Gold Coast transformed into ocean-lover’s dream for Flotsam Fest

The Gold Coast has been swept off its feet by this year’s Flotsam Festival, bringing waves of excitement and a surge of beach-loving culture to the shorelines.

Running from May 1st to 14th, the festival is a two-week celebration of everything ocean-related, bringing together surf enthusiasts, environmentalists, and beachgoers alike.

This year’s festival features a sea-inspired program of events including world-first digital art unveiling, photographic exhibitions, workshops, and in-depth discussions with filmmakers and photographers.

Festival Director Carolyn Emge told MyGC the key difference this year is the festival ventures further north to encompass more of the southern Gold Coast’s iconic breaks protected by world surfing reserve status.

“Precincts in Burleigh, Tugun, and Palm Beach join the festival footprint, with events scattered as far north as Mermaid Beach,” she said.

The event features work by internationally acclaimed artists including Craig Walsh, whose DRIFT installation is a world-first site-specific digital sculpture that responds to the southern Gold Coast’s environmental elements.

Each evening of the festival at nightfall, the beachside of Coolangatta SLSC will host a portal into the DRIFT first stage experience for audiences to freely view, no ticket required.

DRIFT was launched to a surprise audience of VIP guests on a mystery tour that also encompassed the Flotsam’s Focal Point exhibition.

Artist Craig Walsh says DRIFT invites audiences to reexamine their relationship to this city’s seascape and the forces that shape it daily.

“It provides a new visual language which interprets environmental conditions, a new language to be learned and shared within the community,” he said.

At the launch, a new installation featuring an image by prolific local lensman Andrew Shields of stand-out up-and-coming indigenous surfer Lungi Slabb was also unveiled.

The new addition joins a series of spectacular photo installations that form a walkable outdoor gallery starting from Kirra groin and traversing Coolangatta beachfront, Greenmount headland, Rainbow Bay, Snapper Rocks and Point Danger.

Exhibitions including the work of photographers Ted Grambeau, Trent Mitchell, Clementine Bourke and more also opened yesterday, with others to open in the coming days.

Flotsam Festival will also be hosting multiple single events each evening this week.

For more information, visit: flotsamfestival.com.au