Six60 Set to Headline Gold Coast Arts Festival This Spring

The Gold Coast’s premier contemporary arts festival, Bleach Festival, has today announced New Zealand powerhouse Six60 as a headline act for its 2026 program, set to deliver an unforgettable live performance this October.

Known for their genre-defying blend of soul, pop, reggae, rock and electronic music, Six60 will bring their stadium-sized sound and electric live energy to the Gold Coast for a special festival performance under the stars as part of Bleach’s highly anticipated music series.

“Headlining Bleach Festival on the Gold Coast is something we’re really looking forward to, especially after seven years away,” said Six60.

“This year has already been massive for us with the release of Right Here Right Now and opening One New Zealand Stadium in Christchurch, and we’re excited to bring that energy to HOTA. We can’t wait to get back in front of Gold Coasters, share the new music and have an unforgettable night together under the stars.”

With multiple chart-topping albums, sold-out arena tours and a reputation as one of the Southern Hemisphere’s most dynamic live acts, Six60 has become a cultural phenomenon. Their Australian exclusive appearance at Bleach Festival marks a major coup for the Gold Coast and the return of the band to the HOTA’s Outdoor Stage.

“What a time to visit the Gold Coast and celebrate the incredible talent of Six60,’’ said Gold Coast Mayor Tom Tate.

“Our 2026 Bleach Festival has shifted dates to allow Kiwi visitors to enjoy everything the Gold Coast has to offer. We love extending a silver fern and inviting our New Zealand friends to their second home. It’s time to come and check out some amazing art, music, theatre, shopping, theme parks and world-class natural attractions. I’ll be waiting at Gold Coast Airport to greet you on arrival. Don’t be late.’’

Bleach Festival returns in 2026 for a new chapter of the signature festival with a bold seasonal shift, moving to October for a vibrant spring awakening for the city featuring 11 days and nights of transformative experiences from Thursday 1 October.

Known for transforming spaces through ambitious, site-responsive work, Bleach Festival will once again deliver a dynamic program of music, performance and large-scale public art, positioning the Gold Coast as a national hub for contemporary culture and offering new ways of seeing, making and celebrating art and place.

“Headlining with Six60 reflects the festival’s commitment to bringing globally celebrated acts to the Gold Coast while creating uniquely local cultural experiences.” said Bleach Festival Artistic Director Felix Preval.

“Six60 are one of the most exciting live bands to experience and their connection with audiences is unmatched. Bringing them to the Gold Coast to headline the Bleach Festival will be a highlight for the festival and a huge night of live music in one of Australia’s most spectacular outdoor settings.”

Running from October 1 – 11, Bleach Festival will present a program of standout performances, installations and events, inviting audiences across the region to experience art across all forms.

Monumental outdoor performance work THAW, by Legs on the Wall, opens the festival at dawn on Thursday 1 October on the Surfers Paradise Foreshore, with a second presentation on Saturday 3 October over the HOTA Lake. A giant block of ice suspended by crane becomes the stage for an eight-hour durational performance work. As daylight intensifies, THAW unfolds in a powerful reflection on climate as both spectacle and metaphor.

Also featured as part of the outdoor concert series will be a free double bill performance from internationally acclaimed US soul vocalist Lady Blackbird harnessing her mighty voice and Australia’s award-winning electronic duo Electric Fields delivering soulful pop sounds of epic proportions to intensely intimate story-songs.

For the duration of the festival a large-scale immersive installation work Beacon will transform the HOTA parklands, dreamed up by global design sensation Morag Myerscough in collaboration with Gold Coast community arts organisation Everybody Now!

Myerscough is renowned for her vibrant and immersive public art installations across the globe in institutions and festivals, notably Coachella and the Paris Olympics.

Beacon has been inspired by the contributions of 500+ community participants who, through a series of workshops in 2025, shared what place and belonging meant to them as Gold Coasters. It will be accessible day and night, transforming as the sun sets into a glowing icon against the skyline.

Across the festival, as dusk falls Beacon will send out a siren of song with local community choir singers performing a special musical arrangement of bestselling author Holly Ringland’s poem, before neon light transforms the artwork into a glowing nighttime festival hub.

Iconic Gold Coast dance company The Farm returns to Bleach with their latest large-scale production No One Gets Out Of Here Alive. Weaving dance, voice, and music with humour and pathos, this visceral, cathartic performance work is an invitation to explore the endings that shape us, and the surprising lightness of letting go. This exciting new work will take to HOTA’s theatre stage for the final weekend of the festival.

The full Bleach Festival program will be revealed in coming months.

For more information and to purchase headline tickets from 11am QLD Time today, visit https://hota.com.au/whats-on/live/festivals-and-series/bleach-2026