The city’s parks and reserves are available for use by the general public for special gatherings and events. Council encourages use of the city’s open space for social and community interaction, so why not use your local park for your next birthday party, family get-together or special event?
A variety of open space is available for casual use and also for more formal use such as weddings, parties and events. Whilst a formal booking can be made for a specific location within a park or reserve, it does not give the hirer sole usage of the location as the park or reserve remains available to the public at all times. The booking does, however, restrict any other formal events from taking place at the given location at the same time.
All coordinated activities or projects requiring the use of Council controlled parkland require approval, relevant permits and may have appropriate fees/charges applied. Guidelines, approvals and permits allow Gold Coast City Council to prevent conflicts, make necessary maintenance preparations and avoid overuse of facilities. Regulation also ensures that activities are carried out in a safe manner for patrons and that the surrounding area and open space is protected.
Please note
- Picnic shelters and barbeques are used on a first come, first served basis.
- A booking does not give the applicant exclusive use of the park, it is public open space, and as such must be able to be used by all of the community.
Types of activities that require a booking:
- social gatherings and private functions
- events
- temporary access for minor works
- placement of infrastructure within park or open space
How to apply
1. Identify the type of activity you require a booking for
2. Complete the relevant park booking form and submit online
Park / event booking forms should be submitted at least ten (10) working days prior to activities taking place. At least one month is required for processing applications for larger events involving infrastructure or have a greater impact on the community. All relevant details must be provided before application will be processed. A bond may be required, dependant on activities, infrastructure and vehicle access.
Note : The applicant for an approval must be a legal entity eg person(s) or company (a business name or shop name is not a legal entity and cannot be the approval holder).
For further information or enquiries, please contact Parks Gold Coast on (07) 5581 6984 or (07) 5581 6847.
Social gatherings and private functions
A 'social gathering or private function' has a specified guest list, organisers know who is attending, it is not open to the public and generally does not exceed 50-70 people attending. Examples include wedding ceremonies, birthday parties or social gatherings.
We suggest that a booking is made if you are having a function of over 25 people. If your gathering is just a handful of friends and you don’t require any infrastructure larger than a 3m by 3m marquee and have no entertainment or amusement activities in association with your gathering, then you do not need to book a park. Gatherings of over 25 people can impact on general usage of a park and thus it is suggested that you place a booking to ensure that your gathering does not coincide with other events or activities that are scheduled to occur in the park.
We do recommend that bookings are made for weddings ceremonies regardless of the number of people attending to ensure that other weddings are not scheduled at the same time as your booking.
Infrastructure for private functions and social events is limited to a 3m x 3m marquee (no pegs). Entertainment activities such as inflatable amusements, animal farms, pony rides etc will be assessed on an individual basis - operator must have adequate public liability insurance and copy of certificate is to be provided to Council when submitting application.
Note: A bond may be required, dependant on activities, infrastructure and vehicle access.
Community events
A ‘community event’ may be open to the general public or only relevant to particular club or organisation members. It will generally include infrastructure and may require additional permits for proposed activities ie food stall or liquor license permit.
An application may be reclassified as a ‘major event’ by Council Officers if it is deemed that the nature & size of the activity does not constitute a ‘community event’. Should this occur, the applicant will need to submit a full ‘event management plan’ to Council’s Special Events Branch for consideration/approval.
Examples of ‘Community Events’ include Fair / Fete, Family fun day, Community Information Day, Sports Tournament*, Charity Fundraising Day.
Temporary access for minor works
An approval permit incorporating a refundable bond (to cover potential parkland damage) is required for all temporary access to residential or private property through Council controlled parkland for matters such as fence construction, swimming pool installation, property landscaping, removal of boat or vehicle from property. Where any capital improvement activities (house/building renovations and such) are required, a fee will apply in addition to a refundable bond. Note however, approval will not be granted on a regular basis for the storage & removal of trailers, boats, caravans, campers and so forth.
Placement of infrastructure within park or open space
An approval permit incorporating a refundable bond (to cover potential park damage) is required for all temporary occupation of Council parks for construction sites (eg. Site compounds, car parking, storage of plant and material). Approval also needs to be sought for traversing of parks by vehicles and plant to gain access to property for construction purposes. An Entry Fee and Rental will apply in addition to a refundable bond in some circumstances.