Events · 2027 dates not yet announced
Pacific Airshow Gold Coast
Locked in through 2028. What we know about 2027, what the 2026 show delivered, and why Broadbeach is the smart base to watch it from.
The Pacific Airshow Gold Coast is confirmed to return in 2027 and again in 2028, but the 2027 dates have not been released yet. The 2026 edition ran from Friday 14 to Sunday 16 August over Surfers Paradise Beach: three days of aerobatics, fast-jet passes and warbirds, and one of the coast’s biggest winter events.
If you are planning around it, the short version is that the show is happening, the calendar is not set, and August has been the pattern. The organisers are collecting names for a 2027 early access list and say dates will drop there first.
The display is centred over Surfers Paradise, but Broadbeach is the quieter, easier base to enjoy it from: stay a few minutes south, tram up to the action, and skip the worst of the Surfers crowds and prices.
Here’s everything you need to plan it - what is confirmed for 2027, what the 2026 lineup looked like, how to watch for free versus paid, how to get there from Broadbeach, and whether you can catch the action from Broadbeach itself. With the show days away, August rooms are filling - sort your accommodation early.
Pacific Airshow 2027 at a Glance
- 2027 dates: not yet announced. The show is confirmed for 2027 and 2028, and 2026 ran 14-16 August
- Status: secured by the Queensland Government through 2028 under its Destination 2045 plan
- Where: Surfers Paradise Beach, centred opposite Cavill Avenue (2 Esplanade, Surfers Paradise)
- Hours in 2026: gates 9am daily, flying 10am to between 3pm and 4pm. Treat these as the likely 2027 shape, not a confirmed schedule
- Cost: free to watch from the public beach; paid premium areas (grandstands, hospitality) for reserved seating
- Flying in 2026: RAAF F-35A Lightning II, RAAF Roulettes, a US Marine Corps MV-22 Osprey, the RAAF C-130 Hercules, a US Navy P-8A, Gravity Industries jet suits and a Pays Aviation Spitfire. The 2027 lineup is announced closer to the event
- From Broadbeach: about 3-4 km north - a quick G:link tram ride for a flat 50c, or a 30-45 min beach walk
- August is winter shoulder season and outside school holidays, which is why it works, but Surfers Paradise hit full occupancy for the 2024 show and the wider Gold Coast ran above 92 per cent
| Option | Cost | Best For | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Public beach, Surfers Paradise | Free | Most visitors, families, flexibility | Arrive early for a good patch of sand |
| Premium grandstand / reserved | Paid ticket | A guaranteed seat front-and-centre | Sold per edition; tickets do not carry between years |
| Hospitality / club areas | Paid ticket | Shade, food and drink, comfort | Books out - secure early |
| Broadbeach beach (looking north) | Free | Catching the high passes without the crowds | Distant view; main action is at Surfers |
What We Know About the 2027 Airshow
In August 2026 the Queensland Government confirmed the Pacific Airshow Gold Coast for 2027 and 2028, backed through its Destination 2045 tourism plan. Tourism Minister Andrew Powell framed it in plain terms: “Events like the Pacific Airshow bring people to Queensland, fill hotel rooms and put money through the tills of local businesses.” The state expects the 2028 edition alone to be worth more than $28 million to the Queensland economy, and airshow chief executive Kevin Elliott said the organisers were “fired up to bring Pacific Airshow Gold Coast back all the way through to 2028”.
What is not settled is the calendar. At the time of writing the official site still counts down to the 2026 show and carries no 2027 dates at all. There is a dedicated 2027 early access page, but it only promises that dates, presale tickets and lineup reveals will go to the mailing list first. Anyone publishing specific 2027 dates right now is guessing.
What the pattern suggests. The 2026 show ran Friday to Sunday, 14 to 16 August, with gates at 9am and flying from 10am to somewhere between 3pm and 4pm each day. A mid-August Friday-to-Sunday window is the sensible assumption for planning, but book accommodation you can move rather than locking in flights around a date nobody has published.
One caveat worth knowing. The 2025 airshow was cancelled outright after beach erosion left the Surfers Paradise site unusable. The event returned in 2026, and being government-backed to 2028 makes another cancellation less likely, but this is a show staged on sand and the beach has interrupted it before.
