Groundwater Country Music Festival 2026

Few bands capture the feeling of an Australian summer quite like Thirsty Merc, and this November they’re bringing that sunshine straight to the Gold Coast. The 20 Good Regions Tour sees the band criss-crossing the country, from capital cities to country towns, and Miami Marketta is one of the stops on the map.

Expect a set built for singing along. Fronted by Rai Thistlethwayte, the band has spent more than twenty years turning out radio favourites, and they’re all on the menu: “20 Good Reasons”, “Someday, Someday”, “Mousetrap Heart”, “The Good Life”, “Tommy and Krista”, and “In The Summertime”, which you’ll know from the opening of Bondi Rescue. It’s polished, high-energy rock with the hooks to match, played by musicians who know exactly how to work a crowd.

Bring your mates, grab a bite from the Marketta’s street food line-up, and settle in for a night of the songs that have soundtracked countless road trips and backyard barbecues.

Tickets are available now through Oztix.

Gold Coast singer-songwriter Ben Morgan is coming home, and he’s bringing a fresh batch of songs with him. Fresh off the biggest overseas run of his career, Ben plays an intimate show in The Gin Parlour, giving locals an early listen to material from his upcoming debut album.

Ben’s sound sits somewhere between indie-folk and blues: a gravelly, lived-in voice, finger-picked guitar work and the unexpected lift of saxophone weaving through it all. His songs are drawn from real moments, touching on love, heartbreak, travel and the natural world, and they land with the honesty of someone who learned his craft playing to passers-by on the streets of the East Coast.

That busking start has since grown into a global audience in the millions online, and stage time alongside Ziggy Alberts, Boy & Bear and Kim Churchill, plus a turn at London’s Royal Albert Hall. Whether you’ve been following along since the early days or you’re about to hear him for the first time, this is a chance to catch a homegrown artist up close in a small room before the album drops.

The Gold Coast’s biggest Christmas singalong is back for a 15th year, filling HOTA with carols, lights and festive fun across two evenings.
Headlining this year is ARIA Award winner Samantha Jade, alongside high-energy DJ Havana Brown. The Royal Navy Band Queensland will bring the brass, the Looney Tunes crew from Warner Bros. Movie World will put on their Christmas show for the kids, and Santa is expected to make an appearance too. 7NEWS presenters Amanda Abate and Chris Parsons will host, and both nights finish with fireworks over the parklands.

Tickets for the Outdoor Stage area have all been claimed, but there’s still plenty of room to join in. Spread out a picnic rug on the HOTA Parklands from 4pm and watch the whole show live on the big screens, grab dinner from the food trucks, and take the family for a spin on the free Ferris wheel. Auslan interpreters will be part of the program, helping make it a night everyone can enjoy.

Getting there: walking, cycling or public transport is the easiest option. If you’re driving, enter your rego at the meter for four hours of free parking, though spaces may be limited.

Cascada brings her first solo headline tour of Australia to Burleigh Town Hotel on Saturday 28 November 2026.

Fronted by vocalist Natalie Horler, Cascada became one of the biggest names in 2000s club music with ‘Everytime We Touch’, ‘Evacuate The Dancefloor’, ‘Miracle’ and ‘Bad Boy’. She’s still releasing new music too, with recent collaborations alongside Jax Jones and Timmy Trumpet, and a new take on ‘Everytime We Touch’ with Steve Aoki.

Joining her on the night is Darren Bailie from the Guru Josh Project, performing the club staple ‘Infinity’, plus Australian dance favourite Nick Skitz. Expect a full night of big singalongs, so bring your friends and your best dancing shoes.

For the full story and other tour dates, read: Cascada Brings 20 Years of Dance Hits to the Gold Coast

Ministry of Sound is back at HOTA, Home of the Arts, with its biggest Gold Coast event yet. The Summer Dance Festival has moved to a new summer date and is expanding across the HOTA Precinct, with three stages spread through the parklands surrounding the lake.

The lineup

Leading the bill is CLASSICAL, with the Ministry of Sound Orchestra performing dance music’s greatest tracks live. Joining them are international dance legends Roger Sanchez (USA), Seb Fontaine (UK), Braxe + Falcon (FR), Utah Saints (UK), K-Klass (UK) and DJ Paulette (UK), along with Australian favourites John Course, Minx and Tenzin, plus a strong lineup of local talent.

A day-to-night festival

The Summer Dance Festival celebrates the defining moments of dance music and the artists who shaped them, with the classics reworked and reimagined on a bigger scale than ever. Thanks to huge demand, the whole precinct becomes a multi-stage open-air festival, featuring:

• Three stages with high-end production
• A Silent Disco
• Curated bars and premium food
• Lakeside parklands with the Surfers Paradise skyline as your backdrop

VIP tickets

For the ultimate festival day, VIP includes two welcome drinks, express entry, access to a raised viewing deck behind the main stage, and entry to the VIP Village at the Golden Stage. Inside, you’ll find exclusive bars, dedicated food vendors, private bathrooms, shaded seating and a keepsake tour laminate.

