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Find Your Perspective
There's a rumour that we're not a very "artsy" place. Good thing it's just a rumour. Galleries, theatre groups, nostalgia museums, sculpture festivals and indigenous performances just brush the surface of a cultural canvas that goes far deeper. As they say - art is purely a matter of perspective after all. Looking for more inspiration? Check out the cultural highlights of the Gold Coast hinterland.
arts & culture
- Free Event
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From now until 11 Oct 2026
This Moment: Highlights from the White Rabbit Collection of Chinese Contemporary Art
This Moment: Highlights from the White Rabbit Collection of Chinese Contemporary ArtImage Credit: Kung Wen-Yi 鞏文宜, RX78-2 2015, ceramic. White Rabbit Collection, Sydney. Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program by Judith NeilsonThis Moment: Highlights from the White Rabbit Collection of Chinese Contemporary Art is a demonstration of art’s power to document change, challenge perception and connect across cultures. Capturing the energetic spirit of 21st-century China, this extraordinary exhibition features bold, experimental artworks produced over the last 25 years that reclaim history, interrogate authority and reflect profound social change. Fearlessly engaging with complex global themes and China’s tumultuous history, the artists featured in This Moment challenge prevailing perceptions of modern China. From mesmerising light installations to powerful video art and large-scale sculpture, the experiential artworks in This Moment command attention with sheer scale and striking visual intensity, leaving their mark on your psyche and your social feed. Founded by philanthropist Judith Neilson in 2009, Sydney's White Rabbit Gallery showcases one of the world’s most significant private collections of Chinese contemporary art. Now in a Queensland exclusive, audiences can experience highlights from the collection at HOTA for free. This Moment: Highlights from the White Rabbit Collection of Chinese Contemporary Art features more than 35 works by 25 artists with artworks spanning video, photography, painting, light-based installations and monumental sculpture. The exhibition includes works by leading artists such as Geng Xue, Guo Jian, LuYang, Peng Hung-Chih, Xu Zhen, Zhang Dali and Zhang Peili.
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From now until 29 Nov 2026
Prison Island
Prison Island is an interactive adventure where teams take on 39 thrilling challenge cells. Perfect for all ages and group types including friends, families, or co-workers.The experience offers 60 to 120 minutes of gameplay with 39 unique themed cells and an adrenaline-fueled team challenge. Teams of 2 to 5 can participate, ideal for friends, families and co-workers. A thrilling mix of mental puzzles, physical challenges and team coordination is offered. Teams work to collect as many points as possible before time runs out.Perfect for any occasion including birthday celebrations, team building and bachelor and bachelorette parties.
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Sunday (Weekly)
Carrara Markets Car Boot Sale
Carrara Markets is famous for its Sunday morning Car Boot Sale!If you love a second-hand bargain then you're sure to find it amongst the boots full of preloved fashion, books, toys, homewares, tools, bibs and bobs!If you have a garage full of stuff you don't know what to do with, then you can make some cash from your trash by becoming a car boot seller! Seller sites are $50. No bookings required. Just turn up on the day with your car loaded up & start selling!Carrara Markets Car Boot Sale is open every Sunday morning 7am to 10am in the car park.
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10 Sep 2026 - 12 Sep 2026
Elegantly Wasted featuring the songs of INXS
Elegantly Wasted featuring the songs of INXSStep into a world where image is everything, and nothing is quite as it seems.Elegantly Wasted unfolds in the polished anonymity of a grand hotel lobby. Here, a constellation of young, impeccably dressed influencers glide through a space defined by luxury and illusion. Draped in vibrant, high-fashion silhouettes, they curate their lives in real time: each gesture measured, each interaction performed. Attention is currency. Identity is construction. Connection is choreography.In this seductive landscape, spontaneity is rehearsed, intimacy is stylised, and even solitude becomes spectacle.But beneath the shimmer lies an unsettling emptiness: like an exquisite designer bag carried for status, not substance. Slowly, the façade begins to crack. A pose lingers too long. A smile tightens. The seamless slips. What begins as perfection reveals something raw, fragile and unmistakably human.Set to the iconic, genre-defining music of INXS, Elegantly Wasted is a striking contemporary work that charts a compelling shift from artifice to awareness, from surface to soul. It invites us to question what we perform, what we conceal, and what we might rediscover if we dare to be seen without filters.At once glamorous and unflinching, this is dance that pulses with urgency, beauty and truth, capturing a generation caught between projection and authenticity, and the enduring human desire to connect.Image credit: David Kelly
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10 Oct 2026 - 11 Oct 2026
NO ONE GETS OUT OF HERE ALIVE
NO ONE GETS OUT OF HERE ALIVECreated by The Farm, No One Gets Out of Here Alive confronts mortality in a culture where Death is a taboo subject — where we draw velvet curtains over coffins and paint dead bodies with makeup so they look alive.But this isn’t only about the big D, it's also about the little d's: the death of our dreams, of past selves, of quiet everyday endings. Weaving dance, voice, and music with humour and pathos this visceral, cathartic work is an invitation to explore the endings that shape us, and the surprising lightness of letting go.With a cast spanning five decades, including dancers, singers and actors, No One Gets Out of Here Alive is as cheeky as it is confronting, helping us see death not as something to fear but a necessary aspect of our lives. No One Gets Out of Here Alive is inclusive, communal and celebratory, and showcases The Farm’s unique ability to deal with serious topics in an accessible and light-hearted manner. It’s a work for all those who will die, but it doesn’t need to be a funeral.By connecting with death, we remember that we are alive, extraordinary beings experiencing unbelievable moments of transcendence, possibility and interconnectedness. No One Gets Out of Here Alive brings audiences to the theatre in order to grieve, mourn and lament, but also ultimately celebrate the incredible and fragile truth of our existence on this planet.No One Gets Out Of Here Alive is supported by the EGC Arts Fund.
