Coolangatta Beachfront Markets
Artisan stalls stretched the length of Queen Elizabeth Park, with the sand of Coolangatta beach on one side and The Strand on the other.
About this market
The Coolangatta market does not sit in a square or a car park. It runs the length of Queen Elizabeth Park, a long strip of grass between Marine Parade and the beach, so the stalls form a corridor with the surf on one side and the shopfronts on the other. It trades on the second Sunday of the month, 8am to 2pm, with an extra fourth-Sunday date whenever a month has five Sundays.
One of three, along the same stretch of coast
Coolangatta is the southernmost of three beachfront markets that have been run since March 2026 by Goodwill Projects under The Coastal Markets name, with Broadbeach on the first and third Sundays and Burleigh Heads on the last. The stall list is built around handmade and artisan work: art and design, fashion, gifts, jewellery, homewares and coastal pieces, with live music and kids activities running through the day and a mix of local and visiting makers that changes date to date. Entry and parking are both free. Nothing about it is enclosed, which is the appeal and also the thing to plan around.
Market at a glance
The calendar has one wrinkle worth knowing. The market takes the second Sunday every month, but in a month that happens to contain five Sundays it runs again on the fourth. That means some months carry two market days and most carry one, so a quick look at the operator's dates is worth thirty seconds before you drive down. The operator itself is also new.
These three beachfront markets changed operators in 2026. Art and Craft on the Coast, which had run them for decades, wound its business up on 28 February 2026 and published no dates past that month. Goodwill Projects took the sites over from March and rebranded them as The Coastal Markets, keeping the same parks, days and hours, and asked every existing stallholder to re-register.
Good to know before you go
Trading is 8am to 2pm, a six-hour window that makes this one of the more relaxed markets on this list. Come early if you want the park before the sun gets high, since there is very little shade across the middle of the strip and a Gold Coast Sunday in January is unforgiving. Sunscreen, a hat and water are not optional. Parking is free on the Esplanade and surrounding streets or in The Strand car park across the road. The park is flat and grassed rather than paved, which is worth knowing if you are bringing a pram or wheels of any kind. Once you are done, the beach is a few steps away and the Coolangatta cafes are directly opposite. This is Yugambeh country.
Frequently Asked Questions
- When are the Coolangatta Beachfront Markets on?
- The 2nd Sunday of the month, 8am to 2pm. In months that contain five Sundays, the market also runs on the 4th Sunday.
- Where exactly is it?
- In Queen Elizabeth Park, off Marine Parade on the Coolangatta beachfront, directly opposite The Strand shopping centre.
- Where do I park?
- Parking is free. Use the Esplanade and the surrounding streets, or The Strand shopping centre car park across the road.