It’s that time again Gold Coasters (unsure how but what can you do). Christmas is here or it may as well be, since there are decorations everywhere and you may now pop down to see the big guy for a snap.

That’s right, it’s time to book in your Santa portraits pals and here’s the lineup of where you can do exactly that around the Coast. Hip, hip hooray, the years of socially distanced snaps are but a distant memory. We’re back to sharing a big chair, the way we all remember it.

Pacific Fair
Visit Santa’s Golden Palace filled with golden treasures for all to enjoy until Christmas Eve. Pacific Fair hosts Santa photos for everyone including pet photos for pictures with your fur babies, and Sensitive Santa, an experience with dimmed lights and no crowds. Plus, every child that visits Santa will receive a special surprise! Book here.
Where: Santa’s Golden Palace, Ground Floor outside Myer, Broadbeach

Santaland at Myer
Embark on a magical Christmas journey at Santaland! Jump on the Santaland Express, create festive art with Santa’s helpers, send wish-lists to the North Pole, and cherish the moment with Santa for an enchanting family photo. Plus, don’t forget your furry friends! Santa Paws welcomes your four-legged family members for a festive snapshot with Santa. Book here.
Where: Santaland, Myer near the Toy section, Pacific Fair Shopping Centre, Broadbeach

Stockland Burleigh Heads
Get your portraits taken at Stocklands Burleigh Heads from Saturday 2nd December until Christmas Eve. There’ll be times for Paws & Claus, Sensory Santa and even traditional Santa photos. You can book online here.
Where: Santa’s Beach Shack, outside Aldi, West Burleigh Rd, Burleigh Heads

Australia Fair
Capture a magical photo moment with Santa every day from Thursday 30th Novmeber until Christmas Eve. As a special festive reward, they are offering a *FREE Santa photo when you spend $20 or more at Australia Fair or Metro! Terms and Conditions apply. Plus, every child who visits Santa will receive a free gift! No bookings required.
Where: Ground floor, outside Coles, 42 Marine Parade, Southport

Sanctuary Cove
Mark the annual Christmas tradition with a photo with Santa at Sanctuary Cove. Meet Father Christmas with your little ones (and fur babies too) inside Santa’s igloo and capture the moment to remember for years to come. The Santa photo booth will be open from 10am-2pm on Friday 8th December, then 11am-2pm from Saturday 9th – Monday 11th December. Pet sessions are available on Saturday 9th and Sunday 10th from 1pm-2pm. No bookings required, but find more information on Santa photos and Sanctuary Cove’s other Christmas activities here.
Where: Masthead Way, Sanctuary Cove

Tweed Mall
Visit Santa at Tweed Mall this Christmas and every child will receive a free gift from Santa. Times are 10am-2pm (NSW time) Friday 1st December to Friday 15th December, then 10am-4pm (NSW time) from Saturday 16th December to Christmas Eve. Pet photos are available on Tuesday 13th and Thrusday 15th December from 3pm-8pm. Sundays are when you can experience ‘Surfy Santa’! Surfy Santa Photos will be on offer, FREE for the first 40 customers each Sunday. More details here.
Where: Centre Court near Target, Tweed Mall, Cnr Wharf and Bay Streets, Tweed Heads

Gold Coast Santa Beach Photos
Gold Coast Santa Photo Sessions are 5-10 minutes per shoot with Santa, your family and your pets! Depending on your session you will receive 4-10 high resolution digital images per session. Please read the full terms and conditions before booking. Available on various December dates on the beach at Main Beach, Miami and Currumbin. These photo shoots are super popular, with over 75% of spots are already filled. They have a brand new Candy Land Theme this year as well as Grinch photoshoots in the park (not for the faint hearted)!  You can book your Santa Beach photo here.

Robina Town Centre
Meet Santa in his magical Enchanted Forest from now until Christmas Eve. There’s also an option for a Sensitive Santa experience in a low-stress, sensory-friendly environment that can be enjoyed by all, without the crowds, queues and noise (from Monday 20th November) and special Baby’s First Santa photo packages. Book here.

