Light Up the Lake 2026 at The Entrance: Free, 4pm to 9pm Saturday 7 November, Drone Show at 9pm, Karagi Point Car Park Closed (Central Coast, NSW)

Light Up the Lake, the main event of The Lakes Festival, runs from 4pm to 9pm on Saturday 7 November 2026 at Memorial Park, 46 Marine Parade, The Entrance, and the official event page describes it as free. The 9pm finale is a drone show over the water. The Karagi Point car park is closed from 9am to 11pm that day, and the park area at Karagi Point is closed from 7pm to 11pm, so plan where you will leave the car or whether you will drive at all.

This guide uses the Love Central Coast event page for Light Up the Lake, the festival’s 12-page digital program and Central Coast Council’s road closures page, all read on Monday 26 October 2026. Times are New South Wales daylight saving time (AEDT), which is one hour ahead of Queensland.

What time does Light Up the Lake start, and when is the drone show?

The gates-open time is not published; the event runs 4pm to 9pm. The main stage music starts at about 4pm, and the drone show is listed at 9pm on both official pages. The Lakes Festival page says the evening ends with a fireworks display, while the event page and the program both say drone show, so go by the event page and the program.

The event page and the printed digital program give different running orders for the main stage, and neither says which is newer. Both are shown below.

Event page (Love Central Coast)	Digital program (PDF)
4.05pm Discovered artist	4.00pm MC and Welcome to Country
4.50pm RAGEFLOWER	4.10pm Ameliya Jolliffe
5.50pm Charli Lucas	4.50pm RAGEFLOWER
7.00pm BOY SODA	5.55pm Charli Lucas
8.10pm Keli Holiday (DJ set)	7.00pm Keli Holiday (DJ set)
9.00pm Drone show	8.05pm BOY SODA
–	9.00pm Drone show

The two lists agree on RAGEFLOWER at 4.50pm, Charli Lucas at about 5.50pm to 5.55pm and the 9pm drone show. They disagree on whether Boy Soda or Keli Holiday plays at 7pm, and on who opens. If a particular act matters to you, arrive by 4.30pm and check the festival’s Facebook page on the day.

Can I park near Memorial Park?

The festival’s program says only that car parking is available at each location, and it warns that some key roads around event hubs may be affected on event days, with delays from extra traffic. The event page names no car park for the show.

What it does name is a closure. To support the drone show, Karagi Point car park is closed from 9am to 11pm on 7 November, and the Karagi Point park area is closed from 7pm to 11pm. The page does not say how many spaces that removes or where the drone operators are set up, so do not treat the area as a pick-up point.

The Coral Street multi-storey car park

Central Coast Council’s parking page, checked on 20 October 2026, describes the Coral Street multi-storey car park at 18 Coral Street, The Entrance, as free with 500 all-day spaces. The ground level is open 24 hours, Levels 1 and 2 are open from 6am to 11pm, and Level 3 and above are for residential and hotel parking only. The council said work to replace the lift was expected to finish by 22 October 2026, so check that the lift is working if you need it. This is the council’s general information for the car park, not a recommendation from the festival, and the festival has not said that it will be open to event traffic in any special way.

What roads will be closed on 7 November?

Central Coast Council’s road closures page, last updated on 21 October, does not yet list any Special Event closures for 7 November. It does list the ChromeFest closures of 24 and 25 October at The Entrance, and a further closure on Wednesday 28 October from 6:30am to 11:30am at the corner of The Entrance Road and Fairview Avenue. Nothing on the festival’s pages gives street closures for Light Up the Lake itself, apart from the Karagi Point car park and park area.

That does not mean there will be none. The council says it updates the page during business hours, 8am to 5pm Monday to Friday, and that it posts major impacts outside those hours on its Facebook page. For State roads such as the Central Coast Highway and the M1 Pacific Motorway, it points drivers to livetraffic.com. We will update this guide if the council adds closures.

How do I get there without driving?

The festival program recommends public transport so that you can spend more time at the events and less time looking for parking. Its list is:

• Catch a bus: for detailed bus services, the program points you to the Busways or Red Bus websites.
• Ride your bike, using the shared cycle pathways around the event locations.
• Catch a taxi or Uber, or carpool with friends.
• Walk from your home.

The program does not name a train station or a bus route for Light Up the Lake, and it does not mention a shuttle or extra services. Use the Transport for NSW Trip Planner to put in 46 Marine Parade, The Entrance, and check the last services back before the show ends at 9pm. If you are coming from Sydney by train, our Sydney to Central Coast train fares guide explains the Opal fares to Gosford, Woy Woy and Wyong.

