1 August 2025

Gold Coast ignites global buzz ahead of arena investment drive 

 Australia’s City of Gold Coast is gearing up to deliver its biggest entertainment and sports investment in a generation and the world’s investors are invited to bring it to life. 

The proposed Gold Coast Arena – confirmed as a Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games venue – is set to become a premier destination for international touring artists, sports entertainment and major cultural events. 

City of Gold Coast Mayor Tom Tate today said the city would formally launch a global Expressions of Interest (EOI) process later this month. 

“We are about to ignite a global investment wave with the opportunity for investors to partner on a legacy 12,000-plus capacity sports and entertainment arena,” the Mayor said. 

“We will be seeking expressions of interest from major Australian and international consortia to enter a Public Private Partnership to design, build, finance, operate and maintain the landmark venue. 

“This is an early call to global investors to get ready for one of the most exciting, city-shaping opportunities in the Asia Pacific.” 

The proposed Gold Coast Arena is expected to be fast-tracked under the Brisbane Olympic and Paralympic Games Arrangements Amendment Act 2024, supporting streamlined approval and planning pathways ahead of an expected opening in 2030. 

Invest Gold Coast Chair Will Hodgman said the Arena would be operated on a long-term arrangement at Carey Park, Southport, in the heart of the Gold Coast CBD. 

“We want to give investors the confidence and delivery certainty they need to get behind this project,” Mr Hodgman said.  

“We are not prescribing the scope or terms, rather we’re inviting the international market to help shape this project with world-class expertise and ideas.  

“What we are making clear today is that this opportunity is real, it is coming, and the Gold Coast market is ripe for investment. 

“This is a unique chance for a world-class consortium to deliver a premier entertainment venue in one of APAC’s most vibrant cities, where there is enormous and expanding demand for music, sport, cultural and major events.  

“The demand for a venue like the Gold Coast Arena has never been higher with the city’s youth under-20 population forecast to grow 38% by 2041.”   

Live Performance Australia reported that Queensland hosted 4.9 million live performance fans in 2023 with the Gold Coast generating close to $1 billion in the music economy. 

The arena construction is expected to generate up to $2 billion in economic output, support more than 6500 jobs and inject some $700 million into the regional economy. 

Invest Gold Coast – the city’s dedicated investment and economic development agency – will lead the EOI process and seek innovative, market-led proposals. 

The opportunity has already attracted early interest from potential investment partners in ASEAN, USA and UAE, ahead of formal market engagement. 

Invest Gold Coast will release full EOI documentation and registration details in late August 2025, with submissions expected to close in November. 

For more information and to register interest ahead of the EOI launch, visit investgoldcoast.com/opportunities/gold-coast-arena 

Media: media@investgoldcoast.com  

About Invest Gold Coast: 

Invest Gold Coast Pty Ltd is an investment and economic development organisation established by the City of Gold Coast to facilitate growth and increase investment into the Gold Coast, Australia’s fastest-growing city.  

It is responsible for promoting the Gold Coast to Australian and overseas investors, facilitating major new priority investment projects and attracting new businesses, providing independent, commercial advice to Council on investment opportunities, and continuing to support and strengthen the local business community including through export growth.