Things to Do on the Gold Coast This Week (4–11 October)
Updated: Oct 10
Monday 5 October is the King's Birthday public holiday in Queensland, and the last day of the school holidays. The things to do on the Gold Coast this weekend, Friday 9 to Sunday 11 October, are the last three days of BLEACH Festival at HOTA in Surfers Paradise: a free lakeside stage, Open House across the city, and High Tide on Sunday evening.
Things to Do on the Gold Coast This Week
The Bureau of Meteorology issued the Main Beach forecast at 8:59am on Sunday 4 October. Friday is 15–25°C and mostly sunny, a 10% chance of rain. Saturday is 16–28°C and partly cloudy, a 20% chance of a shower. Sunday 11 October was not in that issue. Check the Bureau again before Sunday.
Queensland's term dates put the spring break from Saturday 19 September to Monday 5 October. Term 4 starts Tuesday 6 October. Monday is the holiday. Friday is a school day.
You do not need a hire car for HOTA. G:link runs north from the Christine Avenue stop on our corner. The detail is in Getting around, further down.
Monday 5 October: a public holiday on the lake
Check-in is from 2pm. Burleigh Beach is 200m straight down Sixth Avenue, so there is time for a swim before you head north. Families still on the holiday week can use the notes on Gold Coast with kids on a budget.
BLEACH's free Live Music Stage at the HOTA Lake Precinct lists three Monday sets: Karl S. Williams at 12pm, Laurel Hill at 2:45pm, and Benny D Williams at 4:10pm.
BEACON, the Morag Myerscough installation on the lake, is free and listed from 10am. The Festival Choir is not on Monday. HOTA lists it at 5:45pm on Thursday, Friday and Sunday.
Friday 9 October: the choir, then Tijuana Cartel
Friday is the clearer day in the Sunday forecast: 15–25°C, mostly sunny, a 10% chance of rain.
BEACON is free from 10am. The Festival Choir is at 5:45pm.
On the same lakeside stage, DJ Tyrone is at 6:15pm and Tijuana Cartel at 7pm. Both are free. The stage page warns of coarse language, haze and a smoke machine.
Miami Marketta on Hillcrest Parade has street food 5–10pm, free entry, and free local music from 5pm. The laneway is undercover.
Thursday 8 October, if you are already in, is the night before: Birren at 5pm, DJ Vices at 6pm, Blind Corners at 7pm, and the choir at 5:45pm. Marketta's Thursday card lists free live music on the Cargo Stage.
Saturday 10 October: the market, the birds, a street festival
Burleigh Farmers Market runs every Saturday 7am–12 noon in the grounds of Burleigh Heads State School, on the corner of the Lower Gold Coast Highway and West Burleigh Road. Entry is free, and so is parking on the market site. Rack sales are the last Saturday of the month. 10 October is not that Saturday.
Cherry Pickers Market at Miami Marketta is listed from 10am, free entry, vintage fashion. The page does not give a finish time.
How the Birds Got Their Colours is free, all ages, and 30 minutes, at the HOTA Lake Precinct. Saturday's sessions are 12pm and 1:30pm. It is Yugambeh Aboriginal Dancers with ARC Circus.
Sounds of Brasil is on the live music stage from 2pm, free.
Chirn Park Street Festival is 3pm–8pm, free, no tickets. The organiser's address is Musgrave Avenue, Chirn Park, in Southport. It is a street festival for the shops there. A temporary road closure is in place, and the organiser asks people to use public transport. No tram stop is named on that page.
Oktoberfest in the Gardens is the same Saturday, 1pm–9pm, on the Southern Lawn at Broadwater Parklands. It is ticketed. The organiser says the G:link stops at Broadwater Parklands. Age and the ticket price were not on the pages that loaded, so check before you go. It is not the free lakeside program.
