Photo: Dameeka Middleton.
Gold Coast festival guide
A rolling guide to the Gold Coast’s biggest music festivals, from free Broadbeach weekends and beachfront events to major touring festivals, country music and arts programs.
Keep this page bookmarked for confirmed festival dates and lineup updates across the Gold Coast through 2026 and 2027.
Updated September 2026
Planning a festival trip beyond this region? See the Queensland Music Festivals 2026–27 guide for upcoming dates across Brisbane, the Gold Coast, the Sunshine Coast and regional Queensland.
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Looking beyond the Gold Coast? Jump to another YELO festival guide, or browse the full Gold Coast gig calendar between festival weekends.
Lewis Capaldi is coming to the Gold Coast for Spilt Milk. Photo: Lewis Capaldi Facebook.
Gold Coast festival season
The Gold Coast festival calendar moves from Broadbeach stages and arts programs to beachside rock events, country weekends and major touring festivals heading into summer.
Coming up
Spring and summer bring free music at HOTA and Broadbeach, beachfront rock, major touring lineups and a three-stage dance festival. Confirmed 2027 dates are included below.
The Gold Coast’s flagship contemporary arts festival returns for 11 days of music, performance and large-scale public art. SIX60 will perform at HOTA’s Outdoor Stage with Sub-Tribe on October 3, while HOTA’s lakeside Live Music Stage hosts free performances by Gold Coast artists throughout the festival.
Website →Groundwater Country Music Festival returns with three days of free live music across Broadbeach. Kasey Chambers, Kaylee Bell, The Wolfe Brothers, Beccy Cole, James Blundell, Kingswood and more are on the 2026 lineup.
Website →The sold-out beach show brings Australian Crawl, Men At Work, Birds of Tokyo, Eskimo Joe, Boom Crash Opera, Vika & Linda, Ella Hooper and more to Coolangatta.
Official event info →Ministry of Sound returns to HOTA with a three-stage, 18+ dance festival spreading through the parklands around the lake, headlined by CLASSICAL with the Ministry of Sound Orchestra.
Official event info →Spilt Milk returns to the Gold Coast with Lewis Capaldi and RAYE appearing exclusively at the festival, alongside Baby Keem, KETTAMA, DMA’S, Remi Wolf, Maisie Peters, TOBIAHS, The Terrys and more.
Website →Sound Collective makes its Gold Coast debut with Maoli, Stan Walker, Katchafire, SOJA, Arrested Development, A.R.T., Bradamon, Riah and a local competition winner. The 18+ reggae, roots and soul festival lands at Broadwater Parklands.
Website →Four days of blues, roots and soul return to Broadbeach. The main festival is free, with the separate Sunday Ticket program also returning.
Official festival site →The motors, music and vintage culture festival returns to Coolangatta for five days of rock ’n’ roll, swing, rockabilly and beachside events.
Official festival site →Earlier in 2026
These major Gold Coast festival weekends have already wrapped for 2026.
September 12 · Kurrawa Park. Crafted marked ten years with local bands, breweries and food by the beach.
February 7 · Southport Sharks. Laneway brought its Queensland leg to the Gold Coast in 2026, with Chappell Roan among the major international names on the bill.
April 12. Ultra Beach brought large-scale EDM production and international dance acts to the Gold Coast.
May 14–17. Blues on Broadbeach again filled Broadbeach with free blues, roots and soul across outdoor stages and venues.
June 3–7. Cooly Rocks On returned to Coolangatta with rock ’n’ roll, swing, rockabilly, live music and vintage culture.
Rolling Sets is bringing a huge lineup to Tweed Heads, just beyond the Gold Coast. Photo: Supplied.
Beyond the Gold Coast
Some of the best festival weekends sit just beyond the Gold Coast, with Tweed Heads and the Northern Rivers an easy trip south for local music fans.
Rolling Sets returns to Ebenezer Park in Tweed Heads on November 28 with Ocean Alley, Royel Otis, G Flip and Violent Soho, alongside The Rions, Old Mervs, Teen Jesus and the Jean Teasers and more.
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More festival stories, music news and scene updates from the Gold Coast and wider Queensland music world.
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