Entertainment

If there’s one person who knows how to make the most of a weekend in Sydney, it’s the powerhouse NRLW player, sharp-witted commentator, and podcast co-host Millie Elliott. 

With this year marking the event’s 20th anniversary and its biggest program to date, Sydney Comedy Festival is set to roll into town for a month of cracking jokes. 

Pull up your calendar and block out a weekend (or seven) and tune into some unmissable festivals coming to our corner of the world. 

New Year = time to give your mind, body and soul a well-deserved reset.

FISHER's Out 2 Lunch Festival with Vodafone is back, and we have the insider scoop on how to grab up presale tickets. 

Here’s your front-row look at what’s ahead for the best gigs to attend on the Gold Coast.

If you’ve never planned a trip to the Scenic Rim, we’re here to tell you, you’re most definitely missing out. 

To help you start mapping out your next New South Wales adventure, we’ve rounded up a bunch of the most exciting events to mark in your diaries.

We’ve wrapped up a stack of free events taking over The Star Gold Coast this February so you can eat, sip, laugh and dance your way through stunning summer evenings. 

For artists like Isaac who are drawn to creating, music is undeniably in their blood, so we've teamed up with Australian Red Cross Lifeblood to dive a little deeper and uncover the passion for collaboration, live performance and a drive to contribute to the world around him that pump an unmistakable rhythm through his veins. 

We’ve linked up with Australian Red Cross Lifeblood to take you on a deep dive into Australian artists with music in their blood, and there’s no better place to start than with LK (her dad is Paul Kelly, and if that doesn’t suggest she was born with music flowing through her veins, we don’t know what does.)

Grab your mates and head down for live performances every Friday with some of the industry’s finest musicians at The Star’s vibrant Garden Kitchen & Bar Live On The Lawn, entertainment series.

From grass-stomping day festivals and one-off intimate gigs to globally-revered performances and three-day camp-outs, you’re spoilt for choice; no matter where you are in Australia, we guarantee these music events are well worth the flight, train or road trip convoy with your crew. 

Whatever you're into, there's something for everyone on the agenda at The Star Gold Coast over the next action-fueled months. 

Nestled in the beating heart of Surfers Paradise, we’ve found the perfect place for the ultimate fun day out. Think: epic games, live sport and a total foodie nirvana. So where can you find this awesome spot? Perched on the corner of Surfers Paradise Boulevard and Cavill Mall, boasting a 100-metre frontage opposite the world-famous Surfers Paradise Beach, is Paradise Centre. Home to over 90 stores, an alfresco dining precinct and a buzzing entertainment hub, gather your crew and make tracks here stat.

When we think of a model, we conjure a standard vision in our minds. You know the one. For decades, model status has remained tall, thin, white, able-bodied and cis-gendered. Not always, but most of the time. 

Autobiographies are a window into the soul and sometimes they are so powerful they can change the reader, so and here are our top picks of the 10 you should read at least once in your life.

Disney’s magical collection of flicks is heading to the big screen once again, with Openair Cinemas bringing a drive-in movie theatre to the Gold Coast. 

It’s time to splurge on popcorn buckets as big as your head, frozen cokes and choc-tops because 20th Century Studios' newest historical drama, The Last Duel is the big-screen experience of your dreams

Isol-Aid Homegrown is a collaboration providing creative and financial support to emerging acts across Australia and New Zealand.

Everyone loves a trip down memory lane. And what better way to get you there than a movie night with some old-school 90s classics. 

Amazing news: The Festival Of The Stone is back in Byron Bay on 5 June 2021 and heads up, tickets will sell out real quick.

We sit down with Linda Marigliano to dissect the ultimate dinner party.

We sit down with Australian singer-songwriter Thandi Phoenix to uncover what makes a luxe long lunch.

We’ve rounded up 10 of the best board games around, whether you’re playing with two or six, amateurs or pros.

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

We sit down with Touch Sensitive to chat about the perfect movie night set-up.