Gold Coast Open House runs Saturday 10 and Sunday 11 October. The homepage describes free tours, talks and special experiences. The FAQ says most events and tours are free, some have a small ticketing fee, and some need a booking. There is no single 10am–5pm window. Hours are on each building.
No One Gets Out of Here Alive is in Theatre 1 at 6pm, one hour, $34–$39. The page warns of loud noise, haze and nudity. That is the ticketed theatre show, not the free shows on the lake.
Saturday's forecast is 16–28°C, partly cloudy, a 20% chance of a shower. Staying Saturday night? See our rooms.
Sunday 11 October: Open House, then High Tide
HOTA Farmers & Artisan Markets trade every Sunday 6am–11:30am at the HOTA precinct, rain, hail or shine. The terms page does not list an entry price.
How the Birds Got Their Colours is on again at 12pm and 1:30pm, the same free 30-minute shows.
The live music stage on Sunday: Monique Clare at 12:30pm, Burger Joint at 2pm, DJ Shimmy at 3:15pm, Sunny Luwe at 4:45pm, and DJ Pia Pressure at 6pm. All free.
High Tide closes BLEACH. Sunday 5:45pm, 1 hour 15 minutes, free, on the HOTA Lake Precinct. HOTA describes 100 glowing jellyfish, illuminated puppets by Dead Puppet Society, live music, and a stunt performance from Jetpack Entertainment & Events. The same page calls that performance a jet ski stunt show. It also asks for 100 volunteers aged 13 and over to carry the puppets, and those volunteers have to register. Watching it does not. HOTA lists the party as family friendly. The music-stage lineup puts High Tide at 5:30pm, so use the High Tide page on the day.
The Festival Choir is also listed at 5:45pm on Sunday, at BEACON. That is the same time as High Tide. Both are in the lake precinct.
Open House runs again. Same rule: most tours free, some with a small fee, some booked, hours on the listing.
This Moment, highlights from the White Rabbit Collection, is free in Gallery 1 until Sunday 18 October. This weekend is not the last week to see it. Visitors under 16 need a parent or guardian. The page warns of adult themes, and of high-contrast light, including flashes and strobes. Daily hours are not on that listing.
No One Gets Out of Here Alive has a Sunday session at 4pm, same $34–$39, same nudity warning.
Miami Marketta's street-food nights are Wednesday to Saturday, so Sunday is not one of them.
Free if you skip the ticket
Burleigh Beach is 200m straight down Sixth Avenue. Swim between the flags. The outdoor pool at the motel is free for guests.
The longer free walk is the headland, and it is not the 200m beach. Burleigh Head National Park has no entry fee. Ride G:link two stops south to Burleigh Heads. The Rainforest circuit is 2.3km return, about 45 minutes, and Tumgun Lookout is on it. Humpbacks are still offshore. The season runs through November. Sunset is at Justins Park, in Burleigh Heads. Track notes are on free things to do in Burleigh.
Already free on this week's program: Monday's three lakeside sets, BEACON from 10am through Sunday, the Festival Choir at 5:45pm on Thursday, Friday and Sunday, Friday's DJ Tyrone and Tijuana Cartel, How the Birds Got Their Colours on Saturday and Sunday, Sounds of Brasil from 2pm Saturday, the Sunday stage through DJ Pia Pressure, High Tide, Chirn Park Street Festival, and Burleigh Farmers Market on Saturday morning. Open House is mostly free, not entirely. Oktoberfest and No One Gets Out of Here Alive are ticketed. White Rabbit is free, and it is still up after this weekend.
Staying through Sunday night
High Tide starts at 5:45pm and runs about 1 hour 15 minutes. Check-out is 10am Monday, so a Sunday-night booking covers the close. Monday 12 October is a school day. Term 4 has already started.
Already booked through Saturday only? Call reception on (07) 5576 3211 and we will add Sunday.
Getting around without the car
G:link: north to Surfers Paradise for HOTA, and on to the Broadwater Parklands stop the Oktoberfest page names. South, two stops, to Burleigh Heads.