Don’t forget the Awkward Christmas Portraits!  Grab your best Christmas sweater, 90s scrunchie or leave it to the team who have a bunch of props on hand. It’ll be the most cringe-worthy portrait of the season! Check out the times and dates here.
Where: Outside Myer and Kookai, Robina Town Centre, Robina

Westfield Coomera
Tis’ the season to be making magical memories. Create a Christmas memory and book your photo with Santa at Westfield Coomera from now until Christmas Eve. This year, Westfield is offering a range of photography sessions to suit everyone, including Sensitive Santa, My First Christmas, Pet photography and Auslan Santa. You can book online here.
Where: 103 Foxwell Rd, Coomera

Dreamworld Night Markets
Santa has made Dreamworld Night Markets his Ho-Ho-Home! Throughout December the Dreamworld Night Markets are going all out on Christmas. They have some of the GC’s biggest names performing all throughout December, as well as Christmas movies, a beautiful new stage show: Frosty the Snowman, and Santa photos. Make Christmas memories with professional Santa photos priced from $14.95. Parents are also free to take their own snaps. There;s no need to book.
*Price does not include entry into Dreamworld Night Markets.
Where: Dreamworld, Dreamworld Pkwy, Coomera

Get ready to jingle all the way through this year’s Christmas Carol Calendar because City of Gold Coast is rolling out their dashing lineup of Chrissy festivities for another year.

Here’s where you can get amongst allll the advent action on the Coast this year. Ho ho hope you can make it.

Mayor’s Christmas Carols
We all enjoy singing classic festive tunes, and the Mayor’s Carols offer the perfect opportunity to showcase your vocal talent (or lack thereof)! Expect incredible artists performing outstanding renditions of your favorite Christmas songs. There’s also a kids’ show for the little ones, and, of course, a visit from Santa himself. The grand finale, a breathtaking fireworks display, will undoubtedly light up our night!
Where: HOTA Outdoor Stage,135 Bundall Road, Surfers Paradise
When: Saturday 2 December, 6.00pm – 8.30pm

Christmas in Broadbeach
Broadbeach Mall will be transforming for another year into a HQ of festive fun for our merrymaking pleasure. Treat yo’elf to free daily activities like bon-bon making, gingerbread decorating, and story time in the spectacular Gingerbread Village next to The Oasis Shopping Centre. An ideal way to fill your school holiday calendar with festive cheer.
Where: Broadbeach Mall
When: Saturday 9 – Sunday 17 December

Coolangatta Christmas Carols
The Cooly Carols have sleighbrity status as one of the jolliest Christmas carol extravaganzas on the Coast. Families dash from distant corners to join these legendary festivities at Queen Elizabeth Park.
Where: Queen Elizabeth Park, 60 Marine Parade, Coolangatta
When: Sunday 10 December, 5.30pm – 7.30pm

Carols in Coomera
Put those plans for your 187th Love Actually rewatch on ice, because as Northern residents know there’s ‘snow missing out on Coomera’s Christmas Carols. Round up your crew for some magical mems and prepare to be serenaded by the quintessential sounds of Christmas, because we’ll be copping more jam(s) than a trifle at Chrissy dinner.
Where: Coomera Sports Park, 53 Beattie Rd, Coomera
When: Saturday 16 December, 4.30pm – 6.30pm

Carols on the Beach
Carols on the Beach is back to rock the sands of Surfers Paradise with all things festive and fun. This free, family-fun-packed event will feature a yet-to-be announced lineup of guest performances. They’ll be belting out your favorite classics, and, of course, the big man in red will be taking a break from his busy schedule to make it rein(deer) Christmas cheer.
Where: Surfers Paradise Beach, Cavill Avenue, Surfers Paradise
When: Sunday 17 December, 6.00pm – 8.00pm

New Year’s Eve
Say farewell to the holiday season, and ring in the brand new year with ‘a bang’ with everyone’s favourite time honoured NYE tradition… fireworks!

There’ll be a plethora of GC park part-ays where we can convene for ‘oohs’ and ‘aaahs’ a plenty. Catch the various fireworks displays, with family friendly shows slated for Broadbeach and Surfers Paradise at 8pm, or Coolangatta at 9pm – before they all fire again for the big shebang as the clock officially strikes 12 on 2023.
Where: Fireworks: Kurrawa Beachfront, Broadbeach – 8pm & midnight, Kirra, Coolangatta – 9pm & midnight, Surfers Paradise Beach – 8pm & midnight. Community Celebration: Coomera Sports Park, Coomera – 5pm to 8pm.
When: Sunday 31 December

And that’s a wrap on another cracker season of fun-filled GC festivities for 2023, folks. Which is just as well – after all that we’ll need to channel our inner Dad à la Boxing Day and “rest our eyes” in front of the telly for wee bit.

