With Valentine's Day on Thursday (check out our guide on where to wine and dine bae here), there may be a fear that your weekend has peaked early – but worry not, as there's a bunch of fun events happening on the Gold Coast from Friday onwards. From gin degustations and beachside concerts to Brazilian Carnaval and movies under the stars, we have found you the best of the best happening on the coast on the February 14–17 weekend. more
Kings and queens of the castle, get diggin' – the annual Sand Safari Arts Festival returns to Surfers Paradise this weekend to celebrate all things sand, sea and sport, transforming the iconic foreshore into a family-friendly fantasy sandscape from February 9 to 24. more
Get set for lion dancers, red lanterns and Peking duck – Lunar New Year is upon us! The vibrant festivities celebrate the turn of the lunar calendar, and this time around it's the Year of the Pig. There are plenty of events happening across the Gold Coast throughout the month of February, so if you're keen to get in on the Lunar New Year action, here are a few top picks. more
If there's one thing we love as Aussies, it's a long weekend, so we're welcoming these three days of freedom with open arms! We know that there's a lot of conversation still to be had about the changing the date of our national day, but there's one thing us Aussies can all agree on – we're bloody lucky to call this place home! If you're keen to soak up the goodness of Australia Day, then here are a bunch of events happening on Saturday January 26 that will surely make you proud as punch to be Australian. more
Let's be honest, we're all friends here – December and January bring the best of times and also the most hectic of times for families. Nothing beats the excitement of Christmas and those fun-loving summer vibes – until you realise that it's school holidays and there are many (so many) days and nights that need to be filled up with fun activities. We teamed up with the folk from the coast's innovative new rental community, Smith Collective, to bring you a handy guide to this summer's best family-friendly happenings – partly so you can nail the parenting life (or at least look like it) and also to ensure that the kids are all tuckered out by night-time ... ahh, the serenity. more
Living the solo life ain't that bad. Think about it – no kids, no significant other, no worries. Look, instead of focusing on what you don't have, let's shine the light on what you do have – time. Being time rich is truly the pinnacle, but there's an art to nailing the hours you've got spare. That's where we come in. In the spirit of maximising your independence, we've teamed up with the fun folk at Smith Collective, the coast's innovative new rental community and retail hub, to give you some ideas on how to really nail the single life on the Gold Coast this summer. more
Live your best life. Now, that's a set of words that are thrown around a lot these days, but how many of us actually do live our best lives? When the time comes that you stumble across your significant other, you're kind of expected to settle down, buy a house, save whatever little money is left after mortgage repayments and, you know, just generally scale back our lives completely to prepare for the future. Sound familiar? Well, the folks at Smith Collective, the coast's revolutionary new rental community, want to flip the script on 'adulting' for couples. We're in the know (it's our job), so Smith Collective teamed up with yours truly to let you know all about the best upcoming events and must-do foodie experiences across the Gold Coast. Forget Netflix and toasties on the couch – this is how you do it. more
If you've got a dog and know your way around a SUP, then make sure you've got Sunday October 28 in your diary – Pups on SUPS is back! Following its hugely successful inaugural event at Currumbin Creek last year, Pups on SUPS will this year move north to Southport's Broadwater Parklands for a day of four-legged fun. more
The glorious Currumbin Beach will again act as the backdrop for one of the city's most iconic and impressive displays of public art when SWELL Sculpture Festival rolls into town from Friday September 14. The internationally acclaimed festival, now in its sweet 16th year, will run through until Sunday September 23, featuring a huge line-up of installations, events and live music. more
Northern New South Wales is widely renowned in the country’s culinary conversations, and there's really no better way to experience the richness and diversity of the region than at Sample Food Festival on Saturday September 1, the ultimate one-day foodie event. more
Gold Coast, prepare yourself for a sensory overload – GLOW is back! For the first time the open-air festival of lights will be held over three (yes, three!) action-packed nights from August 9–11, illuminating the entire HOTA precinct with after-dark digital art, immersive installations, enchanting performances, live music and delicious food. This is going to be a visual feast like no other. more
While we generally prefer summer, the silver lining of these cooler months is belly-warming meals, bold wines and fun events like Varsity Winterfest. Yep, it's back again for another year, so don the winter woolies and get yourself lake side on Saturday August 4. more
In a major coup for the city's cultural scene, fearless pioneer and world-renowned avant-garde artist, composer, musician and film director Laurie Anderson will be on the Gold Coast this month as the first International Artist in Residence at HOTA. Known as one of the world’s most prolific and unique performance artists, Laurie is staging a series of must-see free and ticketed performances next weekend – here's what is in store. more
We’re less than a day away from the official opening of Brisbane’s newest five-star hotel W Brisbane and to celebrate, the hotel is kicking off one massive party. Want to know the best thing about this party? It’s mobile! This glamorous shindig will be brightening up Queen Street Mall at midday today before hitting the road and shimmying its way south. more
The Gold Coast oft gets a pretty crummy wrap from uninformed out-of-towners who still scoff into their soy latte at the very mention of the Gold Coast, believing the city is nothing more than surf, Schoolies and theme parks. But the truth is that we, its residents, know that those outdated stereotypes couldn't be further from the truth. We are Gold Coast: works from the Gallery at HOTA is a brand-new exhibition that shines a light on the city's evolution. more
We'll be first to admit that 2018 has been pretty darn massive so far. Agree? Well, if you're looking for a way to unwind, recharge the batteries and motivate your mind and body for the second half of the year, then Halcyon House is the place to do it. The dreamy Cabarita hotel is turning into a wellness retreat for one weekend only, joining forces with fitness gurus Pip Edwards (P.E Nation) and Kirsten King (Fluidform Pilates) to offer a weekend of workshops, fitness and fine food. more
Tea, colourful cakes, fresh scones (with jam and cream, of course), dainty sandwiches – oh yes, we're all for a fancy high tea! Though, most of us really only do high tea when it's a special occasion, like a birthday or a baby shower. If you're done waiting for the next excuse to indulge in a high tea experience, then gather the girls and book a table at High Tea with Friends – it's happening at Southport Sharks on Saturday May 26. The best part? It's all for an incredibly wonderful cause. more
You may have seen The Pop-Up Hotel before – a luxurious bell tent in the middle of Brisbane Festival, on the sandy shores of Kirra at Bleach* Festival, or smack-bang in the middle of Pacific Fair Shopping Centre. As its name implies, The Pop-Up Hotel can pop up anywhere at any time ... and this May it's bringing a whimsical night of luxury to Death Valley Fun Camp. more
With so much happening around the Gold Coast for Festival 2018 and Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games, it was inevitable that you couldn't possibly get along to everything. Lucky for us, we get a second chance to catch The Spirit of Churaki at HOTA's incredible new outdoor stage on Saturday May 26. more
Wow, what a week! Festival 2018 has well and truly delivered the goods, from culinary celebrations to colourful cultural displays and contortionism – we've seen it all! If you're yet to venture in to check out all of the action, there's plenty still to come across all areas of the Gold Coast. Hold onto your hats folks because week two is set to be jam-packed with fun things to see and do, here is our pick of top five must-see events from April 9 to 14. more
