02/10/2026
What’s On the Coast this October 🎃
From sculpture-filled streets to fireworks over the water, October brings a huge lineup to the Coast - festivals, sport, Halloween and everything in between. Swipe through for our top picks this month 👉
🎨 BLEACH* Festival | 1–11 Oct
🎉 King’s Birthday Long Weekend | 3–5 Oct
🏡 Gold Coast Open House | 10–11 Oct
🍺 Oktoberfest in the Gardens | 10 Oct
🤠 Groundwater Country Music Festival | 16–18 Oct
🏄 Coolangatta Gold | 17–18 Oct
🍽️ Feast on Fifth | 17 Oct
🏎️ Gold Coast 500 | 23–25 Oct
🎬 Flicks & Fireworks | 25 Oct
🎃 Halloween Weekend | 30–31 Oct
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Moving to October for the first time in 2026, BLEACH* Festival brings eleven days of dance, theatre, live music and public art across HOTA and other Gold Coast venues - a city-wide celebration of contemporary culture, with something new happening most nights of the week.
A public holiday long weekend to kick the month off right. Whether it’s a beach day, a round of golf or simply a slower pace, it’s the perfect excuse to make the most of an extra day off on the Coast.
A free weekend giving residents and visitors rare access to buildings and spaces across the city that are normally closed to the public - from private architect-designed homes to major infrastructure like Hinze Dam and the Desalination Plant.
Australia’s largest and longest-running Oktoberfest rolls into Broadwater Parklands for a day of German b**r, food and live entertainment right on the waterfront.
Three days of country music take over the streets, parks and venues of Broadbeach, headlined this year by Kasey Chambers and Kaylee Bell - one of the Coast’s biggest music weekends, drawing visitors from across the country.
The iconic surf ironman and ironwoman endurance event returns to Coolangatta Beach - ski, swim, board paddle and run, across two days of elite competition. Free for spectators, and one of the most impressive displays of athleticism on the Gold Coast calendar.
An annual street festival supporting local Palm Beach traders - food stalls, live music and markets line Fifth Avenue for the day.
The Boost Mobile Gold Coast 500 takes over the Surfers Par