News

The food news has been coming in thick and fast on the Gold Coast, to make sure that you're on top of all the tasty things happening we've wrapped up everything that you need to know.

Here are the best events you don't want to miss happening on the Gold Coast this weekend. 

Flights from $49 one way sound tempting? Here’s all the intel you need about the Virgin Australia sale.

The voucher can be used for staycays in your hometown, relaxing retreats in South East Asia or an all-out Euro summer.

Officially opened in Burleigh Heads in early June 2025, the 208-room beachfront Mondrian Gold Coast is now open for bookings and marks the luxury hotel brand’s debut in Australia.

Welcome to the most fabulous corner of the internet—Urban List's destination for the picks of the beauty crop. This month, our fave haircare has a glow up, there's new scents galore, indie brands are having a *moment* and a new immersive beauty space. 

A huge $185 million lifestyle and dining development is set to transform Mermaid Beach, solidifying the suburb’s spot as one of the Gold Coast’s most up-and-coming culinary hubs.

Thousands of South East Queenslanders are in need of support due to the effects of heavy rain, flooding and power outages.

In a first for the Southern Hemisphere, a world-class celestial light installation is launching at Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary in March 2025.

Babe, wake up—a new luxury eco-resort is set to drop in 2027. After a ten-year hiatus, Hook Island is making its return thanks to Epochal Hotels’ CEO Glenn Piper. 

A stunning fitout, artfully curated drinks and a standout small plates menu—Burly Bar has all the makings of a top-tier bar.

Once upon a time, dinner was enough. You came, you saw, you ate, you drank. Now? Well, it’s an endless adventure with wild possibilities.

Fine dining meets Euro-inspired party vibes at the sprawling split-level hospitality venue.

If you thought the spectacular scenery of K’gari (Fraser Island) couldn’t get any better, you’re in for a pleasant surprise, because paradise has just leveled up. 

Created with the laidback Mermaid Beach lifestyle in mind, Moustache effortlessly merges the laidback vibes of an espresso joint with the elegance of a wine bar. 

The Enchanted Garden, presented by Royal Caribbean, returns this 23 November to transform Roma Street Parkland into a light-filled playground.

Surfers Paradise is getting a huge—and well-deserved—facelift, and the City of Gold Coast want your feedback to help to make it happen.

Around this time last year, The Australian Government, Department of Treasury (℅ Josh Frydenberg) introduced the News Media Bargaining Code. The code is intended to level out the sheer power imbalance between Australian news media publishers—like us—and digital platforms such as Facebook and Google. The code, in effect, should allow the two parties to reach an agreement on fair remuneration for displaying news on these platforms. 

What if we told you that the holier-than-thou bagged wine was set for a major comeback? 

Following Brisbane’s largest downpour on record that’s seen over 15,000 homes flooded, it’s time to look at the ways we can all help those affected.

What if we told you that the holier-than-thou bagged wine was set for a major comeback? 

The Queensland government has announced that NSW will remain a declared hotspot for four weeks, with a possible earlier review depending on how the outbreak is developing. 

The Exhibitionist Bar, HOTA Gallery's new venue, is opening its doors this weekend.

Is it a donut or doughnut? For the sake of this pun, we highly recommend that you donut miss the chance to claim your FREE doughnut this Friday, at Krispy Kreme.

Chocolate and whiskey lovers, it’s your lucky day: Yamagen pastry chef Dan King has just concocted the dessert of your wildest dreams.

New music festival Dream Machine is coming to the Whitsundays for an immersive five-day retreat. 

Welcome to Culture Curve—your go-to guide to what’s on the rise and slide in culture in April 2021. 

Movie buffs, rejoice: while the Gold Coast Film Festival was cancelled last year due to COVID, we’re happy to announce it will be making a comeback this year.

Forget having to drive north to Brisbane or flying south to Melbourne to see some of the world’s best comedians, because the inaugural GC Laughs Festival is coming back to HOTA next month.

Plus, you could win free margaritas for a year.

Welcome to Culture Curve—your go-to guide to what’s on the rise and slide in culture in October 2020.

Flowers are blooming, bugs are everywhere, and, of course, magpies are back, and they're angry.

Rock climbing is the ultimate full body work out that doesn’t actually feel like exercise. Don’t get it twisted, it’s no walk in the park, in terms of calorie burn it beats your bog-standard gym class any day.

Cheese High Teas. High Cheeses. Whatever you want to call them—dedicated cheese-themed afternoon teas, are back once again.

Tex-Mex superstar El Camino Cantina is bringing its legendary Tex-Mex menu, frozen Margaritas and all-around good time vibes to the Gold Coast.

Grab your basket, Tropical Fruit World in the Tweed Valley has opened its avocado orchid and cactus garden for picnics. And you won’t need to bring a thing. 