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31 Oct 2026
Bingo Loco at The Star Gold Coast
Strap yourselves in because the greatest bingo show on Earth is coming back to The Star Gold Coast!Gear up for a night of bingo complete with bass rumbling rave rounds, petrifying lip-sync battles, dance-offs, confetti cannons and spine-chilling special effects, comedian MCs, dancers, crazy theatrics, and of course thrilling prizes; shenanigans are mandatory!Previous prizes have included a holiday to Bali, a bathtub, a car, a 3m teddy bear, a bag of rubbish, a lawnmower, and even a boat!For more information please visit: www.bingoloco.com.auPlease note: This show contains content, entertainment and humour that some guests may find offensive, and therefore may not be suitable for all audiences.Follow along on IG @thestargoldcoastT&CsSubject to availability, change and cancellation. Must be 18 years or over to attend. *Price includes Eventbrite booking fees. Full payment will be processed at time of booking. Not available in conjunction with any other offers or discounts. No further discounts apply. The Star Club Member discounts do not apply. No refunds will be provided for booking cancellations or no-shows. Please note once booking payments are made, we are unable to offer any refunds. If a person under your booking is unable to attend the event, you can allocate the ticket to another person.By attending this event you consent to potentially being in the background of content on social media.If The Star postpones the event for any reason, all tickets will be credited to future events. If you are unable to attend the new date, a full refund will be honoured. The Star practises the responsible service of alcohol.
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21 Nov 2026
Bangarra Dance Theatre - Horizon
Bangarra Dance Theatre - HorizonThere is a place between sea and sky—a sacred realm, where the sun rises and falls and the light is new.From two of the world’s great First Nations comes a new work: Horizon. Some call it a feeling, some call it the mother spirit. It’s the place where sea meets sky, the horizon we all look to, the compass that guides us home.In Bangarra's first mainstage cross-cultural collaboration, leading Māori choreographer and Arts Laureate Moss Te Ururangi Patterson joins beloved Bangarra alumna Deborah Brown. Together they guide their award-winning ensemble in stories that honour their mother countries and the spirit that calls them home.Brown is a proud descendent of the Wakaid Clan and Meriam people in the Torres Strait, and has heritage from far across the seas in Scotland. She carries strength and resilience from her ancestors. Patterson, born near Lake Taupō, is a proud mokopuna (grandson) of the Ngāti Tūwharetoa tribe, and describes his sense of home as something alive, a fire inside, that he carries like a beating heart.To open the work, Saibailayg (Saibai Islander) Sani Townson expands his acclaimed work Kulka, which debuted in Dance Clan in 2023, to make a thrilling opening piece, paying homage to Sani’s grandfather and his Torres Strait heritage.Come explore the cultural forces that bind us together, across oceans and eons. Experience the resilience of the First Peoples of the Oceania region, that extends across the continent now known as Australia, the Torres Strait Islands and Aotearoa, our southern neighbour.Horizon is a double bill opening with Kulka by Bangarra alum Sani Townson, followed by the primary piece, The Light Inside, choreographed by Bangarra alum Deborah Brown and Māori choreographer and Arts Laureate Moss Te Ururangi Patterson.
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20 Dec 2026
HOTA Christmas Twilight Markets
Have a HotA Jolly Christmas, it's the best time of the year!Get ready to unwrap the sparkle this festive season at the HotA Twilight Christmas Market, your one stop wonderland for Christmas cheer under the stars on Saturday, 20th December from 4PM-9PM for an evening that's merry, bright, and bursting with yuletide joy.Wander through a twinkling trail for artisans, makers, and gourmet delights, all waiting to fill your Christmas stockings (and maybe your belly too!)What to expect: Unique handcrafted gifts for everyone on your nice list Seasonal food & festive feasts to make your taste buds sing Live tunes and roving performers spreading Christmas cheer Santa meet and greet and elf-approve photos ops Kids' activations for your little helpers A magical night market atmosphere you won't forget Wrap up your Christmas shopping and make a merry memories at HotA Twilight Christmas Market!Register for your free tickets to go into the draw to WIN A $200 GOURMET HAMPER! Saturday 20th December | 4PM-9PM 135 Bundall Road, Surfers Paradise Free entry - all elves are welcome! Parking Tips: Limited spots on site – why not make it easier? Sleight it smart by grabbing a ride-share to Chevron Island and take a magical stroll across the Green Bridge to HotA. Consider it your pre-feast walk!
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19 Jun 2027
Naturally Gold Coast Festival
A free, family friendly celebration of our region’s environment and rich biodiversity.Immerse yourself in hands on wildlife experiences, creative nature‑themed art activities, live music and opportunities to connect with local conservation organisations.HIGHLIGHTSKids’ activities including art and craft, ochre painting and wildlife face paintingMeet native animals up close-snakes, bugs, birds and possumsLearn about volunteer opportunities with local Landcare and conservation groups.Purchase native plant salesIMPORTANT INFORMATIONThis is an indoor and outdoor eventVenue is accessibleFamily friendly event suitable for all agesAdditional details will be provided in your confirmation emailTICKET REGISTRATIONRegistration is required for every person attending.
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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.