Wondering what’s on the Gold Coast this spring? The weather is warming up, the days are getting longer and the Gold Coast events calendar is packed with art, live music, motorsport and family fun. You’ve picked a great time to visit. And with the spring school holidays falling right at the start of the season, it’s a handy time to turn one of these events into a longer family getaway.
Make BIG4 Gold Coast Holiday Park your base in Helensvale and you can spend the day exploring, then come home to the pool, water park and plenty of space to relax; with dog-friendly accommodation options, your four-legged family member can have a holiday too.
Here’s what to put on your spring calendar:
Groundwater Country Music Festival, Broadbeach
Dates: 16-18 October 2026
Where: Broadbeach
Cost: Free
Good for families? Yes
Distance from the park: Around 25-30 minutes by car, traffic dependent
Not sure the kids will sit still for a music festival? Groundwater might just win them over. Three days of live country music spill across Broadbeach’s parks, stages and open-air venues - and the whole thing is free to enjoy. It’s famously laid-back and family-friendly, with plenty of room for little ones to dance, food close by, and an easygoing atmosphere that makes it simple to come and go around nap times and dinner.
The 2026 line-up includes Kasey Chambers, Kaylee Bell, The Wolfe Brothers, Beccy Cole, James Blundell and plenty more.
Source: Groundwater Country Music Festival
Boost Mobile Gold Coast 500 2026, Surfers Paradise
Dates: 23-25 October 2026
Where: Main Beach and Surfers Paradise
Cost: Ticketed
Good for families? Yes, with a little planning
Distance from the park: Around 20-25 minutes by car
The Gold Coast 500 is the biggest weekend on the spring calendar, and a genuine bucket-list experience. Supercars thunder around the Surfers Paradise street circuit and the whole strip hums with energy. This year carries extra drama, too - the 2026 event kicks off the Repco Supercars Finals, so you'll be watching the championship reach its pointy end.
It's not all about the track, either. The GC500 has grown into as much a festival as a race, with trackside concerts, food trucks and that unmistakable beachside buzz to keep everyone entertained between races.
For families, there's an added bonus: kids aged 12 and under can receive free General Admission when accompanied by a paying adult, under the event's current ticket conditions.
Source: Boost Mobile Gold Coast 500
And after a big day trackside? Head back to BIG4 Gold Coast Holiday Park, away from the busiest Surfers Paradise crowds. The kids can cool down at the water park or pool, while you settle back into holiday mode. If your dog is travelling with you, selected cabins and sites are dog-friendly too. You get the best of the event without being in the thick of it around the clock.
BLEACH Festival Gold Coast
Dates: 1-11 October 2026
Where: HOTA and other Gold Coast locations
Cost: Mix of free and ticketed events
Good for families? Yes, check the program for family sessions
Distance from the park: Varies by venue
BLEACH* Festival is the coast’s home-grown contemporary arts festival - eleven days of outdoor performances, live shows and community events that turn everyday spaces into something special. There’s a mix of free and ticketed sessions, so check the program for the family-friendly ones.
If your family likes discovering something unexpected, this is the one to browse before you arrive - the program spans everything from live music and theatre to dance, installations and large-scale public art.
Source: BLEACH Festival
Also worth a look while you’re here: live theatre and shows at HOTA, the Gold Coast’s much-loved weekend markets, and the tail end of the whale-watching season.
Halloween Haunt at BIG4 Gold Coast Holiday Park
You don’t even have to leave the park for one of the spookiest nights of the season. Each year our Halloween Haunt transforms BIG4 Gold Coast Holiday Park into a realm of eerie (but family-friendly!) enchantment in late October. Think spooky arts and crafts, a costume contest, a caravan-decorating competition, trick-or-treating around the park and a Monster Mash disco to cap off the night. It’s the kind of event the kids talk about for months - and because it’s right here on-site, there’s no driving, no parking and no fuss.
Dust off the costumes and learn more about our Halloween Haunt.
Make It a Family Holiday: Where to Stay
With so many Gold Coast events happening this spring, why squeeze everything into one day?
At BIG4 Gold Coast Holiday Park in Helensvale, you’ll find a stay to suit every kind of traveller: powered and unpowered sites for the caravan or camper, comfortable cabins and villas for families, safari-tent glamping for something a little different, and motel rooms when you just want to unlock the door and relax. Best of all, we’re proudly dog-friendly - with pet-friendly cabins and every site welcoming your four-legged family member.
Between events, there’s plenty to do without leaving the park. Make a splash in the water park, swim in the resort-style pool, let the kids loose on the giant jumping pillow or simply enjoy some downtime before your next adventure.
Found an event you don't want to miss? Spring dates fill fast, so check our latest deals and offers and book direct to secure your family's stay at BIG4 Gold Coast Holiday Park this spring.