Your guide to the SWELL Sculpture Festival 2025
Event
By Jemma Fletcher
When: 12 - 21 September 2025
Where: Currumbin Beach, Gold Coast
Queensland's largest outdoor sculpture exhibition, SWELL Sculpture Festival is back on the Gold Coast from 12 - 21 September 2025, and this year will be its biggest show to date with a dedicated Fringe arts program, wellness activities and more.
Set up on Currumbin Beach, you’ll have the opportunity to come face to face with over 60 awe-inspiring and thought-provoking sculptures, large-scale installations, digital artworks and performance art by local, national and international artists.
So what’s the 10-day festival all about, and what can you see and do there? This guide shares helpful tips on how to spend your day at the SWELL Sculpture Festival.
SWELL Sculptures
Currumbin Alley Sirens by Charlie Trivers at SWELL Sculpture Festival, Gold Coast. Photo by @tyr.xplorer
With the sculptures set amongst the natural landscape, you’re invited to wander Currumbin Beach at your own pace.
Created to inspire and capture the hearts and minds of all who visit, each sculpture has its own story to tell – they’re a celebration of narratives and stories spoken through art.
SWELL Sculpture Festival events program
'Sailing the Beach' by Alejandro Propato at SWELL Sculpture Festival, Gold Coast. Photo by Matt Burt Yam.
2025 program coming soon
Enhance your SWELL experience and stay a little longer to discover just how unique this festival is.
From guided sculpture twilight walks to artist talks next to the sculptures, artist-led workshops, are a great opportunity to dig deeper into the messaging behind each sculpture and how they came to life. You can even have a go yourself by attending a SWELL Workshop – there are 20 workshops to choose from including mosaics, print-making, pottery and life drawing, some of which are free.
But perhaps the most exciting addition to 2025’s festival is the expansion of SWELL Fringe – a program of arts and culture events that coincide with Currumbin Beach’s magical transformation, held at the Fringe Pavilion in Wallace Nicoll Park. With the Fringe Bar open daily, SWELL Fringe has something for every festival-goer: artist panels, jazz nights, drag trivia, a singalong choir night, DJs and more.
There's also The People’s Art Party (14 Sep), a sunset soiree with food, drinks and a guided sculpture walk with curators and a chance to meet this year’s artists.
Wellness has an even bigger focus this year, encouraging visitors to tune in to something greater through sensory ocean experiences, beach yoga, sunrise paddle boarding, breath work, silent disco, tai chi, skate workshops and more.
View the full events program here.
What can my kids do at SWELL?
'Trumpet Flowers' by Amigo & Amigo, SWELL Sculpture Festival, Gold Coast
Think beach frolicking will only go so far with your gang? Never fear: the SWELL Kids Elements program is bigger than ever.
Once you’ve discovered the sculptures, make your way to Fringe Pavilion at Wallace Nicoll Park for interactive circus games, talented youth buskers, a pop up library. Meanwhile, SWELL’s Yulagi Space offers free daily kids’ workshops that will spark their creativity with drawing, decorating flower pots and planting seedlings.
There’s even more activities come the weekend, including clay play, print making, interactive games and more.
Kids can also take part in a scavenger hunt and colouring in competition, available for purchase from SWELL Smalls Gallery or Currumbin Beach General Store, located along Pacific Parade, Currumbin Beach.
Where to eat near SWELL Sculpture Festival
Currumbin Beach Vikings Surf Lifesaving Club, Gold Coast
For a picnic with a difference, you're welcome to bring a blanket and a packed lunch, sit among the sculptures and enjoy the exhibition.
Still hungry? Fortunately, the southern Gold Coast is brimming with incredible food options from beachside spots like the Currumbin Vikings Surf Life Saving Club, Tommy's Italian, and The Salt Mill, to family-friendly Currumbin RSL, and the Sanctuary Cafe at the Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary.
Things to do near SWELL Sculpture Festival
Tallebudgera Creek Beach, Gold Coast
The coastal nook of Currumbin on the Southern Gold Coast is a haven of pristine beaches and calm waterways. Here you can swim in the sheltered waters of Tallebudgera Creek and the Currumbin Rock Pools, or follow the creek inland to explore Cougal Cascades Waterfalls in the ancient Springbrook National Park.
While you're here, explore the iconic Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary where you can immerse yourself into the wonder and natural beauty of 27 hectares of Currumbin rainforest. Along the way, wander through open animal enclosures, feed kangaroos, and meet koalas.
SWELL Sculpture Festival: Need to know
How do I get there?
Car: Park your car at the Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary – $10 all-day parking. Disabled parking is available near the Information Hub (adjacent to Murraba Street), the Alley car park, and the southern end near the Surf Club.
Bus: Two TransLink local buses pass through the Swell Sculpture Festival
Other: Walk, ride, skate or scoot along the Gold Coast Oceanway
Are dogs allowed at SWELL Sculpture Festival?
Your on-leash dog is welcome. Most sculptures can be viewed from the path and beach areas with your furry friend by your side.
For more tips on how to spend your day at SWELL Sculpture Festival, read our local's guide to the Southern Gold Coast.
Feature image: Basking in the Sun - Eastern Water Dragons by Sam Gowing | Photo by @tyr.xplorer
