NightQuarter: Popular venue leaves Gold Coast for Sunshine Coast after site negotiations fail

Creators of the popular NightQuarter precinct have revealed its new location — but the entertainment venue’s legions of Gold Coast fans are not going to be happy with the move.

CREATORS of the popular NightQuarter precinct have revealed its new location after an unworkable rent rise forced it from its Helensvale home.

But the entertainment venue’s legions of Gold Coast fans have little reason to celebrate, with founders Michelle Christoe and Ian Van der Woude taking the set-up three hours north to the Sunshine Coast.

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One of the incredible acts. Photo: Supplied

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Ms Christoe said the pair had all but given up hope of reopening the “festival every weekend” on the Gold Coast after exhaustive negotiations for sites near the former Commonwealth Games athletes village and at Metricon Stadium proved futile.

The owners dropped a bombshell in January, revealing the popular food and live music hub would shut because the site’s landlords demanded a rent increase of more than 100 per cent.

The extra rent demanded by Westfield shopping centre operator Scentre Group and the State-owned Queensland Investment Corporation would have driven the rental to well over $400,000 a year.

NIGHTQUARTER’S UNLIKELY ORIGINS

NightQuarter founders Ian Van der Woude and Michelle Christoe.

Despite being overwhelmed by community support and offers for alternative Gold Coast sites — one NightQuarter superfan offered their backyard — none of the options proved viable.

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The Gold Coast’s loss is set to be the Sunny Coast’s gain, with that community to reap the benefits of 200 jobs, a $20 million economic boost and a valuable social asset.

In a deal struck with developer Stockland, NightQuarter will re-open on a site adjacent to the Birtinya Shopping Centre, with launch night expected before Christmas.

The new NightQuarter will feature 40 specialty street food stalls, family entertainment, cultural events and regular high-profile music shows.

VENUE’S EMOTIONAL FINALE

NightQuarter was a popular venue on the Coast Photo: Supplied

A scaled-down live music space with a capacity of 1500 will also grace the site, which will open Friday and Saturday nights.

Ms Christoe said the business had previously intended to open a Sunshine Coast satellite operation before the collapse of the Gold Coast venue, but that new operation would now become the flagship.

“The site met all the criteria for what we’d been looking for,” she said.

“Unfortunately we haven’t been able to find a site on the Gold Coast. We’re still open to it, but we’ve really looked at a lot of sites.

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The Gold Coast's popular NightQuarter street food and entertainment night markets is leaving town. Photo: Supplied

“The Smith St site was knocked back primarily because the (council and State) committee for that area wouldn’t rezone it as entertainment.

“Metricon Stadium negotiations went quite far down the track to opening night markets on under-utilised land in that area.

“But then a competing offering opened in that precinct which meant it would not have been viable for us.”

The pair continue to be humbled by the love shown to their idea, which drew inspiration during a trip to a piazza in a rural Italian village.

“Since we announced that it was closing, the community response has been overwhelming — we still get contacted by locals wanting to know where we’re going to reopen.

“A petition started by a local teenager to save NightQuarter got almost 20,000 signatures.

“We looked at a lot of sites — we’ve really tried.”