April 4–7
The Main Stage program will kick off on Wednesday April 4 in a very big way, with Yothu Yindi and the Treaty Project and The Cat Empire as the first acts to grace the beachfront stage. The Great Australian Songbook, which takes Aussie anthems, love songs and ballads and sings them back to us in the vibrant accents of the Commonwealth, will be staged on Thursday April 5. Fresh Voices of The Commonwealth, featuring the likes of Delhi-based band Ska Vengers and African hip-hot artists M.anifest, is on Friday April 6, before Bleach* Electrified kicks off the first Saturday night of the festival on April 7.
April 8–11
Magnifika Pacfika, a performance featuring Salmonella Dub alongside special guests Tiki Taane, Maori songstress Whirimako Black and the tropical sounds of Mike Cooper will fill the air with dance grooves and thumping-base anthems on Sunday April 8. Then, on Monday April 9 the spotlight shines gracefully on the LGBTQI community with Sparkle in the Sand, hosted by Courtney Act. On Tuesday April 10 it’s all about females in music, with Electric Lady showcasing a killer all-female line-up with Meg Mag, Nina Las Vegas, Wafia, Jack River and Kardajala Kirridarra. In celebration of the late Nelson Mandela’s 100th birthday, Wednesday April 11 will see the stage come to life with a powerful evening of African music with Young African Commonwealth – prepare for some serious grooving!
April 12-15
Spirit of Churaki, an incredible music production inspired by the story of Churaki – an Aboriginal man regarded as the Gold Coast’s first-ever surf lifesaver – will be performed on the Main Stage on Thursday April 12. Prepare yourself for the world premiere of Ecstatic on Friday April 13, which celebrates the Commonwealth’s diverse spiritual traditions. On Saturday April 14 the stage will explode with a spectacular fusion of beats, drums and rhythm with The Big Bang, headlined by the extraordinary Garifuna Collective featuring Umalali. The 12-days of live-music goodness will come to a close on Sunday April 15 with the sounds of dark techno, ghetto bass, hip hop, dancehall, reggae, soul and electronica from GRRRL (supported by the HOTA choir) before you can dance the night away with the party to end all parties – Last Chance to Dance with Hot Dub Time Machine. Talk about finishing with a bang!
You can view the entire Festival 2018 program in more detail online.
