culture
Grassroots Networks: The Community and Movement Driving This Cultural Shift
Resident-led groups on the Gold Coast are reshaping local arts access through coordinated events and shared resources.
How we reported this
More than 400 Gold Coast residents signed up last week for the Coast Collective, a new network linking neighbourhood arts projects across the city.
The surge follows a 2025 city council report showing that 62 percent of cultural events now originate from community groups rather than established venues. This matters now because Gold Coast population passed 750,000 in March, pushing demand for affordable, neighbourhood-based programming that larger festivals cannot meet alone.
Local anchors in Southport and Burleigh
Coast Collective meets monthly at the Southport Community Centre on Scarborough Street and at the Burleigh Heads Neighbourhood Centre on Goodwin Terrace. Both sites run free rehearsal spaces and equipment libraries that opened in April 2025. The Southport centre added a second studio after 180 people used the first one in its opening month.
Recent programs include a weekly writers circle at the Southport site and a youth mural project that painted 12 panels along Goodwin Terrace in June. These efforts tie into the council’s Live Local grant, which distributed $184,000 to 27 groups in the last financial year.
Numbers behind the growth
Attendance at community-run events rose 31 percent between July 2024 and June 2025, according to council figures released in May. Average ticket prices sit at $18, compared with $45 at major venues. The next Coast Collective open day is scheduled for 20 July at the Southport centre, with registration open online until 18 July.
Residents can join by emailing [email protected] or visiting either centre during weekday opening hours.