Just when you thought you had your weekend sorted, Mr. in Nobby Beach have gone and announced they’re launching a bottomless margarita lunch and now everything is in the air. 

It’s safe to say we have entered a new era of culpability, and we’re wielding a new set of tools to get us there. Gen Z has found political clout to rival Facebook bots, "data healing" aims to harness the manipulative power of ad tech for good and, after iso, introverts are holding court in our extrovert-dominated culture. Elsewhere, media and millennials are under scrutiny, and brands are beginning to show off imperfections in place of purpose washing. 

​Prepare to be blown away, because your favourite crew from Justin Lane have just thrown open the doors to an incredible, neon-lit Asian eatery and it’s the hottest thing we’ve seen in a long, long time.  

Make, then sip, your very own bespoke gin thanks to the legends at the Gold Coast’s newest distillery, Wildflower Gin.

Get your sweet tooth ready because a Krispy Kreme concept store is opening on the Gold Coast this week and will be dishing up mountains of doughnuts.

After months of lockdown and restrictions, HOTA’s Gold Coast cinema will be officially re-opening this weekend, from Saturday 6 June.

Great news, market-hungry Gold Coasters! The Village Markets are re-opening in the flesh this weekend for the first time since the coronavirus forced them to shut their open-air marketplace. 

Learn more about Queensland's current coronavirus restrictions.

In the most exciting news of the weekend, Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has just announced that travel within Queensland will be allowed from 12pm, Monday 1 June. 

Yatala Drive-In, the OG socially distanced movie theatre, has reopened with a short but sweet program of recently released movies. 

Unless you've been living under a rock, you will have heard that some Gold Coast restaurants and cafes have re-opened for dine-in services (for up to 10 people at a time).

Start planning your next big day trip, because Fraser Island, Stradbroke Island and Moreton Island are re-opening to visitors. 

Get ready to binge on all your favourite street food this weekend, because Miami Marketta is back in action. 

It’s the million-dollar question—when will lockdown end in Queensland? Well, the answer may have been announced today in Prime Minister Scott Morrison's press conference.

The eta Aquariid meteor shower, which occurs when Earth passes through a stream of debris left by Halley’s Comet each year, is set to light up the sky on Tuesday 5 May.

With the Labour Day long weekend coming up, but COVID-19 hanging over us all, you're probably wondering what you can and can't do. Can I go for a drive? Can I visit my family? Can I go camping? Here's those questions and more, answered.

Just when we thought we’d seen all of the DIY boxes out there, we stumbled across the latest Gold Coast creation; say hello to DIY cannoli boxes. 

With an extra long weekend coming up, but COVID-19 hanging over us all, you're probably wondering what you can and can't do. Can I go for a drive? Can I visit my family? Can I go camping? Here's those questions and more, answered.

Following on from the big news last week, that many Queensland national parks are now off-limits to visitors, Gold Coast Mayor Tom Tate has just announced three Gold Coast beaches will close tomorrow. 

Some of Queensland’s major national parks will officially close on Friday 3 April, due to coronavirus. 

On Sunday, state leaders and the Prime Minister met to determine the next stage in lockdown rules for Australia to curb the spread of the coronavirus.

Drastic times call for drastic measures and if that means turning craft spirits into hand sanitiser, we’re here for it. 

Queensland is now in Stage 3 lockdown and we will update this article as we move into stage 4 lockdown restrictions to tackle the spread of Coronavirus.

After growing concerns around public health, several of the Gold Coast’s major events have been cancelled. 

In celebration of Mr P.P.'s official deli launch in Southport, drop by this Wednesday 18 March to score a new gourmet sandwich and coffee for just $10. 

How are you going out there? These are strange times so we wanted to take a moment to connect. Because more than ever before, connectivity is everything.

Burleigh restaurant, Labart, is leading the charge amid coronavirus frenzy, closing their dine-in restaurant temporarily and instead offering for the first time ever, a takeaway service.

Time to loosen those belts, because an epic all-you-can-eat Mexican night is coming to the Gold Coast. Prepare your body for an overload of tacos, burritos and quesadillas, all brought to you by Burleigh Heads favourite Margarita Cartel, a bright Mexican eatery with quality eats and drinks to keep you going all night long. 

Summer might be over, but March just so happens to be one of the most action-packed months of the year! 

Salt Meats Cheese in Surfers Paradise are hosting an all-you-can-eat arancini and meatball night, and we’re already drooling. 

Betty's Burgers famous lobster roll is back for another limited run, just in time for Valentine's Day.

To help out those affected by the bushfires, including our native animals, we’ve compiled a list of charities and organisations you can donate to.

