SWELL Sculpture Festival 2020

A visually stunning free exhibition of 55 sculptures built by artist from Australia and abroad all displayed within the heavenly backdrop of Currumbin Beach.

Key Details

Address: Currumbin Beach, Pacific Parade, Currumbin QLD 4223

Google Map Directions

Time from Ormeau HQ: 40 minutes (52.7km)

Contacts: 07 5525 0503 Facebook Website

Hours: Open all hours, from the 11th to the 20th September 2020

Over 10 days, visitors can experience the sculptures, enjoy twilight walks, informative artist talks, discover new perspectives, wander through the SWELL Smalls Gallery and participate in artist master classes and childrens’ workshops.

The signature exhibition of up to 50 large scale sculptures is set up on Currumbin Beach and you can also visit the following pop up exhibitions:

northerlySWELL – Helensvale Cultural Precinct and Library, Cnr Lindfield Rd and Sir John Overall Drive, Helensvale, Queensland, 4212

westerlySWELL The Village Green, Mudgeeraba, Railway Street, Mudgeeraba, Queensland, 4213

SWELL Smalls Gallery – at Dust Temple, 54 Currumbin Creek Road, Currumbin, Queensland, 4223

Visit the Swell Sculpture Festival Website or Facebook Page for lots more information and some really beautiful imagery of the exhibition.

There are also free online kids workshops on the SWELL website at: www.swellsculpture.com.au/whats-on-swell-kids-elements-activities/

Toddler Review

Only a few days left to visit this exhibition.

Sorry for the late information but I avoided attending this event on the weekend as I thought it would be really busy. I think my guess was right as we went on a Monday and it was well attended for a Monday morning. It was difficult to get a carpark but we got one. It is the first time on an outing I wished I had a beach wagon. If you have one and you plan to attend the SWELL Festival, take it!

We loved the art exhibition. The artwork and exhibition venue (Currumbin Beach) are stunning. There are plenty of pieces that will appeal to your toddler and my two enjoyed walking along looking at them. My 3 year old wanted me to read the signs so he could hear more information about each piece which was cute.

The artwork is setup and spread out across both the actual beach and the grassy area in front of the beach where you can walk along the footpath to view the sculptures.

I had chosen to take my kids ride-on trikes rather than the pram, as I thought the pram wouldn’t fair well on the beach. This was my first mistake. Due to the large number of people the kids did not want to ride their trikes. So Mum and Dad had to carry them along with our beach gear and snacks. With hindsight we should have taken the pram and walked the grassy section of the exhibition and then taken the pram back to the car. We then should have had a picnic lunch on the grass (away from the sand) and then gone to the beach. But instead, we looked at all the grass sculptures and by the end, my 3 year old was demanding to go to the beach. He had been quite patient so we agreed. Unfortuntely little Miss 18 months was hungry. So after a teary walk on the beach we had a very sandy picnic on the beach followed by some sandcastle building and wading in the water.

It was a good outing but tiring and Mum really should have planned it better. If I had thought it out a little better it it would have been a lot less stressful. Plus I now really want to buy one of those beach wagons.

Another tip if you are heading to SWELL: If you want to grab some lunch whilst you are out then book ahead! If you don’t have a booking you probably won’t get in the door of the three restaurants listed below whilst the festival is open.

On a trip to visit Nanna and Poppy at their home in Mudgeeraba we also stopped into westerlySWELL on The Village Green at Mudgeeraba. This is one of the pop-up exhibitions. It was a lovely stop on our trip however not overally large so would definetely combine a visit to one with something else.

I hope in writing this other Mums will have a less stressful visit to SWELL 2020. Enjoy!