With 300 performances, 218 artists and 38 events, BLEACH* Festival has announced the largest program in its history, in celebration of its 12th anniversary.

From the shoreline at North Burleigh, to the valley in Currumbin, to the tidal flow of the Nerang River, the 12th BLEACH* Festival plays to our city’s landscape in all its glorious beauty, with stories of our place. BLEACH*, one of nation’s most unique arts and cultural festivals, has just unveiled its jam-packed signature place-based 2023 program, taking place from 3 to 13 August 2023.

The beloved annual arts festival will feature stories of grand spectacle, contrasted with intimate moments that underscore a contemporary Gold Coast. BLEACH* 2023 will transform the city’s beachside esplanades, Botanic Gardens, cultural precincts and hinterland gems into 11 days of pulsating performances.

“BLEACH* is back! With a program full of award-winning artists, nine new work commissions all made here on the Gold Coast, and 15 Queensland premieres, we could not be more excited to share this festival with audiences.

"There’s simply no better place to in August than the GC. So, rug up, enjoy the winter sun, sit by an open fire under the stars in some of our most spectacular locations, and grow to love this City a little bit more during BLEACH* 2023,” said Artistic Director of BLEACH* and CEO of Placemakers* Gold Coast, Rosie Dennis.

The Gold Coast’s flagship annual arts and cultural celebration will feature five main hubs, which include the beachside haven of North Burleigh, Gold Coast Regional Botanic Gardens, HOTA and Currumbin Valley. The fifth hub is an exciting brand-new location at the recently unveiled Broadbeach Cultural Precinct.    

BLEACH* will also have a city-wide footprint with an exciting convoy of Monster Trucks: a fleet of eight cement trucks which will feature commissioned work by a local artist. 

The first festival artistic hub to open is the ever-popular esplanade at North Burleigh. The ocean-side location provides the perfect backdrop for a jam-packed cultural program featuring an array of live music, unique performances, interactive elements and community connectivity.  The hub will feature a large stage, open-air bar and all performances will be free for the community and visitors to the Love your Local North Burleigh Hub.

The perpetual First Light marks the opening of BLEACH* 2023, with a 6am sunrise ceremony. Heartland led by William Barton and violinist Véronique Serret will present a moving blend of song, poetry and didgeridoo, a spectacular First Nations performance at sunrise that cannot be missed. 

Live music is at the heart of the North Burleigh Hub boasting an 8hr program of free daily musical performances, with an all-local line up featuring both previous and current Gold Coast Music Award nominees. Pulse / Connect and Light Lines are interactive experiences that will stimulate your senses and provide a mesmerising light playscape for all ages. 

Directed by award-winning choreographer Emma Saunders and performed by We are here Company, Encounter Gold will deliver a striking performance that will capture the indomitable spirt of youth and provide a visual feast of movement, dance and the unspoken word.   

Looks like a Tourist, a large-scale roaming installation of anonymous orange people in inflatable orange suits will feature in the hub and on the beach, encouraging us to consider the behaviours and lasting impact tourists have on our iconic destinations. 

The light poles located on the Burleigh Heads promenade will feature a brand-new BLEACH* commission by Lisa Sorbie Martin titled; It’s a Celebration.

Last Light will close the festival at sunset and features the World Premiere of Tower Divas, a brand-new BLEACH* commission by an all-female cast and creatives.

With an ever-expanding footprint every year, this year’s festival features a hub located in the recently opened Broadbeach Cultural precinct, which is also the new home of Placemakers*, the architects of BLEACH* and BIG CITY LIGHTS*.

Imagine a festival within a festival, a pulsating artistic playground with six tents featuring concurring shows with a blend of live music, drag, cabaret, theatre, comedy and spoken word.  A floating barge concert series, food trucks, house band and a Lebanese café with traditional food and music. Welcome to BLEACH* at Broadbeach with a whopping 22+ individual shows on offer!

A floating barge on the Nerang River is certain to cause a spectacle and is just one of the stars of the BLEACH* Broadbeach Hub. River Songs is a concert series featuring three different sets of musicians.  The setting is made a sensory delight by the audience listening to the performances through headphones on the banks of the river. 

Curated by The Good Room, Bliss is all about fun, frivolity and performance art with a booming backdrop of electronic music. A night out to remember reminiscent of Studio 54 and A Galaxy Far Far Away.  A celebration of the LGBTQIA+ cosmic community, this in one chaotic cabaret not to miss!

BLEACH* is once again returning to the city’s Botanic Gardens with three evenings of signature outdoor concerts and a free daily afternoon sound and meditation experience.

ARIA award-winning Katie Noonan and her five-piece band will headline the gardens program with Joni Mitchell’s ‘BLUE’ 50th Anniversary (13th August), a performance not to be missed.

Tamara-Anna Cislowska, a renowned concert pianist and co-curator will host Edge of the Lens.  Together with visionary artist, Tarita Botsman, witness an World Premiere as they perform contemporary classical music by some of the most daring and imaginative female composers and songwriters in Australia. 

Two mind-blowing performances in one evening in the city’s Botanic Gardens is certain to sell-out. Botanic Melodies, led by Steve Newcomb and APRA and ARIA award winning classical guitarist Karin Schaupp, will provide an exquisite evening of visual and sensory delight. 

The World Premiere of Roller Coaster, a new work is co-presented by Everybody Now!, BLEACH* and HOTA, is certain to be a crowd pleaser at the outdoor stage at HOTA. Think roller derby blended with social connectedness, humour, mental health challenges, high-energy cast and clever performance creativity and delivery.  This is a production that will leave you wanting more!

The Imaginary Aviary by Vanessa Tomlinson is an exciting and new contemporary classical music work where musicians will improvise musical pieces, inspired by the architecture and art at the HOTA gallery.   

The Acoustic Life of Sheds is back after the sold-out Queensland Premiere in 2022, with a twist.   The Currumbin Valley will now be the location for a series of unique performances by three artists at three distinctly different rural sheds featuring:

• Brian Ritchie, Artistic Director of Mona Foma Festival in Tasmania and Founding Member of The Violent Femmes 

• Christine Johnston - co-creator of the multi-award-winning comedic trio The Kransky Sisters

• Peter Nelson, Ritchie Daniell & Samuel Pankhurst

Guest can experience these talented creatives perform at individual site-specific locations as audiences travel between properties in a carpooling convoy.

BLEACH* will also have a city-wide footprint with an exciting convoy of Monster Trucks: a fleet of 8 cement trucks which will feature commissioned work by a local artist, Dion Parker. (Original concept by Terrapin). Watch in awe as a fleet of Nucon cement mixers transform into works of art and cruise along the streets on the Gold Coast to celebrate BLEACH* 2023.

BLEACH* Festival runs from 3 to 13 August 2023. For the full program details, visit the website.

Placemakers* Gold Coast is supported by the City of Gold Coast as a foundation partner and the Queensland Government through Arts Queensland, part of the Department of Communities, Housing, and Digital Economy. BLEACH* is supported by the Queensland Government through Tourism and Events Queensland and features on the It’s Live! in Queensland events calendar.