Attention bookworms, avid readers and aspiring writers, Storyfest Writers Festival (formerly the Somerset Celebration of Literature) is back for its 26th year. More than 30 of Australia’s best authors and illustrators will converge on the Gold Coast for three epic days of talks, workshops, panels, and community events. 

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.

It’s true, our love for hip hop runs deep. We’re big fans of the genre’s boundary-breaking, rebellious attitude (perhaps a love that’s been magnified after living through the insanity that was 2020) and it’s the leading part in the revival of '90s streetwear fashion. 

​If you’ve never been into colouring books, puzzles seem far too mundane, you could ever stay consistent with journaling, we think we may have just found your favourite new mindfulness hobby.

If you, like us, have rewatched all your favourite sitcoms from back to front last year, then you’re probably craving some new content. Well, fortunately for you, and us, Friends! The Musical Parody is finally coming to the Gold Coast.

As Australia slowly begins to open back up and music festivals are no longer just a faint, distant memory, the Gold Coast has decided to up the ante by creating a brand new live music concept.

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

Pedro Pascal is somehow still insanely attractive even while wearing a helmet the entire time.

Your go-to guide to what’s on the rise, and on the slide in culture right now. 

This month, we're adding bedroom pop to our playlists, a genre spawned from artists getting creative in iso. We investigate a new wave of augmented reality e-commerce that's adding a little creativity to practicality, and we take a deep dive on the mega-force of gaming—no longer just a channel for entertainment and escapism, but the final curtain of pop culture. 

And yes, you should cancel your weekend plans.

We’ve curated a list of our recent sounds you need to check out, from Gaga’s latest bops to a few Aussie favourites.

The multi award-winning musical, created by Lin-Manuel Miranda, was initially due to head to our shores in March 2021. But with a little thing called COVID getting in the way, that's on the back burner for now. Fortunately, there's still a chance to see the ground-breaking hip hop musical, and you don’t even need to max out your credit card for it. Hype up, because Hamilton the movie is coming direct to your lounge.

We all knew it was coming and now it's official—Splendour In The Grass has been cancelled for 2020.

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

You may not be able to visit your local cafe for a flat white, enjoy a beer with your buddies or catch a film with friends, but we’re arming you with 10 seriously cool things to do on the Gold Coast, while you batten down the hatches and self-isolate.

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’d know that the short-form video app, Tik Tok has well and truly taken over the world. 

We’ve rounded up some of the fiercest local women in business; pouring cups of ambition by the gallon, dreaming big and designing their futures on their terms, right here on the Gold Coast. 

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

Consider your app game sorted for 2020.

The epic new musical festival announcements just keep coming, with the news of Greener Pastures hitting the Gold Coast in 2020. 

One Love Festival is one of New Zealand's largest and most iconic music festivals—pulling in around 20,000 revellers each year for almost a decade. Having sold out in NZ for the past four years in a row, organisers have decided to bring the festival to Australia for the first time. 

He’s the guy on everyone’s playlists and now he’s heading down under for an exclusive, intimate show. 

For all the music stans out there, listen up. We’re about to dish the dirt on how you can nab backstage tickets at shows, meet your favourite artists, score killer merch and get exclusive VIP treatment at festivals. 

Ever wanted to go to the cinema but were too lazy to get out of your comfy bed? Well, this year you’ll be able to watch a movie under the stars in a giant bed, courtesy of the Mov’in Bed outdoor cinema.

Awakening a new era of world-class entertainment, say hello to The Pink Flamingo. The brainchild of hospitality and showbiz gurus, Tony Rigas and Sue Porrett, The Pink Flamingo is set to deliver sleek and sexy stage shows featuring international superstars, straight to our backyard. Expect an exciting mix of cabaret and burlesque that will transport you to the golden area of entertainment.

The mammoth line-up has finally dropped so mark your calendars.

