The Gold Coast’s leading contemporary arts celebration, BLEACH Festival, is back in 2026 with a bold new chapter and seasonal shift, moving to October for a vibrant spring awakening for the city.
BLEACH Festival will feature 11 days and nights of transformative experiences from 1-11 October, with a sneak peak of the program now unveiled.
The first release includes five signature events, including a free opening concert, monumental outdoor performance and installation works, a major new Gold Coast dance-theatre production, and the return of Kiwi mega-act SIX60 to the Gold Coast.
Minister for the Environment and Tourism Andrew Powell said BLEACH Festival continued to strengthen Queensland’s reputation as the events capital of Australia:
“BLEACH Festival is a standout on Queensland’s events calendar, bringing together world-class music, performances and large-scale public art in one of Australia’s most iconic holiday destinations.
With 11 days of incredible performances and experiences, BLEACH festival supports local jobs and businesses while giving locals and visitors alike the chance to experience the Gold Coast in a completely unique way.”
In a landmark moment for the festival’s 15-year history, HOTA, Home of the Arts, will come alive with a full precinct takeover, bringing art to life both indoors and out.
Known for transforming spaces through ambitious, site-responsive work, BLEACH will once again deliver a dynamic program of music, performance and large-scale public art. The Gold Coast will come alive as a vibrant centre for contemporary culture, offering new ways of seeing, making and celebrating art and place.
State Member for Surfers Paradise John-Paul Langbroek said the event was a highlight of the Gold Coast events calendar:
“BLEACH Festival is part of our community’s DNA, transforming our beaches, parklands and streets into places where people come together to celebrate creativity in a truly Gold Coast way.
The festival brings more to see and do on the Gold Coast, while supporting local jobs and businesses and giving residents another reason to feel proud of where we live.”
Monumental outdoor performance work THAW, by Legs on the Wall, opens the festival at dawn on Thursday 1 October on the Surfers Paradise Foreshore, with a second presentation on Saturday 3 October over the HOTA Lake.
A giant block of ice suspended by crane becomes the stage for an eight-hour durational performance work. As daylight intensifies, THAW unfolds in a powerful reflection on climate as both spectacle and metaphor.
Gold Coast Mayor Tom Tate said:
“Everyone loves a sneak peek and this year, it’s time to celebrate the further evolution of our famous Bleach Festival. Incorporating HOTA will put the spotlight on our arts and cultural precinct which last year had 700,000 visitors. Make a date with BLEACH this October and be prepared to be amazed by the raw talent on show over 11 magical days.’’
HOTA’s dynamic Outdoor Stage will host two major live music events for the opening weekend of the festival.
In a not to be missed free double-bill performance for the whole community, internationally acclaimed US soul vocalist Lady Blackbird, on her Australian debut tour, will be joined by Australia’s award-winning electronic duo Electric Fields. The Friday 2 October performance will deliver ecstatic pop sounds of epic proportions and deep connections to country.
On Saturday 3 October, New Zealand chart-toppers Six60 bring their hot mix of roots, soul and dubstep to the Outdoor Stage alongside powerhouse 7-piece dub-fusion outfit Sub-Tribe. Known for their high-energy performances and global appeal, Six60’s return to the Gold Coast promises a celebration of music and culture under the stars.
For the duration of the festival a large-scale immersive installation work BEACON will transform the HOTA parklands, dreamed up by global design sensation Morag Myerscough in collaboration with Gold Coast community arts organisation Everybody Now!
Myerscough is renowned for her vibrant and immersive public art installations across the globe in institutions and festivals, notably Coachella and the Paris Olympics.
BEACON has been inspired by the contributions of 500+ community participants who, through a series of workshops in 2025, shared what place and belonging meant to them as Gold Coasters. It will be accessible day and night, transforming as the sun sets into a glowing icon against the skyline.
Across the festival, as dusk falls BEACON will send out a siren of song with local community choir singers performing a special musical arrangement of bestselling author Holly Ringland’s poem, before neon light transforms the artwork into a glowing nighttime festival hub.
Iconic Gold Coast dance company The Farm returns to BLEACH with their latest large-scale production No One Gets Out Of Here Alive. Weaving dance, voice, and music with humour and pathos, this visceral, cathartic performance work is an invitation to explore the endings that shape us, and the surprising lightness of letting go. The new work will take to HOTA’s theatre stage for the final weekend of the festival.
Artistic Director, Felix Preval said the move to October marks a new chapter for the festival:
“Bringing BLEACH Festival into spring opens new creative possibilities for the festival and for audiences. It’s a time of energy and renewal on the Gold Coast, and this year’s program reflects that — from major live music moments to powerful, large-scale works like THAW and BEACON.”
BLEACH Festival will present a program of standout performances, installations and events, inviting audiences across the region to experience art across all forms and include a number of projects brought to life by the support of the $1.5 million EGC Arts Fund including BEACON. The Fund provides vital support to artists and creative practitioners to develop new work and strength cultural projects for the Gold Coast.
The full BLEACH Festival program will be revealed in coming months.
BLEACH Festival runs from 1 to 11 October at Home of the Arts (HOTA) on the Gold Coast, Queensland.
Tickets for the announced headline shows are available at the website.
Website: http://hota.com.au/bleach
Socials: https://www.instagram.com/hotagc/
Hero image: The Farm, supplied.