Premium Admission

Want to stay close to the action? Premium Admission gives you express entry plus faster bar and bathroom lines, so you spend less time waiting and more time dancing.

Don’t miss the Gold Coast’s ultimate summer dance event. Secure your tickets to Ministry of Sound Summer Dance Festival at HOTA today.

Hermitude are bringing their Eight Til Late Tour to the Gold Coast, taking over Burleigh Town Hotel on Saturday 5 December 2026.

The Australian electronic duo built their reputation on dancefloor favourites, and this run of summer shows is all about the fans outside the capital cities. Expect a festival-sized party in a local pub setting, with

Spilt Milk returns to the Gold Coast this December after selling out last year, and the Queensland leg comes with a lineup that’s well worth clearing your calendar for.

At the top of the bill are two international headliners you’ll only catch at Spilt Milk. Scottish hitmaker Lewis Capaldi makes his first Australian festival appearance since his triumphant 2025 Glastonbury set, bringing his latest UK chart-topper “Survive”. Sharing the top spot is South London’s RAYE, the record-breaking BRIT Awards winner, with songs from her second album, THIS MUSIC MAY CONTAIN HOPE.

The rest of the bill runs deep. UK songwriter Maisie Peters plays an exclusive set featuring her number-one album Florescence, US rapper Baby Keem arrives with new record Ca$ino, and Remi Wolf brings her colourful, genre-bending pop. Irish producer KETTAMA delivers big-room electronic energy, while Sydney’s DMA’S return to Spilt Milk for the first time in a decade with their new self-titled album. Keep an eye out for STÜM, Miss Kaninna and Kurdish-Kiwi favourite Fat Papi further down the lineup, plus an exclusive Gold Coast set from the winner of the American Apparel StAArt Up Fund.

Tickets are available through spilt-milk.com.au.

Christmas comes to the southern end of the Coast as Cooly Carols returns to Queen Elizabeth Park, right by the sand at Coolangatta.

It’s a relaxed, beachside take on the classic carols night: bring a picnic rug, gather the family and a few friends, and settle in as the sun goes down for an evening of festive songs with the ocean as your backdrop. It’s an easy, low-key way to get into the holiday spirit, with plenty of room for the kids to soak up the Christmas cheer.

The full program and performer line-up are still under wraps, so watch this space for more details in the lead-up.

Presented by the City of Gold Coast.

Southwave returns to South Bank this summer, turning Rainforest Green into a free open-air dancefloor across eight dates in January and February 2027.

Surrounded by tropical gardens in the middle of the city, the series pairs international DJs and well-known Australian acts with Brisbane’s own dance music community. Expect house, disco, UK garage and techno-leaning sets, plus a handful of live performances, from late afternoon into the evening.

Entry is free and all ages are welcome, so it’s an easy summer outing for groups, families and anyone who’d rather dance outdoors than in a club. The series is curated by The Tivoli Group, with select dates co-presented by Finely Tuned, QUIVR and Family Tree.

Registering for each date is optional and doesn’t guarantee entry, but it gets you set times and weather updates. If the site reaches capacity, entry moves to one out, one in.

Venue: Rainforest Green, South Bank Parklands, Brisbane
Get the Full Lineup and Read More Here

London soul singer Lucca Mae brings her first Australian run of shows to the Gold Coast, playing Miami Marketta on Wednesday 13 January 2027.

Lucca Mae’s sound draws on classic soul, with comparisons to Sam Cooke and Amy Winehouse and a touch of Paolo Nutini’s grit. She self-produced her debut album, The Truth Is, which features drumming from brothers Alan White of Oasis and Steve White, longtime drummer for Paul Weller and The Style Council.

She has already sold out tours in the UK and Sweden on the strength of her live show. This is a chance to see her in an intimate setting before she plays bigger rooms.

The Toni and Ryan podcast is coming off the airwaves and onto the stage, and you’re invited to be part of it. For the first time ever, Toni and Ryan are recording live in Australia, with a stop at HOTA, Home of the Arts on the Gold Coast.

Fans know the show for its honest, no-holds-barred conversations and quick wit, the kind of chat that feels like catching up with your closest mates. Over time, it has grown one of the warmest and most welcoming podcast communities in the country, and now that community gets to come together in person.

You’ll get everything you love about the podcast: the unpredictable tangents, the open conversations and the moments that leave you crying with laughter. On top of that, you’ll get something you can’t get through your headphones: the buzz of a full room of TARPers laughing along together.

Whether you’ve been with them since episode one or only started listening recently, this is your chance to be in the audience for a live episode and connect with fellow fans from your area. Book your tickets to the Toni and Ryan live podcast recording at HOTA before they’re gone.

Osees head back to Australia in February 2027, stopping at Miami Marketta on Saturday 27 February for an 18+ night of psych rock.

