Christmas in Broadbeach runs on two calendars: a free festive program around Broadbeach Mall and Kurrawa Park in the lead-up, and a Christmas Day where the beach is patrolled, The Star serves lunch and most other kitchens rest. From Opus Broadbeach, all of it sits within roughly a 15-minute walk. Booking early is the whole trick.
What’s on for Christmas in Broadbeach this December?
The anchor is Christmas in Broadbeach, Experience Gold Coast’s free festive program. Each December, Broadbeach Mall turns into a gingerbread village with decorating workshops, Christmas crafts, storytime theatre and Santa’s Post Office, where kids can send their list to the North Pole and grab a free Santa selfie. The 2025 edition ran from 15 to 21 December and wrapped in carols, roving performers and a free Movies Under the Stars screening on the grass at Kurrawa Park. The 2026 program lands on the official page in November, so check it once you’ve booked and plan your evenings around the carols night.
The mall is about a 15-minute flat walk south of our front door, and Kurrawa Park is a 10-minute walk east, so none of it needs the car. Workshops book out fast once sessions open; the outdoor entertainment is turn-up-and-watch.
For gifts, the Broadbeach Art and Craft markets run the first and third Sunday of every month, 8am to 2pm, on the beachfront at Kurrawa and Pratten Park. In December 2026 that falls on the 6th and the 20th, and the second one is close enough to the day itself to rescue anyone still short a present. The rolling what’s-on list for the rest of the season lives on our events page.
Where can you book Christmas Day lunch in Broadbeach?
Start with The Star Gold Coast, about a 20-minute walk or a 4-minute drive from our door. Six of its venues ran Christmas Day menus in 2025: Garden Kitchen & Bar, Cucina Vivo, Harvest Buffet, Uncle Su and Kiyomi, plus a themed Event Centre buffet with live entertainment and a visit from Santa. The pattern to know is timing. Menus and bookings appear on The Star’s what’s on page around October, and last year the lunch sittings sold out well before December, leaving only scattered dinner tables for latecomers.
Around Surf Parade and the Oracle Boulevard strip, a 15-minute walk south, individual restaurants make their Christmas Day calls closer to the season. Some open with set menus, many give their teams the day off, and the announcements trickle out through October and November on venue pages and socials.
Our advice as hosts is blunt: if a proper Christmas lunch matters to your trip, book the table before you book anything else. A December apartment is easier to find than a 12pm sitting on the 25th.
What’s open in Broadbeach on Christmas Day?
More than you might expect, provided you don’t need shops.
- Kurrawa Beach is patrolled from 8am to 5pm every single day of the year, with extended hours across the Christmas school holidays, so a Christmas morning swim between the flags is a genuine option.
- The parks and foreshore stay open. The free electric barbecues at Kurrawa and Pratten Park don’t take a public holiday, and the Oceanway path is at its quietest early on the 25th.
- The Star runs its restaurants, bars and gaming floors through the day, which makes it the reliable fallback if you decide on lunch late.
- Pacific Fair is closed on Christmas Day, then reopens for the Boxing Day sales the next morning, 9am to 6pm in 2025.
- Most cafes and restaurants close. The ones that open publish their menus from October, so a quick check of venue pages before you travel saves a flat white disappointment on the day.
How far ahead should you book December in Broadbeach?
Earlier than any other month of the year. December splits in two: the first fortnight is regular seaside December, then Queensland schools break up mid-month and everything tightens at once. The week between Christmas and New Year books out first across the whole strip, and minimum-night stays are common through that stretch.
The practical order looks like this. Lock the apartment as soon as your dates firm up, because two-bedroom ocean-view stock goes long before studios. Book the Christmas lunch table when The Star’s menus open around October. Leave the rest loose; the carols, markets, beach and barbecues need no reservation at all.
It’s the theme guests keep mentioning in reviews all year round: how easy everything is to reach on foot. That counts double in December, when Broadbeach parking is at its scarcest and the best evenings end with a short warm walk home from dinner.
FAQs
Where can you watch New Year’s Eve fireworks near Opus Broadbeach?
The main free display is on the Surfers Paradise Foreshore, fired from an offshore barge at 8pm and again at midnight. Take the G:link tram from Broadbeach North, about a 10-minute walk from our door, or drive roughly 10 minutes. The 8pm show suits families with early bedtimes.
Is Kurrawa Beach patrolled on Christmas Day?
Yes. City of Gold Coast lifeguards patrol Kurrawa from 8am to 5pm every day of the year, with extended hours through the Christmas school holiday period. Swim between the red and yellow flags near the surf club, about a 10-minute walk east of Opus Broadbeach.
Do the Kurrawa Park markets run in December?
Yes. The Broadbeach Art and Craft markets run the first and third Sunday of every month from 8am to 2pm on the beachfront at Kurrawa and Pratten Park. In December 2026 that falls on Sunday 6 and Sunday 20 December, which makes the 20th a handy last-minute gift run.
Is anything open in Broadbeach on Boxing Day?
Yes. Pacific Fair opens for the Boxing Day sales on the morning of 26 December, from 9am to 6pm in 2025, and the tram from Broadbeach North drops you at its door. The beach is patrolled as normal, and The Star runs through the whole holiday week.
Christmas in Broadbeach works best from a base you can walk everywhere from, and that’s the whole idea of staying with us. Check availability for your December dates on our Broadbeach accommodation page, then keep an eye on our Broadbeach events guide as the season’s program fills in. We’ll have the barbecues, the beach and the carols waiting.
Image credit: Experience Gold Coast