First Light – August 1 at Love Your Local North Burleigh Hub
Kicking off the stellar 2024 season of BLEACH* Festival is the ever-moving First Light on August 1. If you’ve not yet had the pleasure, let this be the year you set your alarm, sink your toes into the sand of North Burleigh Beach and watch the sunrise against a backdrop of stirring songs from the Pacific performed by the Wayfinders Choir.

Today I Feel a Soft Breeze – August 3–4 at HOTA
BLEACH* is set to break Gold Coast records on August 3–4 with Today I Feel a Soft Breeze, where two dancers will enthral audiences with a mesmerising 24-hour dance duet, set upon a floating stage on the tranquil waters of the HOTA lake. From sunrise to sunset and starry nights to daylight, Dancers Lizzie Thomson and Ryuichi Fujimura will take on this magnificent feat, with those who watch on entranced by the expression of love and connection. The song they will be performing to is by Gold Coast local, Cold Ghost, who, when composing the piece, would visit the rivers, creeks or sea around the Gold Coast. This perforamance is free to attend. Find out more over on the BLEACH* website.

River of Gold – August 2–3 at Broadbeach Cultural Precinct
Across to another body of water, River of Gold is a mesmerising light installation mapping the Gold Coast waterways. This experience invites you to ‘wade in the water’ and gaze at the stars. Created by the acclaimed Brisbane-based team After/All, this installation operates completely off the grid. Plus, the lighting fixtures will be given out to the BLEACH* audience members after the festival. Enhance your evening with complimentary concerts at the BLEACH* Speakeasy featuring Mohini Cox and Martha Baartz. These events are family-friendly and free.

Slow Art – Sounds Of the Valley – August 11–12 in Tallebudgera Valley
The festival invites you all aboard the BLEACH* bus on Saturday August 11 and August 12 to venture to the Tallebudgera Valley Festival Hub for Slow Art – Sounds Of the Valley, a unique musical journey set amidst the Gold Coast hinterland. Join a musical convoy as it meanders through the winding roads around 20 acres of the valley, stopping for intimate 30 minute ‘mini concerts’ by award-winning musicians Erik Griswold, Christine Johnston, Karl S Williams and Bree van Reyk. Debuting new work created specifically for BLEACH*, attendees will be serenaded with site-specific sounds and the stories from the valley.  Soak in the good vibes as you tuck into gourmet picnic treats supplied by the award-winning Palette Restaurant. Get your tickets here.

TEN – THE FARM – August 3–10 at Love Your Local North Burleigh Hub
Be mesmerised by the world premiere of TEN, a bold work by local theatre legends, The Farm. From traditional theatre and dance to outdoor installations, film and immersive theatrical experiences, The Farm’s leading-edge, critically-acclaimed works aim to defy all expectations and genres. Celebrating 10 years of art making, you can watch the show come to life in front of your eyes as the team creates this new piece in public over the 10 days of the festival. Watch the performance of this new production in its entirety on Saturday August 10. Nab your tickets here.

HEXADECA – August 3–10 at Love Your Local North Burleigh Hub
Tap into your musical side by working with others to produce a captivating piece of music at HEXADECA. This sonic playground features specially designed fibreglass seats that play segments of a musical composition when those are seated in them. The complete piece, created by notable Australian artists such as Tom Thum and Kiah Gossner, is only heard when every seat is filled, turning musical chairs on its head. HEXADECA highlights the wonderful experience that emerges when people come together, regardless of age, background, or culture.

Honourable mentions: the Broadbeach Festival Hub transforms the Nerang River into a stage for spectacular musical performances, including Wayfinders – A Pacific Journey and the grand contemporary dance spectacle Us And All of This. The beachside haven of Love Your Local North Burleigh Hub will also have you grooving to the sweet sounds of Gold Coast’s best local talent at the Live Music Stage every day of the festival. 

Interested in seeing what else is on the cards when BLEACH* takes over the Gold Coast this August? Peep the complete program and treat yourself to a ticket or two today.