Teen pop superstar Ruel, Hermitude, MAY-A, Sycco and Budjerah will headline a new, free live music festival at Surfers Paradise on the Gold Coast, delivering an elixir to pent-up demand for live music festivals and showcasing some of Australia’s favourite artists and emerging talent.
SPRINGTIME live music festival will bubble across the beaches and streets of the famous Gold Coast strip from 3-5 September.
The lineup boasts of over 40 local and interstate acts, including Sneaky Sound System, Ball Park Music and Ninajirachi, and is squarely aimed at the 18 to 34-year-old age group eager for a hefty dose of live music after it has been hit hard by the pandemic nationwide.
Major Events Gold Coast (MEGC) chief Jan McCormick said there would be free events and ticketed gigs across multiple beachside outdoor stages.
The Saturday night of the event will also play host to the 2021 Gold Coast Music Awards ceremony.
“This is absolutely brand new. It’s exciting for us to be able to deliver an event of this calibre to Surfers Paradise,” McCormick said.
“I think the lineup and traction online with the fans demonstrates how excited everyone is about this.”
McCormick said she expected SPRINGTIME to become a much-anticipated annual event that had the bonus of injecting life and energy back to the Surfers Paradise precinct that has also suffered during Covid restrictions.
“It’s important to put the money back in the economy now. Most of the money we are spending is on local providers and the hope is people will book an apartment and stay, spending money in the city because they are not paying for a ticket,” she said.
MEGC director of festivals and events Mark Duckworth said while it was bold to be introducing a new music festival experience on the Gold Coast, it was exciting for the city and for live music fans.
“SPRINGTIME will showcase the City of Gold Coast’s connection to music, celebrating some of our favourite local acts as well as artists from across the country,” Duckworth said.
“We are so excited to build a new event experience for everyone to enjoy.”
The Gold Coast has continued to deliver major festivals despite many of the restrictions that have caused the cancellation of events across the country, such as Bluesfest at Byron at Easter and youth festival Groovin the Moo that was forced to cancel tours across regional Australian cities.
Brisbane music festival BIGSOUND, which was due to take place in September, has also been cancelled amid Covid outbreaks across Australia in another blow for the hard-hit live music industry.
Yet the Gold Coast has managed to maintain its ‘famous for fun’ mantle, continuing to host a raft of arts, culture, and sporting events.
In May, more than 169,000 fans, or over 48,000 music lovers per day, were able to enjoy a stellar lineup at the Blues on Broadbeach music festival. Australia’s largest Rock ‘n’ Roll and nostalgia festival also attracted massive crowds to the southern Gold Coast in June.
Almost 90 events are planned for the Gold Coast over the 12 months to July next year.
