There’s not many things without a price tag these days, which means some free live music is not only appreciated, but very much needed. And in case we don’t repeat it enough already, SPRINGTIME is a 100% FREE festival held at Surfers Paradise on the Gold Coast!
With no tickets needed, you can come see Matt Corby, BENEE, Bag Raiders (DJ Set), Babe Rainbow and more perform for FREE right on the Surfers Paradise beachfront! How good is that?!
And the music is just the start. With the festival set right in the heart of the Gold Coast, there’s plenty more activities for you to explore for free between artist sets. Or better yet, come a few days early or stay back to make sure you’ve got plenty of time to explore all the GC has to offer!
GET IN, WE’RE GOING BEACH HOPPING.
This one should be a given, because you’re on the Gold Coast! With an endless coastline that stretches for over 70KMs, we’re sure you’ll find your little piece of heaven.
If you’re keen for a surf, head down south to Kirra/Coolangatta area. A favourite surf spot for the locals nearby is Rainbow Bay, which has bigger and longer waves for experienced surfers. Fun fact for Babe Rainbow lovers, this beautiful spot is how the band got their name!
For more serene waters, Currumbin Creek and Tallebudgera Creek is the perfect place to keep the tan up and just relax into the golden warm sands. And if you don’t want to venture too far away, you can always just stay at Surfers Paradise beach and catch all the amazing artists who’ll be performing right on the beach.
CHECK OUT SOME ART!
Just a ferry away from SPRINGTIME is the Gold Coast’s Home of the Arts (HOTA). Bright, colourful and unmissable, the gallery building itself is an art piece, with the architecture design taking inspiration from a voronoi diagram, which are geometric shapes found throughout nature in various patterns like animal skin and bubbles.
Just as beautiful inside as it is on the outside, the HOTA Gallery hosts various paintings, photographs, ceramics and more from artists far and wide. Check out the various free exhibitions to soak up all the amazing arts and culture the Gold Coast has to offer!
There’ll also be plenty of art at SPRINGTIME, including live mural paintings from artists YEAHYEAHCHLOE and Malara Rise, as well as a brand new participatory performance installation called Quest of Chaos that you won’t want to miss!
WHO DOESN’T LOVE A GOOD MARKET?
The Gold Coast is blessed with great sunshine, chill vibes and lots and lots of markets.
From food markets to arts and craft markets, you name it, there’ll be a market for it. If you like to treat yourself to some gourmet goodies, definitely check out the Sunday HOTA markets, Miami Marketta and The Sanctuary Markets at Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary – all free to enter and open during the weekend!
For that clean girl, organic aesthetic, the Burleigh Farmers Market and the Gold Coast Organic Farmers Markets in Mermaid Waters will have plenty of fresh fruit and veg straight from local farms. As for the arts and craft enthusiasts, The Village Markets in Burleigh has plenty of new and vintage treasures from local start-up businesses.
And if you want a bit of everything, Carrara Markets has got the best of all worlds! You can check out a comprehensive list of all the Gold Coast markets here.
If you weren’t already planning your trip to the Gold Coast for SPRINGTIME this September, now’s the time! Check out our full artist lineup and arts program to see all the incredible talent who’ll be gracing the festival from 1 – 3 September. See you soon!
