Big City Lights Festival

SAY WATT? A MASSIVE LIGHT FESTIVAL IS COMING TO THE COAST

Big City Lights will light up your world.

Gold Coast, we’re on the verge of experiencing something truly spellbinding. Something rich in cultural goodness (amen!), art, colour, music, creativity, innovation, technology, diversity and most importantly, Instagram-able moments. Okay jokes, but your socials will look extra ‘stop-scrolling-and-stalk-worthy’ after a few selfies revelling in this hypnotic new festival.

Yes people, Big City Lights is a-comin to the Southport CBD for four unforgettable nights of immersive audio-visual activations, large-scale digital works, 3D-mapping and unexpected projection sites. Current mood: de-LIGHT-ed and LIGHT-headed with excitement!

From Thursday 7th July until Sunday 10th July, this free, mesmerising night-time exhibition will wow all ages groups with its cuttingedge coolness. Building facades and laneways will be transformed into hypnotic and technicolour displays by leading local and national artists working in the fields of light, installation, architecture and digital design.

Big City Lights will be delivered by Placemakers*, the bright sparks behind our city’s flagship annual arts festival; Bleach. With a program designed to give Queensland and the Gold Coast the cultural street cred it deserves here (take that Sydneysiders and Melbournians), it’s not one to miss. Backed by the Queensland Government as part of the $22.5 million Arts and Cultural Recovery Package, it will not only give us locals the opportunity to see our ‘hood through a new lens, but also help drive economic outcomes for the city. After Rona pretty much chewed up and spat out, well, everything and everyone, this inclusive and artistic festival is just what the doctor ordered.

In addition to transforming our CBD’s everyday urban spaces into illuminated technicolour displays, this inaugural event will also showcase an eclectic line-up of live musical performances.

The diverse soundscape will celebrate the Gold Coast’s vibrant nightlife and live-music scene and seriously, we LOVE this for us.

So friends, tell Siri to put this in your calendar now and prepare to be en-LIGHTened. With epic initiatives like this, the future of the Gold Coast is…bright.

The full event program will be released on Monday 30th May. Where: Southport CBD – exact locations found on their website When: Thursday 7th – Sunday 10th July

Words by Bianca Trathen Photos supplied by Big City Lights Festival, inset light concepts by Neil Bates & Cosmin Serban on Unsplash

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Prepare to be en-LIGHT-ened!