The full performer lineup flies all three days, so there’s no need to chase a specific ‘best’ day. Pick by weather and crowds - Sunday afternoons often ease off slightly.
What Flew in 2026, and What That Tells You
The 2027 lineup will not be published until much closer to the event, so the 2026 program is the best guide to the standard. It was headlined by the RAAF F-35A Lightning II fast-jet display, the RAAF Roulettes aerobatic team, and a rare United States Marine Corps MV-22 Osprey demonstration.
Also on the 2026 bill: Gravity Industries’ jet suit flyers from the UK, Jeff Boerboon’s Yak 110 (USA), Greg Colyer’s T-33 Shooting Star (USA), a BO-105 aerobatic display, Matt Hall Racing, and Australian aerobatic acts including Rod Flockhart (Extra 330S), Emma McDonald (Extra 300L), Jeremy Miller (Yak-55) and the Screaming Diamonds.
Military and service aircraft include the RAAF C-130 Hercules, RAAF 100 Squadron, a PC-9, a US Navy P-8A and the Westpac Lifesaver Rescue Helicopter. The warbird contingent is Warbird Experience Australia’s CAC Mustang and P-40 Kittyhawk, a Pays Aviation Spitfire, a Beech 18 flown by Matt Hall, Jason Easthope and Kris Sieczkowski, and the Twin Vipers. Display and parachute teams round it out: the ADF Red Berets, the Southern Knights, the Red Star Roolettes, an Australian wingsuit display team, Gold Coast Skydive and the Queensland Fire Department’s air attack demo.
A caveat that will apply again in 2027: individual performers vary by day depending on availability, and the program changes. In 2026 two acts that had been listed withdrew before the show, the McDermott Aviation C-47 and the USAF Wings of Blue, so check the official performer page close to your visit for the latest.
The headline acts - the F-35, Roulettes and Osprey - are scheduled across all three days, so pick your day by weather and crowds rather than the lineup.
Schedule and Gate Times
These are the 2026 timings, held here as the best available guide until the 2027 running order is published. These times apply to the ticketed venue on Surfers Paradise Beach; if you are watching free from the public sand or from Broadbeach there are no gates to worry about, but the flying window is the same.
| What | Time (all three days) |
|---|---|
| Gates open | 9am |
| Hospitality spaces open | 10am |
| Flying display starts | 10am |
| Flying display finishes | Between 3pm and 4pm |
| Ticket | Suggested gate |
|---|---|
| General Admission (GA) | Gate A, B, E or F |
| Accessible | Gate D or E |
| Show Centre Zone (SCZ) | Gate B or D |
| Premium GA | Gate B |
| Hospitality (Garden Bar, Beach Club, Cabana or Chalet) | Gate C |
| NXTGN STEM Students with Altitude (Friday) | Gate D, E or F |
Download or print tickets in advance rather than relying on signal in the crowd. No outside commercial takeaway food and no glass is allowed into the ticketed venue. Venue layout, gate entrances and vendor locations can change, so check the official event map before you set out.
Free vs Paid: How to Watch
The best news for visitors: the airshow is free to watch from the general public areas of Surfers Paradise Beach. Claim a spot on the sand, look out over the water, and you’ll see the whole display at no cost. For most people, this is exactly how to do it - bring a towel, hat, sunscreen and water, and arrive early on the Saturday especially, when the beach fills fastest.
For those who want a guaranteed, front-and-centre seat, there are paid premium viewing areas - grandstand seating, hospitality suites and reserved zones with their own facilities. These suit anyone who wants shade, food and drink on hand, or simply doesn’t want to stake out a patch of sand hours ahead. They sell out, so book early if that’s your plan.
One important note: tickets are sold per edition and do not carry between years, so a ticket from an earlier show will not grant entry. Always buy current-year tickets through the official channel.
Unless you specifically want a reserved seat with facilities, the free public beach gives you the full show. Go early, set up, and you’ve spent nothing for a world-class spectacle.
Getting There from Broadbeach (and Can You See It from Here?)
