FAQs

The Gold Coast Arena is proposed as the next major project to solidify the Gold Coast as one of Australia’s major entertainment capitals.

The arena will provide the Gold Coast with a world class facility for live events that is highly accessible and well connected to all transport networks. 

Without an arena, the Gold Coast is missing out on tourism dollars and jobs because we have no suitable indoor venues for up to 12,000 patrons for our growing population.

As Australia’s fastest growing city the Gold Coast will be home to over 1 million residents by 2046. We need infrastructure befitting of a large contemporary city. 

The arena will invigorate investment in the CBD, bring social benefits, create hundreds of jobs and boost our visitor economy.

The new Gold Coast Arena could potentially host up to 80 ticketed events per year. It will have capacity for up to 12,000 patrons. It will be designed to host world class concerts and events from headline international music acts, comedy, family entertainment, sports, mixed martial arts and esports.

Early estimates indicate that a new arena could cost about $480 million (2024 AUD$). The City is looking for private investment, however understands that some funding contribution from government may be required.

The project includes an 8,000-10,000-seat arena, up to 12,000 patron capacity. The arena’s primary function will be for live music concerts. It will also be designed to be multipurpose to cater for other types of events including sports, comedy and family entertainment. The arena venue and ancillary spaces include foyers, front of house, back of house, plaza spaces, corporate spaces and food and beverage offerings.  

The City is in the planning phase and the total project is expected to take 5 years, including 2-3 years of construction. We plan to have the arena open and operating when we welcome the world to our shores for the Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

The new arena will provide jobs for workers in the entertainment sector and inspiration for our aspiring musicians, performing artists and associated support roles. Direct and indirect benefits of the arena is estimated to contribute an economic output of $147 million per annum, up to 740 full time equivalent jobs and $70 million value added per annum.

Some events are suited to stadiums and/or outdoor stages and the city does have great existing venues for these types of events. However, the city does not have a suitable venue for arena tours that are favoured by many popular national and international musicians and performers. 

Gold Coast’s other existing venues are either too big for instance People First and CBUS stadiums; outdoor venues like HOTA Outdoor Stage and Broadwater Parklands; or too small HOTA Theatre (approximately 1200 capacity) or Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre Arena (up to 6000 capacity). 

Nothing. They are the same. The Gold Coast Arena is the shortened title of the Gold Coast Indoor Entertainment and Sports Arena.

The Gold Coast Arena will be similar in audience capacity and is expected to host similar type concerts and events. The Gold Coast Arena will feature the latest in contemporary design and technological capability. It will mean Gold Coasters will be able to see events in their own city and not have to travel to Brisbane.

We are only in the early stage of the project. While we have developed early artists illustrations of the arena to show what it could look like, concept design has not commenced and will be part of the delivery process. However the indicative dimensions of the proposed  Gold Coast Arena, as benchmarked against other arenas, is about 1.5 ha in footprint area and approximately 26m in height.

Carey Park is an ideal location for several reasons. 

• An arena in a prominent setting on the Broadwater creates a new destination and will boost Southport’s night-time economy.
• Carey Park offers great connectivity as transport options are readily available with three light rail stations in easy walking distance, as well as options for bus and ferry transport. 
• Southport offers a mix of dining, entertainment and accommodation options that will enhance the experience for arena patrons, encouraging visitors to ‘make a weekend of it’, stay, play and spend.
• Adjacent to the world class community and cultural Broadwater Parklands that hosts the city’s most popular events that caters for large numbers of people.
• It is in a Priority Development Area (PDA) and close to a Special Entertainment Precinct (SEP) which prioritises development of such city-shaping infrastructure. 

The City has undertaken a rigorous site assessment on a number of locations in the city.  The sites were evaluated against multiple criteria, including the key requirements of connectivity (public transport), complementary uses (food and beverage, and accommodation), and city-shaping opportunity.

We know that transport and parking is important to Gold Coasters. The Carey Park location was selected because of multiple travel and transport options. This includes three light rail stations within walking distance, bus and ferry access, as well as over 4800 carparks within 800m walk. Traffic management plans will also be developed for implementation during events. As this project progresses more detailed traffic and transport network modelling will be undertaken.

Noise sensitive locations adjacent to the site, such as nearby residents and businesses, will be a key consideration in project design, delivery and operations.

The operator will be required to comply with relevant legislative requirements around noise.  

The Gold Coast Arena will be acoustically designed to minimise noise impacts to the surrounding amenity while optimising sound quality within the venue.

Based on benchmarking from other arenas, the venue may be approximately 26 metres or 8-storeys in height. While still subject to detailed design, views from some surrounding properties are anticipated to be impacted.

A Heritage Impact Statement investigation will be undertaken as part of the due diligence process.

For Aboriginal Cultural Heritage, consultation and further assessment will be undertaken

Where possible existing significant trees will be retained. The City is engaging independent arborist advice to inform vegetation protection and management.

Carey Park is predominantly a carpark for the CBD and Broadwater Parklands. It is anticipated the arena will bring improvements to the public plaza and civic space to create a more useable destination and be a catalyst for further investment in the surrounding precinct to enhance the day and night time experience. 

The City acknowledges that any major new project will impact some residents. That’s why we are reaching out to nearby residents to find out what you would like to see included in the new public plaza and civic space. 

The off-leash dog area currently at Carey Park will be assessed as part of this project and in consultation with the City’s Animal Management Unit.

Through our Public Space Officers, the City is working closely with local welfare services and State Government agencies to assist people experiencing homelessness to obtain suitable accommodation.

The arena is anticipated to be a catalyst to reinvigorate Southport and expected to have a positive impact on property values in the area. Properties closest to Carey Park may experience varying impacts.

Carey Park is a State Government owned community purpose reserve and the City is trustee. The City will continue to work with the Queensland Government, to explore the most appropriate tenure to support an arena outcome. 

The construction period is expected to take 2-3 years. We plan to have the arena open and operating before the Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

While this location has been previously investigated for other outcomes including an Integrated Resort Development (IRD), the Gold Coast Arena proposal is an entirely different project, does not include a casino and is not related to the previous IRD proposal.

Images used for community consultation are only for illustrative purposes, to inform how it could look at the preferred location. A full architectural design process is planned for future stages. If you would like to provide feedback on what you would like the arena to look like, please include comments in the free text survey question. 

Your feedback will help us collect information about what you would like to see and experience at the new Gold Coast Arena. We will use this information when we advocate for the project with the Queensland and Australian Governments so that they can hear directly from you.

We want to hear from you about what you’d like to see and experience at a Gold Coast Arena. Have your say on the Gold Coast Arena between Thursday 7 November and Monday 9 December 2024. 

Take the survey now and go into the draw to win one of four $250 gift vouchers (terms and conditions apply).

Visit the GC Have Your Say webpage at gchaveyoursay.com.au/arena where you can find out more about the Gold Coast Arena.

There will be other opportunities for community input into the delivery of the new Gold Coast Arena as the project progresses, including during the development approval process.

To keep updated on the arena subscribe for updates on the project web page.

If you have a particular question about the arena project, email cityprojectsunit@goldcoast.qld.gov.au