Specialising in perfectly-cooked steaks, fresh seafood and smooth martinis, SK Steak and Oyster is all about a few of our favourite indulgences in life.

Riparide is an exciting booking platform encouraging us city dwellers to unplug from the daily grind and head outdoors in search of fulfilling moments. And what’s best—Riparide is an Australian start-up. 

Queenslanders, it's time to dust down those glad rags, pop on your best lippy or dapper tie and celebrate the not-so-humble blush bevvy that is rosé, because the annual festivus that is Rosé Revolution is back! 

Love hiking and climbing? How about climbing along the edge of a towering cliff, clinging only to steel cables while you creep ever higher over the valley below? You’ll soon be able to do just that on the Gold Coast Hinterland, with news of the new ‘Via Ferrata’ being created at Binna Burra Lodge. 

The team behind award-winning restaurant Hellenika Brisbane have just announced they’re opening yet another restaurant in The Calile Hotel. Yes, just let that sink in for a moment. 

If you’ve been looking for an excuse to expand your LEGO set collection, this news is about to hit you like a ton of bricks: Alceon Group just named Robina Town Centre as the location of one its new LEGO® Certified Stores.

Surfers Paradise’s Beer Garden re-opens this weekend after a multi-million-dollar renovation, pouring a welcomed breath of fresh air into the underutilised space and taking full advantage of its prime location.

Big news just in! The burgeoning local beer scene shows no sign of slowing down, with the announcement of yet another seriously legit beer event—the Backyard Invitational Gold Coast, hosted by Stone & Wood.

You heard it here first, Gold Coast, a huge festival featuring our favourite clear beverage is coming to the sunshine state and we’re almost drunk with excitement!

It’s State of Origin time and we’ve got the best places for you to get your game on across the Gold Coast. Whether you’re a Maroon or Blues supporter, there’s nothing like watching the game live and loud with a crowd. We’ve compiled the best places to ingest the game, along with some good grub and bargain beverages to wash it all down. Win or lose, you’ll be happy you hit up these GC greats for Wednesday’s kick off.

If you’re looking to add a bit of magic to your winter, we have news for you! A light festival is coming to the Gold Coast and it’s going to be epic! The appropriately named event, GLOW, will see HOTA transform into a twinkling wonderland for the three-night festival.

Prepare for the biggest sugar rush of your life, because Sugar Republic is finally arriving on the Gold Coast this winter. This incredible pop-up Insta-museum is dedicated to the celebration of ice cream, lollies and all things sweet through a series of amazing sensory rooms. 

Just when we thought our favourite beachside hangout couldn’t get any better, it goes and combines two of our favourite things, bubbles and brunch! 

Forget staying in this winter, the Gold Coast restaurant scene is seriously booming with epic (and incredibly tasty) feasts. Mark your diaries for Sunday 30 June because Burleigh faves Restaurant Labart are teaming up with Byron tipple kings, Brookie’s Gin for one delicious day. 

Among the many excellent things we offer here on the Gold Coast, smooth coffee and epic little eateries are absolutely at the top of the bragging list. It does mean we’re often spoilt for choice but thankfully we’re here to seek out the best spots, so you can start your day right. Enter, Sisterhood Coffee, Palm Beach’s newest addition to the café scene—and we guarantee you’re going to love her. 

Forget nominating a DD to ship you and your crew down to Byron or up to Brisbane so you can catch international superstars perform, because the Gold Coast just scored the most epic music festival ever!

If the cold winter nights have got you huddled up on the couch binging Netflix, we’ve got the perfect excuse to get you out of your funk. Palm Beach favourite, The Collective, have teamed up with Patrón to create a whimsical, resort-style pop-up bar like no other.

While we love catching up with our mates at the bar, there’s just something about creative boozy workshops that has us hooked. So, we’re stoked to announce that another sip and paint night is coming to the Gold Coast.

If there’s one thing we know well on the Gold Coast, it’s fresher than fresh seafood. And the only thing better than seafood? A jam-packed buffet full of it. Fortunately for us, the Coast is home to a whole bunch of tasty, all-you-can-eat options. To ensure you get the best fill possible, here are the Gold Coast’s best seafood buffets, so that you, your mate, and that discreet side-pocket on your bag are ready. 

If you’ve longed for a white Christmas, then we’ve got good news for you. Pull on those gaudy Christmas jumpers because The Collective is transforming into a winter wonderland.

First of all, forget everything you thought knew and had come to expect from a nail salon. Because Burleigh newbie, ERVA is the total opposite. The vegan and organic salon is welcome addition to the beauty scene in a time where we’re more conscious of what we’re putting in and on our bodies.

There are some incredible restaurants within a leisurely drive from the Gold Coast that should be on everyone’s weekend to-do list.