The previous big event at The Entrance, ChromeFest on 23 to 25 October, is covered in our ChromeFest road closures and parking guide. Its program named Tuggerah and Gosford as the closest stations for The Entrance, but that was for ChromeFest, and Light Up the Lake’s own pages do not repeat it.

What is there to do besides the music?

The event page lists the following, all described as free for the whole family:

• Food: food trucks from some of the region’s favourite operators, plus the waterfront restaurants at The Entrance. The event page does not give prices.
• Activities: craft activities, face painting, roving entertainment, inclusive play and the Mega Play Climbing Centre, according to the program.
• Quiet space: a mobile sensory room, described as a calm and supportive space away from the excitement.
• Waterways Education Stall: hands-on activities and a meeting with Parker the Platypus, the festival mascot.
• Environmental Education team: a short quiz, with a free native plant to take home according to the program, and a sign-up for the Environmental Volunteering Program.
• Water safety: the council’s lifeguard team, Surf Life Saving Central Coast, and the SharkSmart Van, where you can learn how shark tagging works and how to use the SharkSmart app. The program says Bondi Rescue lifeguard Bruce ‘Hoppo’ Hopkins will be there.
• Broadcast: Triple M broadcasting live from the site, with Mounties Group and the University of Newcastle running activations.

The Love Central Coast festival page also mentions a licensed area and merchandise available at Light Up the Lake: cotton tote bags, bottles and sunglasses.

What if it rains, and what about accessibility?

The program says that in wet weather you should check the festival’s Facebook page or listen to Triple M or Hit FM for updates. It does not say whether the event would be moved, shortened or cancelled.

The event page says the venue has good connectivity to the shops and restaurants on the Waterfront Plaza. It lists accessible toilets and an adult change facility, assistance animal friendly areas, accessible parking, first aid, a continuous path, inclusive play equipment and soft fall, sensory play and retreat spaces, live music, a water station, and seating and shade. It does not say where the accessible parking is, so ask the council on 02 4306 7900 before you travel if you need a specific space.

What else is on during The Lakes Festival?

Light Up the Lake is the main event of the 10-day festival, which runs from Friday 6 to Sunday 15 November 2026 and is in its 11th year, according to the program. It describes more than 15 free events across the coast. These are a few of the others, from the program; our day-by-day guide to the free Lakes Festival events lists them all by date:

Date	Event	Where	Cost
Fri 6 Nov, 10am to 12pm	Making Waves Community Celebration	Lions Park, 10 Masons Parade, Gosford	Free
Sat 7 Nov, 7am to 2.30pm	Bouddi Coastal Run (14 km, 21 km, 1 km kids’ run)	Bouddi National Park, 81 Beach Dr, Killcare	Booking required, $25 to $155
Sun 8 Nov, 9am to 3pm	Painting By The Lake	Memorial Park, The Entrance	Free
Mon 9 to Fri 13 Nov, 10am to 1pm	Norah Head Lighthouse tours	40 Bush St, Norah Head	Free
Sat 14 Nov, 10am to 2pm	Treasure of the Tides	Hunter Park, Avoca Beach	Free
Sat 14 and Sun 15 Nov, 6am to 2pm	Bombora SUP Festival	Ettalong Beach	Booking required, $10 to $60

The festival has events at Avoca Beach, Ettalong Beach, Gosford, Gwandalan, Killcare, Norah Head, Ourimbah, Terrigal, The Entrance, Toukley, Woy Woy and Wyong. Many of these are free, but some need a booking, so use each event’s own page on the Love Central Coast website.

Quick plan

• Do not plan to use the Karagi Point car park; it is closed from 9am, and the park area from 7pm.
• If you drive, have a second parking option ready, and remember the Coral Street multi-storey is the council’s general information, not an event arrangement.
• Look up the last bus or train home on the Trip Planner before you leave; the show ends at 9pm.
• If you want to see one act, arrive by 4.30pm and check both lists above.
• Check the Lakes Festival Facebook page on the day for wet-weather news, and the council’s road closures page in the week before.

Sources

• Love Central Coast — Light Up the Lake – The Lakes Festival (checked 26 October 2026)
• Love Central Coast — The Lakes Festival (checked 26 October 2026)
• The Lakes Festival 2026 digital program (PDF) (checked 26 October 2026)
• Central Coast Council — Road closures (last updated 21 October 2026, checked 26 October 2026)
• Central Coast Council — Parking (Coral Street, The Entrance) (checked 20 October 2026)

Featured image: The Entrance boardwalk and channel (photo: Frazerater / CC BY 4.0) (text added)

OZ Local Updates is an independent local guide and is not affiliated with The Lakes Festival, Central Coast Council or Transport for NSW. Closures and times can change; check the official pages above before you travel.