Round up your mates and prepare to hit peak nostalgia because Level Up is dishing out old school fun with their slick, new Broadbeach arcade. Located on the first floor of The Oasis, Australia’s first Level Up Arcade will officially open its doors on Monday 24 June and you’ll want to be first in line. 

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!

Sipping a cold one and blissing out to the soulful sounds of the Hanlon Brothers is a rite of passage on the Gold Coast. Whether it’s at The Island Rooftop for a Sunday session or a late-night groove in IKU’s back bar, you’d be hard pressed to find someone who hasn’t fallen for the lovable trio’s smooth beats. 

Sorry if you wanted to sleep.

Plus a secret Grammy Award-winning line-up.

Enter 2019, a golden age of fandoms.

Twenty-seven years later and Pennywise is back.

That’s right, you’ve read correctly: Netflix series ‘Mindhunter’ is slated to return for a second season this August and we are beyond excited.

It lands on screens next month.

Cue the excitement.

Lately, we’ve been fortunate enough to score some seriously special performances here on the Gold Coast and it looks like we’re still getting spoilt with HOTA’s latest offering— Symphony For Our World.

It includes an exclusive interview with Billy McFarland.

Blessed be the fight.

There is an epic line-up of must-see movies coming to the big screens this May and nothing screams movie night like the colder weather we are welcoming along with the new month. There is a range of genres showing in the new releases, from rom-coms to war-films and everything in between.

As part of Urban List Music Month we're bringing light on the artists that are shaping the music industry from the ground up.

It’s been over twenty years since Baz Luhrmann shattered your heart into a thousand tiny pieces via his modern-day telling of the Shakespearean epic, Romeo and Juliet. You were spellbound. Remember the giddy lovers eyeing each other nervously through the tropical fish tank? Their impatient love in the pool? The distress of their poisoned deaths? And now, thanks to HOTA, you are able to relive the ache and ecstasy all over again!

In case you hadn’t already heard, the Gold Coast is currently home to one of the best entertainment venues in the country. Yep, for one hot month, the Gold Coast Spiegeltent will be bringing you the best live acts from Australia and around the globe, including music, cabaret, comedy and theatre performances.

This Barcelona festival is making headlines for its 50/50 talent split including Tame Impala, Miley Cyrus, Charli XCX, Future and Nas.

It’s almost been a whopping four years since her last album, but we’ve finally gotten word that Grimes is coming out with a new LP, so drop everything you’re doing and listen up. A few weeks ago, Grimes took to social media to unveil details about her forthcoming LP titled Miss_Anthropocene, a concept album about the anthropomorphic goddess of climate change.

Dust off your docs and bust out your band tees, because Byron Bay’s iconic Bluesfest is back for its 30th year, and it’s going to be bigger than ever. Held over the entire Easter long weekend, Bluesfest will be bringing good times and good music to the Tyagarah Tea Tree Farm. 

Your first look at Timon and Pumbaa.

His close team of songwriters and musicians have worked to finalise the late DJ’s unfinished album.

And it's a wake-up call.

This is the moving story behind Beychella.

Bring on April 13.

We all know vinyl is back. And so it should be! What’s not to love about that beautiful crackling static as the needle prepares to spin your tune, or the warm-as-the-sun sounds that dance from the speaker? Which brings us to Record Store Day 2019, a celebration of all that is vinyl. It’s a worldwide event that celebrates the unique culture and community of independent record stores around the globe. In fact, there are now Record Store Day events on nearly every continent.

Cancel Culture is undoubdtedly one of the most powerful digital movements today affecting the music world.

We couldn’t kick off the first week of music month at Urban List without chatting to pop music’s most coveted duo right now. In their first project together, Troye Sivan and Lauv’s I’m So Tired cracked top 10 in the UK—a first for both performers—reached the top 20 on the Billboard charts, has been streamed nearly two million times on Spotify and performed everywhere from Jimmy Kimmel Live to The Late Late Show with James Cordon.