Led by John Dwyer, the band has a reputation as one of the most ferocious live acts going. This tour sees Brigid Dawson return to the lineup, and the band is bringing new album material along with deep cuts they haven’t played live in years, so long-time fans can expect a few surprises.

Support comes from Sydney six-piece Station Model Violence, who arrive fresh off a well-received debut album and a run of packed-out headline shows.

One of Australia’s best exports, Thomas Green storms back onto the stage to electrify audiences with a brand new hour, following his sell-out debut tour. After a significant self-discovery, Green realises his life is a whirlwind full of tangents of his own making, navigating through the impulsive, random and stupid.

After selling out all UK shows in 2025, Thomas Green’s Brainstorm tour is one of the hottest tickets around – now running into 2027 including 14 shows at London’s Leicester Square Theatre.

As seen on ITV and as heard on BBC radio. Tour support for Mo Gilligan, Jason Manford, Russell Kane and Adam Rowe. A podcast fan-favourite, and regular guest on the hit podcast ‘Have A Word’.

One of Australia’s greatest rock exports is coming home. Multi-platinum legends JET return to live shows in 2026, bringing the timeless anthems that defined a generation of rock music. From the stadium-filling swagger of “Are You Gonna Be My Girl” to the emotional punch of “Look What You’ve Done,” Jet’s catalogue remains as electrifying today as when they conquered the world in the early 2000s.

Inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame in 2023, Jet’s influence on modern rock is undeniable—6x ARIA Awards, 10x Platinum certifications in Australia, and global sales exceeding 6.5 million albums. Their debut album Get Born didn’t just launch a career; it launched a phenomenon. This is your chance to experience that lightning in a bottle live.

Backed by Sydney’s explosive indie rock powerhouses LIQUID ZOO, a five-piece built for maximum impact. Combining the swagger of The Strokes, the grit of early Kings of Leon, and the raw intensity of Amyl and the Sniffers, Liquid Zoo brings the perfect high-octane warmup to get the crowd primed for an unforgettable night.

Ziggy Alberts brings his new album TWIN FLAMES to Miami Marketta on Thursday 25 March 2027, an all-ages show that makes this a night the whole family can share.

The Byron Bay busker turned Royal Albert Hall headliner is known for intimate, sing-along shows. Expect the fresh, bolder sound of TWIN FLAMES, which debuted at number 6 on the ARIA Australian Albums chart, alongside the songs fans already know by heart, including ‘Laps Around The Sun’, ‘Runaway’ and ‘Days In The Sun’.

Miami Marketta’s open-air, laid-back setting suits Ziggy’s community-first approach to live music, so it’s a show worth getting to early. Grab dinner from the street food stalls before the set.

The Gold Coast is a favourite filming location for productions from around the world, but it’s also home to a thriving community of local filmmakers. The Gold Coast Film Festival celebrates both, with an independent streak that matches the city itself.

From 28 April to 9 May 2027, the festival takes over HOTA, Home of the Arts, for 12 days of film. The program mixes moving feature screenings with in-depth panel discussions led by industry experts, plus a calendar of galas and special events.

A highlight is SIPFest (Shorts in Paradise), the festival’s showcase of standout short films.

The festival is supported by major partners Screen Queensland, Invest Gold Coast and Tourism and Events Queensland, with HOTA as venue partner.

Back in 1968, Richard Scarry asked one of life’s great questions: what do people actually do all day? More than half a century later, comedian Guy Montgomery is finally picking up where the picture books left off.

In his new stand-up comedy show, What Do People Do All Day?, Guy tackles a mystery that has confused everyone who has ever left the house, or stayed in it. He knows he wakes up. He knows he goes to bed. But everything in between? That’s a blur, and he’s determined to get to the bottom of it.

And it’s not only about Guy. As he’s recently realised, there are other people out there too, possibly thousands of them, each living their own days. So expect him to poke around in yours as well.

Clever, absurd and very funny, What Do People Do All Day? is an hour of live comedy about the ordinary, overlooked parts of everyday life, from one of the sharpest comedians working today. Grab your tickets and find out what you’ve been doing all this time.

Blues on Broadbeach takes over the Gold Coast’s favourite dining and entertainment precinct again next May, turning streets, parks, bars and stages into one big four-day celebration of blues and roots music.

The core of the festival stays free, with a packed program of overseas legends, Australian favourites and up-and-coming acts playing across stages and venues throughout Broadbeach. Wander between sets by day, then settle in as the precinct buzzes late into the night with everything from slow-burning soul to foot-stomping, dance-till-you-drop performances.

For something a little more special, the ticketed Sunday Ticket returns for a fourth year, closing the festival with a premium line-up of headline performances. Food lovers can also book into the Late Night Supper series, which pairs up-close blues sets with curated dining.

The 2027 line-up is yet to be announced, so keep an eye out for artist news in the months ahead. Leave the car at home if you can, as parking around Broadbeach fills quickly during the festival; the G:link and buses are the easiest way in.