A whole sculpture exhibition can sound like a lot of walking to a small child. In 2026, a story, a seedling to take home and a few artworks to choose between made the day more manageable. SWELL Sculpture Festival’s Currumbin exhibition ran from 11 to 20 September 2026 and has now ended.
The organiser has confirmed the Currumbin festival will return from 9 to 19 September 2027. The children’s activities below belonged to 2026; the next programme has not been announced. From Viscount, a festival day means a journey away from the beach outside the apartment, so choosing one part of the programme at a time remains sensible.
Make Len Wort Park your starting point
Two free 2026 activities at Len Wort Park, Teemangum Street, had useful daily opening windows:
- Storyfest Beach Library ran 9 am–3 pm, offering families a place to pause and share books.
- The Seedling Planter Workshop ran 10.30 am–3.30 pm. Children decorated recycled pots and planted seedlings to take home, with Southern Beaches Community Garden.
Those hours let families fit the art around the children. An earlier arrival could start with reading, followed by a short wander and the planter activity. Others chose one afternoon stop after lunch. The 2027 activity list and hours need their own check when published.
Anyone who chose the workshop needed a way to carry the finished pot home, a small detail easier to sort out at the apartment than while holding a seedling, a water bottle and a child’s hand.
Give the walk something to look for
For children who liked collecting and making, the 2026 Finding Your Way by BLUSS used eight rubbing plates on blue-and-gold posts. A purchased SWELL Passport and pencil let visitors collect the textures along the trail. The listing gave 8 am–5 pm and explained where the passport was sold.
A small task helped some children enjoy the walk. A simpler option was to ask each person to pick a favourite sculpture to describe over dinner. Finishing the entire exhibition was never the measure of a good day.
Prams, breaks and the trip back
SWELL’s 2026 accessibility page said most works could be viewed from the wide concrete foreshore path, while beach and Elephant Rock access was limited for prams and mobility aids. The page also identified accessible toilets, including those at Kropp Park on Teemangum Street. Check the 2027 layout and access information before travelling.
Currumbin requires an onward journey from Viscount. The 2026 transport information warned of limited foreshore parking and listed a 4.45 pm final park-and-ride return to Currumbin RSL from Wallace Nicoll Park. That service time is historical; use the organiser’s 2027 advice when it is available.
A smaller SWELL outing in Broadbeach
Although the main Currumbin festival has ended, the separate 2026 installation at Oasis Shopping Centre, 75 Surf Parade, Broadbeach, is listed through 30 September. Forest Dwellers by Monte Lupo combines sculpture, painted timber and seating. The official listing gives 9 am–5 pm and free entry. Recheck it before setting out.
Central Broadbeach is about fifteen minutes south along the beachfront path from Viscount, making the Oasis installation an option for a local shopping or lunch outing while it remains open. It is a 2026 satellite exhibition, with no announced 2027 programme to carry over.
Back at Viscount, the kitchen and in-apartment laundry take care of dinner and the day’s clothes. Browse the two- and three-bedroom apartments for a 2027 beachfront stay with room for the family after a day at SWELL.