The airshow precinct sits about 3-4 km north of Broadbeach at Surfers Paradise, and the easiest way up is the G:link tram. Hop on at Broadbeach South or Broadbeach North, ride north, and get off around the Cavill Avenue stop a short walk from the beachfront. At a flat 50 cents a trip it’s by far the smartest option on a big event day - parking near Surfers during the airshow is a nightmare, and the tram skips it entirely.
You can also walk along the beach from Broadbeach to the Surfers viewing zone in roughly 30-45 minutes, which many people do during major events - a pleasant flat stroll with the ocean beside you.
Can you see the airshow from Broadbeach itself? The display is centred over Surfers Paradise, so that’s where the close-up, front-and-centre action is. But because the show involves high-altitude aerobatics and big passes, aircraft are often visible up and down the coastline, and from Broadbeach beach looking north you can catch some of the higher manoeuvres for free, away from the crowds. For the full experience, though, head up to Surfers; for a casual glimpse, your own beach may deliver.
Driving to Surfers on airshow days means gridlock and no parking. The Broadbeach tram drops you near the beachfront for 50 cents and runs frequently - it’s the only sane way in.
Why Stay in Broadbeach for the Airshow
If you’re travelling in for the Pacific Airshow, Broadbeach is the base that makes the weekend easier. You get a direct, cheap tram line to the action, a calmer beach and dining scene to come back to each evening, and you sidestep the peak crowds and event-inflated prices of staying right in Surfers Paradise.
The timing helps too. Mid-August is winter shoulder season on the Gold Coast and falls outside the school holidays (which end in mid-July), so accommodation is generally easier and better value than peak event weekends like the marathon or Blues on Broadbeach. That said, the airshow is a major drawcard, so the closer-in and better-value places still book out - reserve ahead.
A practical plan: base in Broadbeach, tram up for the flying each day, then walk back to Surf Parade or Oracle Boulevard for dinner. You get the spectacle without the scrum. And while you’re here in August, it’s also prime whale-watching season, so a morning cruise pairs perfectly with an afternoon at the airshow.
Mid-August is peak whale-watching season too. A morning cruise from nearby Main Beach plus an afternoon at the airshow makes for a brilliant Gold Coast winter weekend.
Frequently Asked Questions
The 2027 dates have not been announced. The show is confirmed for 2027 and 2028, and the organisers say dates go to their early access list first. For reference, the 2026 edition ran Friday 14 to Sunday 16 August, with all three days carrying the full lineup. Gates opened at 9am daily and the flying display starts at 10am and finishes between 3pm and 4pm. The organisers list these timings as a guide and note they can shift on the day.
Yes - it’s free to watch from the general public areas of Surfers Paradise Beach. There are also paid premium options (grandstand seating, hospitality suites and reserved areas) for those who want a guaranteed seat with facilities. Note that tickets are sold per edition and do not carry over between years.
The display is centred over Surfers Paradise Beach, which is where the close-up action and all official viewing areas are. Because the show includes high-altitude aerobatics, aircraft are often visible along the coast, so from Broadbeach beach looking north you can catch some of the higher passes for free and away from the crowds. For the full experience, take the tram up to Surfers.
Take the G:link tram north from Broadbeach South or Broadbeach North to around the Cavill Avenue stop, then walk to the beachfront - a flat 50 cents and far easier than driving (parking near Surfers is gridlocked on event days). You can also walk along the beach in about 30-45 minutes.
The 2027 lineup is announced closer to the event. The 2026 lineup, as a guide to the standard, was headlined by the RAAF F-35A Lightning II, the RAAF Roulettes and a United States Marine Corps MV-22 Osprey demonstration, alongside the RAAF C-130 Hercules, a US Navy P-8A, Gravity Industries jet suits, a T-33 Shooting Star, Matt Hall Racing and Australian aerobatic acts, plus a warbird contingent including the CAC Mustang, P-40 Kittyhawk and a Pays Aviation Spitfire. The McDermott Aviation C-47 and the USAF Wings of Blue have withdrawn. Individual performers can vary by day, so check the official performer page near the date.
Base Yourself in Broadbeach for the Airshow
A quick tram from the action, calmer than Surfers, and great winter value - Broadbeach is the smart base for the Pacific Airshow weekend. The show is only weeks away and August rooms are filling, so compare stays for your dates now.
Written and maintained by a Broadbeach local. I update this guide regularly to keep it accurate.