Bus 765: same stop, via Burleigh Heads and Varsity Lakes station to Robina Town Centre. Not a Chirn Park service.
Bus 700: nearest stop is Miami One. It runs the Gold Coast Highway between Tweed Heads and Broadbeach, through Burleigh Heads, Miami and Southport. For Chirn Park in Southport, enter Musgrave Avenue as the destination in the Translink planner.
Bus 777: Gold Coast Airport and Burleigh Heads. Ride G:link two stops south to Burleigh Heads to connect.
Fares: 50 cents a journey with a go card or contactless tap on and off.
Open House buildings are across the city. A listing in Robina, Nerang or the hinterland is not a single tram ride from our corner. Read the building before you leave.
Free on-site parking at the motel, one permit per room, subject to availability. Street parking on Christine Avenue as well. The farmers market has its own free parking at the State School.
Your base for the Gold Coast this weekend
Burleigh Gold Coast Motel is 36 rooms from $125 a night. Private ensuite, air conditioning, flat-screen TV with free-to-air channels, free Wi-Fi, microwave, bar fridge, kettle, hair dryer and iron. Outdoor pool all year. Coin laundry. Reception 9am–7:30pm.
Interconnecting rooms sleep five to six across two bathrooms. Family rooms sleep five. Quad rooms sleep four. 4.7 stars on Google. Virgin Australia named us best budget-friendly accommodation in Burleigh Heads, an editorial pick in their Where to Stay guide, not a paid listing.
You're 200m from the sand, straight down Sixth Avenue. See our rooms.
Frequently asked questions
What's on the Gold Coast this weekend, 9–11 October?
BLEACH Festival closes on Sunday 11 October at HOTA, Surfers Paradise. The lakeside program is free.
Friday 9 October
5:45pm: Festival Choir (free)
6:15pm: DJ Tyrone (free)
7pm: Tijuana Cartel (free)
Saturday 10 October
7am–12pm: Burleigh Farmers Market (free entry)
12pm and 1:30pm: How the Birds Got Their Colours (free)
1pm–9pm: Oktoberfest in the Gardens (ticketed)
3pm–8pm: Chirn Park Street Festival (free)
All day: Gold Coast Open House (most events free, hours vary by building)
Sunday 11 October
12pm and 1:30pm: How the Birds Got Their Colours (free)
All day: Gold Coast Open House
5:45pm: High Tide closes BLEACH (free)
All weekend: White Rabbit in HOTA Gallery 1 is free until 18 October.
Is it worth staying Sunday night?
High Tide is free at 5:45pm on Sunday 11 October, runs about 1 hour 15 minutes, and it is BLEACH's close. Check-out is 10am Monday, so a Sunday-night stay covers it. Monday 12 October is a school day. Term 4 started on Tuesday 6 October.
How far is the motel from Burleigh Beach?
Burleigh Gold Coast Motel is 200m from the north end of Burleigh Beach, about a two-minute walk. Walk straight down Sixth Avenue and you're on the sand.
What's near the motel?
Beach 200m down Sixth Avenue, and Paddock Bakery is 150m. Miami Marketta is on Hillcrest Parade in Miami. G:link and bus 765 leave from the Christine Avenue stop on our corner. Bus 700 stops at Miami One. For the 777 to Gold Coast Airport, ride G:link two stops south to Burleigh Heads.
Is parking included?
Free on-site parking, subject to availability, one permit per room. Street parking is also available on Christine Avenue.
What are the reception hours and check-in times?
Reception is open 9am–7:30pm daily. Check-in from 2pm, check-out by 10am. Arriving later? Call (07) 5576 3211 before you travel and we can arrange late check-in.
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Phone: (07) 5576 3211 · Email: info@burleighmotel.com.au · Location: 1908–1910 Gold Coast Highway, Miami QLD 4220
High Tide at 5:45pm on Sunday, and the beach 200m down Sixth Avenue.
