Games on for parties

BROADBEACH will host 12 consecutive nights of free concerts for up to 5000 people during next year’s Commonwealth Games.

A key initiative of the Games’ parallel multi-arts festival, the Queensland Music Stage in Surf Parade will host nightly gigs showcasing the state’s best musical talent.

ARIA-nominated Kate Miller-Heidke was yesterday announced as the stage’s first headline act, with the Brisbane singer-songwriter to perform with a string quartet on April 14 as part of her national tour.

Four-piece indie-rock band The Jungle Giants and Torres Strait Islander hip-hop artist

Mau Power have locked in.

“We dreamt of having a place devoted to musicians from Queensland … and they have created an astonishing line-up,” Festival 2018 co-creative lead Yaron Lifschitz said.

In a Games first, GOLDOC has taken responsibility for de-

also been livering the multi-arts festival program that will complement the sports program.

Dubbed Festival 2018, the 12-day event has linked with the annual Bleach* Festival to deliver a range of music, arts and performance from Coomera to Coolangatta.

“(This) is our most ambitious, thought-provoking program to date,” said Bleach* Festival artistic director Louise Bezzina, who founded the grassroots event in 2012.

Broadbeach Alliance chief executive Jan McCormick said being one of Festival 2018’s two main sites with Surfers Paradise was a huge boost.

The full Queensland Music Stage line-up will be revealed in February when the Festival 2018 program is launched.