SandTunes look south
Concerns two-day Cooly concert ‘not right fit’
THE Gold Coast’s first largescale beach concert is being repitched for the southern end of the city to lure 70,000 people over two days.
The organisers of the SandTunes have held workshops with leaders at Coolangatta and distributed flyers to announce the festival will be held in the first weekend of summer after a series of false starts.
The concert was originally scheduled to be held late last year, attracting 35,000 people for each of its two days, but was scaled back to one day and 25,000 people. It was later postponed altogether.
However, newsletters distributed in recent months suggest the festival is back on the agenda, to be held on November 30 and December 1.
Greater Southern Gold Coast Chamber of Commerce president Hilary Jacobs said there had been a number of meetings between representatives of promoter TEG Dainty, but there were still many questions that needed to be answered. They included holding the concert over two days, blocking parts of Coolangatta Beach for up to three weeks and the effect it would have on businesses during the peak tourism season.
Ms Jacobs said the festival would take up a large section of Coolangatta Beach, stretching from the area in front of the Coolangatta Surf Life Saving Club down to north of Greenmount Surf Life Saving Club.
“We have been told that organisers would need to start setting up from November 14 and then have until December 9 to dismantle the stages, of which there will be three – one at each end of the precinct and a smaller one in the middle,” she said.
“It appears that they would want to block off Marine Pde and allow an express bus lane to cater for an estimated 120 buses bringing in patrons.
“Apparently, there would be park and ride stations at Tugun and Chinderah, and buses bringing people from the heavy rail station at Varsity Lakes directly to Coolangatta.
“I am also concerned that this is a younger demographic. This isn’t a family-friendly event and that’s what we have been working hard to promote the southern Gold Coast as. We are all in favour of major events – Cooly Rocks On is a prime example of just how successful family-friendly events can be. I don’t think SandTunes fits that criteria.”
TEG Dainty did not reply to multiple approaches from the Bulletin for comment.
Area councillor Gail O’Neill voted against the festival when it went before council and said she found it “difficult to find any positives”.
“It comes at a time when we are entering our peak holiday period and to have 35,000 people every day taking up one of our most appealing beaches on the southern Gold Coast doesn’t make sense,” she said.
“I agree with the concerns being raised. The promoters and organisers still have a long way to go with a host of approvals. In my opinion, they will have to get an ‘A’ on everything before the event goes ahead.”