Halloween on the Gold Coast 2026 (QLD): Five Free Events on Saturday 31 October and a $30 Party on Sunday, From an 8am Dog Walk to the Miami Spooktacular Until 8pm

Five of the six Halloween events we found in the City of Gold Coast’s What’s On listing are free, and all five take place on Saturday 31 October 2026, but three of them need a booking or registration. The sixth, a Michael Jackson-themed kids’ party at Burleigh Heads on Sunday 1 November, costs $30.

This brief uses the City’s What’s On Gold Coast listings and the organisers’ own pages, as read on 26 October 2026. Booking pages can sell out, so check each link before you set out.

Which Halloween events are on, and when?

Event	Where	When	Cost and booking
Howl-O-Ween Walk With Me (dogs and owners)	Paradise Point Parklands, The Esplanade, opposite Nankeen Avenue	Saturday 31 October, 8am to 9:30am	Free
Trick or Treat Trail	The Pines Elanora, corner of Guineas Creek Road and KP McGrath Drive	Saturday 31 October, 11am to 1pm	Free; bookings essential; 200 places; children aged 3 and over
The Strand Spooky Surprise	The Strand Coolangatta, 72 to 80 Marine Parade	Saturday 31 October, 11am to 2pm	Free; registration essential; places limited
Miami Spooktacular	Ernie Tebb Park, Mountain View Avenue, Miami	Saturday 31 October, 4pm to 8pm	Free; no booking mentioned
Kids Halloween Disco	CSi Club Southport, 154A Scarborough Street	Saturday 31 October, 6:30pm to 8pm	Free; bookings essential
Thriller Halloween Kids Party with MJ Bava	Mo’s Desert Clubhouse, 6/36 Central Drive, Burleigh Heads	Sunday 1 November, 12pm to 3pm	$30 tickets; under 5 free

What is at the Miami Spooktacular?

The City’s listing calls it a free night of Halloween fun for all ages, presented by Division 12 Councillor Nick Marshall. It lists a live DJ and monster mash beats, the Spook Express Train, a Glow Play Zone, creepy crafts and face painting, fire performers and stiltwalkers, best dressed contests and food trucks. The event has its own site at miamispooktacular.com.au. The listing mentions no booking.

What do the booking-essential events involve?

• Trick or Treat Trail at The Pines Elanora: children follow a trail around the centre, find hidden letters, decipher a secret code word and collect a Halloween treat at the finish. The centre’s page is the place to book, and costumes are encouraged.
• The Strand Spooky Surprise: after you show your registration, you pick up a treat bucket on Level 1 and follow clues around the centre to solve a mystery. Children must be accompanied by a parent or guardian, and registration is on Humanitix.
• Kids Halloween Disco: held in the Function Room at CSi Club Southport, with a best-dressed prize, games and giveaways, and trick-or-treat goodies to take home. Bookings are through the club’s event page.

What are the rules for the dog walk?

The Howl-O-Ween Walk With Me is run by City of Gold Coast Animal Management, with a short briefing, a leisurely on-lead group walk and a question-and-answer session with a professional dog trainer. Every family gets a free goodie bag, and prizes go to the Best Dressed Small Dog and the Best Dressed Large Dog. Your dog must arrive on a lead, be fully vaccinated and in good health with flea and worm treatment from the last 3 weeks, and be registered with the City and wearing its registration tag. The City says participants need a reasonable level of mobility and should consider whether their dog will be comfortable with other dogs and people.

What is the Thriller party?

The City’s listing for the Sunday party at Mo’s Desert Clubhouse says it is an all-ages event with a live MJ Bava performance, Halloween and Michael Jackson party music, a Moonwalk Challenge, Thriller dance, dance games, face painting, a photo zone and prizes. Tickets are $30 and children under 5 are free, through Oztix. Anyone under 18 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian, and adult patrons may be asked for valid ID.

Is there a free movie on Halloween week?

Yes, on Friday 30 October the City’s Movies Under the Stars program shows Hotel Transylvania at Runaway Bay Cricket Club, with kids’ activities from 4:30pm and the film at 6:30pm. See our guide to Movies Under the Stars for the full program.

How do I get there, and where do I park?

Each City listing carries the same advice: use public transport, walking or cycling if you can, plan the trip with Translink’s journey planner, and if you drive, expect limited parking. The City suggests the EasyPark app to start, stop or extend metered parking, and reminds drivers that parking rules still apply during events. Our guide to Gold Coast parking meters explains how the meters work.

Sources

• What’s On Gold Coast — Miami Spooktacular
• What’s On Gold Coast — Trick or Treat Trail at The Pines Elanora
• What’s On Gold Coast — The Strand Spooky Surprise
• What’s On Gold Coast — Kids Halloween Disco
• What’s On Gold Coast — Walk With Me Howl-O-Ween
• What’s On Gold Coast — Thriller Halloween Kids Party with MJ Bava
• What’s On Gold Coast — Movies Under the Stars: Hotel Transylvania

Featured image: Seaview Parade at Elanora, photographed in 2015, shown for orientation and not a Halloween site (photo: Shiftchange / CC0) (text added)

OZ Local Updates is an independent local guide and is not affiliated with the City of Gold Coast or any event organiser named above. Event details change; check each booking page before you go.