: New Generation Embraces Australia’s Biggest Nostalgia Festival
Cooly Rocks On has cemented its place as the country’s favourite nostalgia festival, winding back the clock for five unforgettable days of classic cars, rock ’n’ roll and fashion by the beach. Tens of thousands of fans and a record number of classic cars made the pilgrimage to the Gold Coast, soakin...
-
03 June 2026
Rockin' Retro as Cooly Rocks On Returns to the Gold Coast
Tens of thousands of people are descending on the Gold Coast as Australia’s largest nostalgia festival, Cooly Rocks On, returns to Coolangatta transforming the iconic beachside precinct into a retro playground packed with rock ‘n’ roll, classic cars, dancing and fashion. Celebrating the motors, mus...
-
28 May 2026
BLEACH Blooms with Festival Returning In 2026 with Spring Energy
The Gold Coast’s leading contemporary arts celebration, BLEACH Festival, is back in 2026 with a bold new chapter and seasonal shift, moving to October for a vibrant spring awakening for the city. BLEACH Festival will feature 11 days and nights of transformative experiences from 1-11 October, with a ...
-
21 May 2026
Gold Coast Secures Historic Site Global Conference for 2028
Experience Gold Coast has secured the rights to host the prestigious Society for Incentive Travel Excellence (SITE) Global Conference in February 2028, marking the first time in the organisation’s history the event will be held in Australia and the Asia Pacific region. The global incentive travel co...
-
18 May 2026
Artists And Fans Unite to Celebrate 25 Years of Blues on Broadbeach
Blues on Broadbeach has wrapped after four huge days of live music, with tens of thousands of music lovers flooding the streets, parks, bars and stages of Broadbeach as artists and fans came together to celebrate the festival’s milestone 25th anniversary. Australian favourites The Teskey Brothers cl...
-
11 May 2026
After The Rain Set to Bring Leading First Nations Artists to Gold Coast
HOTA, Home of the Arts is set to present the 5th National Indigenous Art Triennial: After the Rain marking the first stop on its national tour outside the National Gallery of Australia in Kamberri/Canberra. Curated by acclaimed Girramay/Yidinji/Kuku-Yalanji artist Tony Albert as Artistic Director, t...
-
08 May 2026
John Kotzas AM Appointed New Head of Arts and Culture at Experience Gold Coast
Experience Gold Coast is excited to announce the appointment of respected arts executive John Kotzas AM as its new Head of Arts and Culture, charged with overseeing the Gold Coast’s premier cultural precinct HOTA, Home of the Arts. With almost four decades of experience across the arts and cultural ...
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.