# Gold Coast Show 2026 Near Surfers Paradise

> The Gold Coast Show runs 28 to 30 August 2026 at Broadwater Parklands in Southport. Free entry, three days of rides and fireworks, a public holiday Friday, and the beach across First Avenue when you get home.

- Tag: Travel tips
- Published: 2026-07-09

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August on the Gold Coast. Whales tracking north past the balconies, the air a touch cooler, and the last weekend of the month, the **Gold Coast Show** at Broadwater Parklands in Southport. Three days, **28 to 30 August 2026**, free to walk in, with the Friday a public holiday across the coast. It is the big family weekend of the late-winter calendar, and from the southern toe of Surfers Paradise it is a simple run north and back.

## The Show, end to end

Free entry, so there is no wrong way to do it, a full day or a quick couple of hours. The crowd-pullers are the animal acts. Dock Dogs is back with Farmer Dave, dogs hurling themselves off a dock into a pool for height and distance. Down in Farmland there is professional duck racing, where Quack Efron and Justin Beaker paddle for the title. The reptile show runs five times a day for anyone game to get near a snake, and camel rides work the beach in two spots. Baby animals for the littlest ones, the axes flying at the wood chop for everyone else. The rides fill Side Show Alley from **9am to 9pm**, with the showbag halls and a slow-lapping show train alongside. **Fireworks every night at 6.45pm**, out over the Broadwater. The year's full program is on the official [Gold Coast Show](https://goldcoastshow.com.au/) site.

## North from First Avenue

Broadwater Parklands is about **6 km north**, a short drive or an easy tram trip. The **Florida Gardens tram stop sits 500 metres from the door**; from there the G:link heads straight up the coast to the grounds, which beats circling Southport for a park on a busy Show day. Driving, Viscount has **free on-site parking**, one space per apartment, though the **1.95 m clearance** is worth a look before you turn up with a roof box or a tall wagon. Either way, the tour desk downstairs can set you straight on the day.

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    src="/img/photos/grounds/rooftop-bbq-area-beach-view.jpg/?w=1000"
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    alt="Rooftop BBQ area at Viscount on the Beach with an uninterrupted ocean view"
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## Home to the beachfront

Here is the part that makes the day. You come back from a hot, loud afternoon at Southport and the beach is directly across First Avenue. Every apartment faces the ocean, every one has a balcony, so the wind-down starts the moment you are through the door. The **heated pool holds 27°C** year-round, with a sauna alongside, and there is a rooftop BBQ with a full ocean outlook plus a garden BBQ at ground level where the kids can roam while dinner cooks. Kitchens are fully self-contained, so the post-Show meal happens on your clock, no queue involved. Travelling with young kids, the parts of the day that are hard work everywhere else are easy here: the pool has a shallow end, the front desk keeps strollers and board games on hand, and cots sort the littlest ones. And in the morning, the 2 km Oceanway is right there, prams and scooters welcome, running south to Broadbeach and its weekend markets.

## Book the August weekend

**28 to 30 August 2026.** Three nights, the family crowd, and a public holiday to kick it off: the combination that fills the beachfront first, so do not sit on it. Check-in runs 2 to 11pm, and a quick message ahead sorts a later arrival. Best time to lock it in is today.

[**Check availability and book your stay**](/broadbeach-accommodation/index.md), or look over the [Superior 3 Bedroom Ocean View](/broadbeach-accommodation/3-bedroom-superior-ocean-view/index.md) for a family or group and the [2 Bedroom Ocean View](/broadbeach-accommodation/2-bedroom-ocean-view/index.md) for a smaller crew, ocean view from every room.

For dates, ride details and this year's entertainment, see the official [Gold Coast Show](https://goldcoastshow.com.au/) site.