Gold Coast Arena

A once in a generation opportunity to deliver a world class entertainment and sports arena that is driven by demand and supported by lifestyle.

The opportunity 

We are seeking a proponent to deliver the Gold Coast Arena – a once in a generation opportunity to deliver a world class venue for live music performances, sports, comedy and esports. In 2023, the City engaged with the live music industry through a 'problem and opportunity statement' process to identify potential sites suitable for an arena.

After site investigations, Council of the City of Gold Coast has provided in principle support for an arena at Carey Park, Southport. It will encourage investment in the CBD, create hundreds of jobs and boost our visitor economy. 

Background 

We have identified the need for a new indoor entertainment arena, consolidating the city’s reputation as an entertainment capital and supporting current and future demand for sports and major events. It is envisaged the arena would be a mid-sized multipurpose venue with capacity for audiences of up to 12,000. 

Benefits for the community

• Bring significant economic, social and creative benefits to the city and broader region
• Help attract the most in-demand international and national music acts, major sporting events and family entertainment to the city.
• Create 1800 jobs for Queenslanders during construction and 740 full-time jobs during operation
• Generate $1.5 billion in economic output over the first 10 years
• Inject $700 million value added into the economy over 10 years
• Host up to 80 major events each year
• Support and attract local businesses
• Invigorate further investment in the CBD and boost the visitor economy
• Host some of the Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games sports and culture events

Project status

The future Gold Coast Arena is intended to be delivered and operated by a private investor which will be decided through our commercial transactions process.

We are in the planning phase and aim to start construction in 2026–2027. We expect there will be a 2-to-3-year construction period with delivery in 2028–2029.

Next steps

The City will continue to work with the Queensland government on site ownership options to support an arena at Carey Park.

Partnerships 

We will support the preferred proponent to facilitate investment success by providing: 

• a collaborative approach with a single point of contact to ensure advice is clear and succinct, and timeframes are agreed and met 
• organising and facilitating contact with key industry stakeholders and government advisors 
• assisting with navigating the development approval process 
• supporting applications to the City of Gold Coast, Queensland and Australian Governments for grant funding, if applicable. 

Contact us - Transactions@investgoldcoast.com