WET AND WILD PARTY
VIOLENT afternoon storms did little to dampen the Gold Coast’s party spirit with crowds packing in for fireworks and festivities to ring in the New Year. Maddison Mangan, 20, (pictured) brought in 2018 with a splash and said this year was about embracing life. “I’ve got a few family friends who are sick and they have taught me life’s too short and to love every moment,” Ms Mangan said.
Kyle Parkinson and Bree Brown from Pimpama house-hopped around a few parties at mates houses in Nerang and Yatala to see in their New Year and achieved their one main objective – to “get plastered. “That’s just what you do on New Year’s,” Mr Parkinson said . “It will be a toast and coffee kind of day (today),” Ms Brown said. Nathan Lee and his young family Tristan, 5, and Grace, 2, are on holidays from Canberra visiting family. Mr Lee took Tristan to The Michael Jackson History Show at The Star to enjoy some music and dancing while Grace had an early night. “It was way past his bedtime, but you only live once. It (the show) was just something different to do on New Year’s,” he said. “We both like a bit of Michael Jackson.” Craig Duncan, wife Jennifer and their family and friends drove down from Eagleby at 10am to secure a prime position for the midnight fireworks, spending the entire day and night camping out underneath a shaded – and rain protected – gazebo at the Broadwater Parklands. “We wanted to get down really early to get a good spot,” he said. “We brought lunch and dinner and everything.”