Words by Kellie Leader.

STORY SPONSORED BY CITY OF GOLD COAST

Oh how we love playing dress ups and enjoying the finer things in life. The only thing more exciting than tea and scones at Buckingham Palace is tea and scones (and so much more varie-tea) at InterContinental Sanctuary Cove Resort’s mesmerising High Tea Immersion. Run ‘oolong’ on a Saturday and/or Sunday from 1pm – 4pm for this superior experience, which transforms high tea into a new immersive journey. How you ask? Make yourself a cuppa (obvs), get comfy and read on…

For the tea enthusiasts who appreciate a spot of name dropping, this will send your senses into overdrive. The exceptional menu, which we’ll unpack shortly, has been expertly crafted alongside the fine teamakers of Tea Forté. In case you’re not up to speed with tea hierarchy, these handcrafted luxury blends are the Margot Robbie of teas. Brew-tea-ful, award-winning, at the top of their game, and loved the world-over. And, to add a little more spesh factor, the InterContinental Sanctuary Cove Resort is the first hotel in our sunburnt country to feature Tea Forté and cue the applause, coz this is quite the coup.

Bringing new innovative interpretations of their globally renowned tea flavours, Resort Executive Chef Hamish Watt and his team have been working overtime to create a High Tea menu to leaf you might-tea satisfied. Curated to guide each guest on an opulent culinary journey from arrival, imagine the VIP vibes when you’re greeted with a Tea Forté infused towel and a palate-cleansing iced tea piccolo. And, for an even more swish factor, opt for a choice of Champagnes and Wines or the signature ‘Pear-tea-ni’ Cocktail (SOLD!), infused with Tea Forté’s White Ginger Pear blend. Pretty sure this is our love language.

Served in the Cove Café, enjoy three tiers of sweet and savoury delights, each boasting unique flavour profiles of a contemporary artisanal brew and designed to pair perfectly with your beverage choice. Savoury lovers will go weak at the knees for the Spanner Crab with saffron mayonnaise and tobiko, Goats Labneh with oyster mushroom and melon radish, Slow-cooked 12-hour Toowoomba Beef Brisket Doughnut, and Smoked Tasmanian Salmon Mousse with fennel and cucumber. Sweet-a-holics will revel in the Salted Caramel Choux with orchid vanilla tea cream and caramel sauce, Coffee Chocolate Opera Cake with hazelnut cream and milk chocolate tuile, Berry Tart with ruby chocolate ganache and pistachio cream and last but not least, the Coconut and White Ginger Pear Tea Mousse with almond cream, apricot and white chocolate. Yep, we’ve got a toothache just thinking about it but #SoWorthIt.

There is an equally delightful spread for the vegan, nut-free, gluten-free and dairy-free folk, with the likes of Roast Pumpkin, Caraway Seed and Tomato Blini, Grilled Corn with beetroot escabeche and cucumber, Dark Chocolate Mousse with avocado and fresh raspberries, and Cinnamon-Spiced Banana Cake with lime and apricot cream. YUM!

And of course, a high tea just isn’t a high tea without Scones. We’re talking Classic Scones and Cranberry Scones and just give us ALL THE SCONES! Pair them with your choice of Tea Forté teas including English Breakfast, Orchid Vanilla, African Solstice, Chamomile Citron Green Mango Peach and White Ginger Pear, all presented with iconic Tea Forté flair.

So, stop pro-caffeine-ating and check out this high-roller High Tea Immersion before it’s scone….

For bookings, click here or phone (07) 5530 1234. The High Tea Immersion is $57 per person (without champagne), but you can upgrade to Bottomless Rosé (2 Hours) for $13 per person or upgrade to a Glass of Champagne for $17 per person!

Where: InterContinental Sanctuary Cove Resort, Sanctuary Cove, Manor Circle, Hope Island
When: 1pm – 4pm Saturdays & Sundays

Words by Bianca Trathen.

STORY SPONSORED BY INTERCONTINENTAL SANCTUARY COVE RESORT