Free to do,  Holiday Guide

Family friendly Gold Coast events to watch for in 2020

There are so many events on year round on the Gold Coast, but there are a few in particular that capture the hearts of residents and are not to be missed. Be sure to add these to your calendar and make sure to take the family for a visit!

Sand Safari: 14 Feb-1 March

Prepare to experience the largest and greatest sand sculpt competition that ever was, The Australian Sand Sculpting Championships (ASSC). Be amazed when 15 world-renowned sculptors, go head-to-head to take out the highly acclaimed title by creating 10-tonne sand sculpts revealing your favourite fairy tale classics. Witness an integral part of the festival happening over an intensifying three days – Friday 14 February to Sunday 16 February, with the official ASSC Award presentation taking place on Sunday 16 February at 5:30pm. During the course of the festival get involved and have your say by collecting a golden coin to vote for your favourite sculpt in the People’s Choice Award, the winner will take home the crown on Saturday 29 February.

Gold Coast Superhero Weekend: 27-29 March

Watch galaxies collide on the Gold Coast as thousands of pop culture fans head to Broadbeach for the annual Gold Coast Superhero Weekend (GCSW). The Gold Coast Superhero Weekend provides an immersive pop culture experience for everyone to enjoy and features plenty of fun for everyone over 3 days! Catch the Gold Coast leg of the Supanova Comic Con & Gaming Expo hosted at the Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre. Enjoy movie screenings from the Gold Coast Film Festival or maybe even meet your favourite superheroes. Don’t forget about the Gold Coast Superhero Weekend activities happening at Libraries across the Gold Coast and best of all Australia’s largest Superhero Parade presented by Supanova Comic Con & Gaming Expo.

Australian Street Entertainment Carnival: 10-13 April

The Australian Street Entertainment Carnival (ASEC) is a rumble of the region’s best professional street entertainers, taking to the streets daily, around the Surfers Paradise precinct. ASEC is a unique event that supports home-grown street entertainers and buskers by providing a platform for them to hone their live performance skills. An eclectic mix of talented local street entertainers and industry newcomers will take to the streets and dazzle audiences in a range of performance arts including acrobatics, dance, music, magic, comedy and more.

Sanctuary Cove boat show: 21-24 May

The Southern Hemisphere’s premier marine event is back. With over 300+ exhibitors and 600+ watercraft on display, you’ll be treated to best-in-class superyachts, fishing boats, trailers, watercraft, marine tech and much more.

SeaFire: 12-13 June

Surfers Paradise becomes a playground of light, music and entertainment over two huge nights at SeaFire. SeaFire is Australia’s only international fireworks competition. Nations compete to take home the 2020 SeaFire Championship title, so expect to see dramatic, pioneering pyrotechnic displays fired off ocean barges and choreographed to musical soundtracks, lighting up ‘sea to sky’ over Surfers Paradise beach. Thrilling aerial spectacles spark each night’s entertainment – stuntmen and skydivers decked in the brightest and loudest fireworks will fall from the sky, while jet skis cut through the whitewash below, leaving a trail of light in their wake. With plenty of pre-entertainment to enjoy, come in early and visit one of the precinct’s many inviting restaurants, bars or attractions, or park your picnic blanket in a prime spot for the fireworks.

Bleach* The Gold Coast Festival: August

Bleach* The Gold Coast Festival program is one of Australia’s leading and most exciting site-specific contemporary arts programs. Quintessentially Gold Coast, Bleach* celebrates the city’s most dynamic and adventurous artists, welcomes renowned Australian and international collaborators and engages a broad audience through a range of events. Utilising the Gold Coast’s world-famous natural landscape as unconventional venues, Bleach* aims to deliver incredible arts and cultural experiences that challenge expectations, change perceptions and provide a unique and authentic sense of place, inspiring both locals and visitors alike. The program features work across all genres including dance, theatre, contemporary music, opera, installations, circus and major public events.

Swell Sculpture Festival: 11-20 Sept

SWELL is Queensland’s premier outdoor sculpture exhibition and presents up to 50 Australian and international artists to captivate the hearts and minds of all who visit. Set along Gold Coast’s Currumbin Beach, the coastal landscape showcases thought-provoking and sculpturally impressive works. SWELL is a 10 day manifestation of conceptions and visual commentary presenting small, medium and large-scale sculpture installations, workshops and activations as a FREE outdoor gallery at Currumbin Beach. Artists from across Australia and the world working in all mediums. SWELL welcomes artists who are keen to break new ground in sculpture presentation and installation art.