BDO’s New Gold Coast Venue

Australia’s Big Day Out festival has struck a five-year deal with the Queensland government to use Metricon Stadium & Carrara Parklands as its Gold Coast venue starting in 2014.

The traveling festival, which hits six cities in January, lost its traditional home at Gold Coast Parklands when it was chosen as the site for the 2018 Commonwealth Games’ athlete’s village. Work is set to begin late 2013.

Other cities in Queensland lobbied to secure the event. The Gold Coast show attracts 45,000 and injects $30 million to the local economy, according to Jann Stuckey, Queensland minister for tourism, major events, small business and the Commonwealth Games.

Details of the deal are not known, but it is understood that the Government will pay for the festival’s move. The main stage will be within the 3-year-old, $144 million stadium, while the outside areas will be transformed into smaller stages.

“Big Day Out founder Ken West, myself and our partners C3 Presents are very excited to be moving into a great new venue for 2014, a year which will see our biggest and best lineup in years,” said Big Day Out CEO Adam Zammit. “The Gold Coast show is the first stop on the Australian run of Big Day Out dates and for the many international acts who have never visited Australia, it’s always great to fly them into the Goldie first.”