You’ll never look at Zac Efron the same again.

Plus Chance The Rapper, Tame Impala, SZA, Hayden James, Matt Corby and Ziggy Alberts.

Nothing says the Gold Coast more than epic surf beaches and uber talented local musicians. So, it only stands to reason that both of them should come together to create one seriously rad festival. 

An ode to all things friendship, freedom and protecting your own energy.

April is music month at Urban List and we’ve got all of your music needs covered with this ultimate Gold Coast gig guide.

The Gold Coast Film Festival is back again and this time it’s going to be bigger and better than ever. Held from 3-14 April, the festival features a 12-day program packed with screenings, workshops, panel discussions and loads more. With over 100 films to choose from, it can get a little overwhelming, so we’ve put together a list of the five must-see screenings at this year’s Gold Coast Film Festival. Get the popcorn ready, it’s going to be a good one.

Tkay Maidza is the ambitious Australian rapper taking up space on everyone’s playlist right now. We caught up with her during recording sessions in Melbourne to dive into her wardrobe and talk creative inspirations, self-discovery, fashion as expression and never (ever) blending in.

The monsters are something else.

April has a big line-up of must-see movies coming to your screens so book in your date nights or bestie nights and get ready for some seriously good, popcorn fuelled watching.

Eyes starting to shrivel up? Might be time to ditch the screens and try something a bit more...analogue. We’ve got some crackerjack new release books in November.

The story of infamous backpacker murderer Ivan Milat.

All the trending games you need to know about right now.

Time to play God—with Bear Grylls. 

 Your weekend sorted.

Sure, the calendar says it’s autumn, but the ever-rising mercury has us thinking we might just have scored ourselves another endless summer. Which means it’s the perfect time to enjoy all things alfresco… especially when it comes to the flicks.

It's as fast-paced and vibrant as you imagined it to be.

Today marks International Women’s Day and this year, there are two areas of focus— balance for better and more powerful together. And to celebrate this day—where we campaign for a gender-balanced world—we’ve put together a list of films that highlight women’s stories.

The tea has been spilt. 

What’s good Westeros?

Debuted at sacai’s Fall/Winter 2019 runway show in Paris, we now have a release date for the Japanese brands collaboration with Beats by Dre. 

No doubt you’ve devoured every juicy bit of the manipulative and deceitful relationship between John Meehan and Debra Newell.

She’s the eclectic pop slash hip-hop sound in everyone’s ears right now and considering she’s just 20, that’s a pretty huge feat.

Consider our interest peaked.

 Come again?

Book yourself in for a date night, or an after-work stress reliever and catch one of the great flicks coming out this month.

Firstly, she's 25-years-old.

Despite much controversy, the 91st Academy Awards went ahead sans presenter.

Turning 30 is a big deal for anyone, but it’s even more of a big deal when you’re an internationally renowned festival with a habit of producing iconic line-ups. That’s right, our very own Bluesfest is turning 30, and its celebrating with one hell of a party. 

The new series will be based on the 1898 horror book The Turn Of The Screw.

It's made over half a billion dollars at the box office in its first-week release.

Cliff top oasis and Bali beach club Ulu Ciffhouse has been redefining beachside nightlife since it opened its doors in 2017. With direct access to the beautiful beaches of Uluwatu, this beach club boasts a 25-metre infinity pool, resort, music recording studio, art space, world class food and drinks, and an oceanside deck that hangs above the waves.

It’s called “Leaving Neverland”.

It’s 17 years after a global catastrophe and things are looking hectic.

The EDM duo remember their years DJ-ing at Kit & Kaboodle and now they’ve dropped their first album, there’s no turning back.

Females dominated the Album Of The Year nominations and the award ceremony made firsts in the world of hip hop. 

Behold, the rise and rise of Billie Eilish.

Brainwashing, blackmail, alien abduction and death threats.

The world’s biggest live virtual reality festival brought together 10 million attendees.