Swing into summer with City’s school holiday line-up

Parents can sigh in relief – the City’s action-packed school holiday program has arrived to keep boredom at bay. 

Acting Mayor Donna Gates said the City’s school holiday program had plenty of options to keep kids of all ages entertained these summer holidays.

“From outdoor adventures in our parks to indoor activities at our libraries and community centres, there is something for everyone,” she said.

“Take your pick from active and healthy fun events, social bike rides, Christmas events to movies under the stars and more.

“All activities are free or low cost.

“It’s a great opportunity for Gold Coast kids to step away from their devices and enjoy our beautiful city.”

Highlights from this summer’s school holiday program include:

- Active & Healthy  

o Get out and about and enjoy our city whilst keeping fit and having fun. The Active & Healthy Holiday Program has so many free or low cost interactive activities to choose from all across the city. With skateboarding, splashastic fun, obstacles gone mad, kayaking, water wars, Gecko Summer Splash events and more, there’s something for everyone.

- Naturally GC 

o Swap screen time for green time  and embrace the NaturallyGC program. It’s designed to connect kids with nature and encourage outdoor play by exploring our city’s diverse natural environment. The interactive workshops cover a range of environmentally-based activities including guided bushwalks, tree planting, wildlife shows, coastal education and more.

- Community Centres 

o Community Centres at Nerang, Coomera, Upper Coomera, Pacific Pines, Runaway Bay and Palm Beach (Thrower House) have a series of fun programs designed for teens aged between 12 and 17 years. 

- Gold Coast Libraries 

o Keep kids reading these school holidays and sign them up to the City Libraries Summer Reading Club. Choose books, eBooks, graphic novels or audiobooks from your local library or online library, and submit your reading records to go in the draw to win a great day out or prize pack! Register at your library from 1 December. 

o There’s also a broad range of activities from Lego design to learning how 3D printing works, crafting button snowflakes and creating a breeze Chinese fans.

- Broadwater Parklands 

o Broadwater Parklands is a space for young, old and everything in between. Whether it’s swimming in the Broadwater, salsa in the park, pedal car rides, outdoor movie night or food truck feast or chilling in the shade - we’ve got a huge line-up of extra holiday activities these school holidays.

Highlighted events*

- Pedal car rides on Sunday 30 December – Broadwater Parklands

10am – 3pm

Cruise around the Greta Lawn on the coolest pedal cars around. With both kids and adult sizes available, the whole family can enjoy the fun.

- Native Stingless Bees for kids on Friday 18 January – Helensvale

11.30am-12.30pm Free (but registration is essential)

Did you know there are over 1600 different types of bees in Australia! In these workshops Dr Toby Smith will introduce us to the amazing world of Australian native bees. 

Suitable for ages 5 and above. 

- Dive in Movie Night on Saturday, 19 January – Gold Coast Aquatic Centre

Gates open at 6pm – Movie starts at 7pm

Bring the family and your floaties for a fun Gold Coast way to watch a movie.

- Youth Music Program (Wanna be in a Band?) – 14-18 January 2019 Helensvale Cultural Centre

One full week of daily workshops with industry mentors educating young people aged 12 to 17 in song writing, production and performance. Young people will form bands and work to produce performance items to be featured in the end of program concert. 

To register interest please visit: youthmusicventure.com.au

*More events to be added.

The summer holiday program will run from Friday 15 December to Monday 28 January. 

For information visit: cityofgoldcoast.com.au/schoolholidays