Meeting over new beach festival concerns

The festival is set to start in November.

There are concerns over a new beach music festival at Coolangatta. Picture: Andrew Pattinson/VAMPP

CONCERNS over the planned SandTunes beach concert at Coolangatta at the end of the year will be the focus of a business breakfast next week.

The Greater Southern Gold Coast Chamber of Commerce will be hosting a breakfast at the Coolangatta Surf Life Saving Club on Thursday July 11 which it hopes will provide answers to questions raised by local businesses.

Chamber president Hilary Jacobs said the SandTunes event set down from November 30 and December 1 would cause major disruptions to Coolangatta with an estimated 35,000 attending each day.

"This two day festival is aimed at the 18 plus crowd, running from 10am to 10pm each day on three stages taking up 32 acres of the beach from and including Queen Elizabeth Park to Greenmount,” Ms Jacobs said.

"It closes the area during schoolies from 14 November to 9 December for preparations and removal of the venue post event, and is at a time when the summer holidays have already commenced.

"The Chamber has passed the views of many of the local businesses to TEG Dainty, the promoter of SandTunes, and we're hoping they have listened to our concerns.”

Ms Jacobs said last week the chamber learnt that Tourism and Events Queensland (TEQ), a State body, was sponsoring the event.

"We hope that TEQ will take better control of the event than what Goldoc did during the Commonwealth Games and will make sure that the local businesses have the opportunities to benefit from this event,” she said.

"TEQ can't blame Goldoc if it doesn't happen this time..”

Head line acts are expected to be announced this week.

The Chamber breakfast at the surf club will be for local business to learn if the changes they asked for are happening and to see how the event is being planned.

"TEG Dainty are providing a package of details around the event and someone should be there from TEG Dainty to answer questions too,” Ms Jacobs said.

"As part of the SandTunes proposal to the GCCC there is to be consultation. If you're a local business in Coolangatta and the surrounding area come and find out what is planned and add your voice if you have concerns by attending.”

Bookings are essential at https://www.gsgc.org.au/2019-07-breakfast