24 September 2026
BLEACH FESTIVAL IS INVITING YOU TO COME PLAY AND BE A PART OF THE FESTIVAL!
GET INVOLVED!
Love to perform?
Love to meet new people and be part of something cool, creative and unique?
There’s so many ways to join the Festival FUN!
HYPER TEMPLES OPENING CEREMONY
UnitePlayPerform
Saturday 3 Oct, 1pm
Melissa Gilbert, UnitePlayPerform is looking for volunteers to come play, participate and bring your imagination to transform the HOTA Gallery into a living installation.
Free to join
HIGH TIDE
Everybody NOW!
Sunday 11 Oct
Be one of 100 glowing jellyfish!
Everybody NOW! are looking for 100 volunteers aged 13 years and over to carry illuminated jellyfish puppets, created by Brisbane’s award-winning Dead Puppet Society, as part of High Tide – our spectacular closing event for BLEACH Festival.
Come Join!
REPATTERNING THE FUTURE
UnitePlayPerform
Professional Development Program
Thursday 8 October 12pm
EOI’s NOW OPEN - CLOSING SOON
Repatterning the Future Professional Development program is a free program for creatives, artists, educators, facilitators, cultural workers and local future-focused organisations.
KIDS TAKE OVER FESTIVAL
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.
Explore Kids Take Over at HOTA these school holidays!
Mon 14 – Sat 26 Sept
JOIN US TO CELEBRATE BLEACH OPENING NIGHT
Let's come together by the HOTA Lake to kick-off this year's festival, with the awakening of BEACON; an epic, large-scale installation and landmark for joy at the centre of BLEACH 2026.
As dusk falls, neon light transforms the artwork into a glowing nighttime festival hub. You'll hear a blend of storytelling and music from Kombumerri artist Lann Levinge and enjoy more than 200 singers performing in the BEACON Festival Choir with musicians from Queensland Conservatorium, Griffith University.
Wrap up the night with local electro-pop duo, Super Massive, bringing the dance floor community feels and big disco energy, kicking off 11 days of live music, performance and installation art.
Thurs 1 Oct from 5pm
ARTLAB BLEACH FESTIVAL EDITION – PSYCHEDELIC KALEIDOSCOPES
To celebrate BLEACH Festival at HOTA, ArtLabbers will meet on Level 5 in the immersive installation, Kaleidoscope Skies, by Claudio Kirac and Better Days Projects. We’ll discover the way coloured light impacts our experience of space, before customising and decorating our very own kaleidoscopes to take home.
We’ll experiment with different combinations of coloured objects in the kaleidoscope, testing how they interact with light and movement. Once we’ve made our selection, we’ll decorate the kaleidoscope tube to match!
Recommended for ages 6-12 years.
Saturday 10 October, 10:30am - 11:30am, Level 5, HOTA Gallery
DRAWING FOR LIFE – RETRO ROLLER SKATERS
Enter the rainbow-filled world of Minna Gilligan: True Colours for a very groovy edition of Drawing for Life.
We’ve invited two roller skaters, embracing retro and vintage aesthetics to present a series of solo and interactive poses celebrating friendship and play.
Come to simply draw or take part in a series of optional activities inviting you to cut and paste, add colour, texture and 70s style patterns and shapes.
Please note that all materials are provided.
Thursday 15 October, Doors 5:30pm for 6pm – 8pm workshop, Children's Gallery, HOTA Gallery
SUMMER SERIES: CRAFT + SPRITZ
Knock off on a Friday and head to HOTA Gallery this summer for adult artmaking with a twist.
Enjoy after-hours access to Minna Gilligan: True Colours brought to life with a pop-up bar, drop-in artmaking sessions, live vinyl tunes and more!
Friday 23 October, 4pm - 7pm, Ground Floor, HOTA Gallery
VIEW THE 10 SEPTEMBER 2026 ARTS & CULTURE UPDATE
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.