From: Street Artist / Murals / Specific to: Placemaking / Street Artist
SURFACE Festival – Gold Coast’s Leading Public Art and Mural Festival
Every winter, SURFACE Festival transforms the Gold Coast into one of Australia’s most exciting public art festivals, bringing together local, national and international artists to create vibrant large-scale murals and street art across the city. Over two weeks, the festival turns everyday streets into an open-air gallery, making art accessible to everyone.
As a premier mural festival and street art festival, SURFACE offers far more than live mural painting. Visitors can enjoy a diverse program of exhibitions, gallery nights, artist talks, creative workshops, live music, family-friendly activities and cultural experiences that celebrate the Gold Coast’s thriving arts community.
City of Gold Coast Community Mural Asset
SURFACE Festival is funded through a combination of City of Gold Coast support, private sponsorship, local business partnerships, and in-kind contributions. While the City of Gold Coast does not publicly disclose exactly how much it contributes each year, the festival consistently acknowledges the Council as a key supporter rather than the sole funder.
As part of the funding agreement, Surface Festival must select one mural artist to paint a council asset. This year, HAPPY DECAY was chosen to design and paint a mural for the highly used toilet block at Great Hall Drive, Nobby Beach.
The street art/mural created focused on the following points:
- Placemaking and urban renewal
- Community engagement and co-design
- Memorable landmark
- Creating memorable visitor experiences
- Supporting local identity and culture.
Strengthening Places and Communities
Murals have the power to transform ordinary public spaces into vibrant destinations that people enjoy spending time in. By adding colour, creativity and a strong sense of identity to streets, laneways and public buildings, murals create places that residents feel proud of and visitors remember. This investment in public art strengthens community connection, encourages people to explore their neighbourhoods and contributes to a more welcoming and engaging city.
Driving Tourism and Supporting Local Business
Large-scale murals create unique destinations that encourage people to explore beyond the Gold Coast’s iconic beaches. Visitors are drawn to mural trails, public art precincts and festivals, increasing foot traffic for surrounding cafés, restaurants and local businesses. As murals are widely shared across social media, they also generate valuable organic promotion for the city, helping position the Gold Coast as one of Australia’s leading creative and cultural destinations.
Activating Public Spaces Through Placemaking
Murals are a proven placemaking tool that can transform blank or underutilised walls into engaging public assets. Whether revitalising laneways, shopping precincts, parks or civic spaces, murals improve the visual appeal of an area while creating memorable experiences for the community. They help establish a distinctive identity for a location, encourage people to spend more time in public spaces and demonstrate the Council’s commitment to creating vibrant, liveable neighbourhoods.
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