BLEACH* is the Gold Coast’s annual contemporary arts festival, building a national and international reputation for shining a spotlight on the city’s finest artists while also extending a warm welcome to acclaimed Australian and international talents. 2024 is the first year BLEACH* is being presented by Experience Gold Coast, which brings together Destination Gold Coast, Major Events Gold Coast, Study Gold Coast, Placemakers* and Home of the Arts under one entity. So it’s no wonder that this year’s festival is set to be the biggest yet.
This winter BLEACH* Festival returns with an electrifying lineup from August 1 to 11. Showcasing over 30 shows and 110 performances spanning music, dance, theatre and visual art, this 11-day spectacle promises an unforgettable immersion into creativity. The whole Gold Coast is invited, with the festival being held across four main hubs, which include the beachside haven of North Burleigh, HOTA, Broadbeach Cultural Precinct as well as an exciting new location at Tallebudgera Valley.
Kicking off the stellar 2024 season of BLEACH* Festival is the ever-moving First Light on August 1. If you’ve not yet had the pleasure, let this be the year you set your alarm, sink your toes into the sand and watch the sunrise against a backdrop of stirring songs from the Pacific performed by the Wayfinders Choir.
At the Love Your Local North Burleigh Festival Hub, dive into an array of free dance, performance, and live music events, featuring soulful performances by Mohini Cox and sublime tunes by The Snack. Be mesmerised by the world premiere of TEN, a bold work by local theatre legends, The Farm. Celebrating 10 years of art making, you can watch the show come to life in front of your very eyes as the team create this new piece in public over the 10 days of the festival. Watch the performance of this new production in its entirety on Saturday August 10.
Prepare for a feast of dance and physical theatre at HOTA with the program spanning eight stages across the precinct, including theatres, the outdoor stage, the cinema, the gallery and the lake. Two of Australia’s internationally acclaimed choreographers, Lucy Guerin AO and Darcy Grant (Gravity and Other Myths), will showcase world-class productions that you won’t want to miss. Delve into poignant narratives with Shake & Stir’s Fourteen and Ellen van Neerven’s Swim, while in the cinema you can experience the stunning Red Desert Dream visual album by the alternative rock band Selve. BLEACH* will also be breaking Gold Coast records on August 3–4 with Today I Feel a Soft Breeze, where two dancers will enthral audiences with a mesmerising 24-hour dance duet, set upon a floating stage adrift on the tranquil waters of the HOTA lake.
Across to another body of water, the Broadbeach Festival Hub transforms the Nerang River into a stage for spectacular musical performances, including Wayfinders – A Pacific Journey and the grand contemporary dance spectacle Us And All of This. Then wade in the water for the River of Gold, a mesmerising light installation mapping the Gold Coast waterways.
The festival invites you all aboard the BLEACH* bus on Saturday August 11 and August 12 to venture to the Tallebudgera Valley Festival Hub for Slow Art – Sounds Of the Valley, a unique musical journey set amidst the Gold Coast hinterland. Be taken by bus around 20 acres of the valley to indulge in 30 minute ‘mini concerts’ by award-winning musicians. Soak in the good vibes as you tuck into gourmet picnic treats supplied by the award-winning Palette Restaurant.
Last Light will bring this year’s event to a fitting finale on Burleigh Beach, featuring a mesmerising performance by Tim Munro and the soulful sounds of Blackline Band.
This is just a taste of the culinary and cultural smorgasbord that is BLEACH* Festival 2024. To check out the entire program, peruse the website here.
