The 2026 Boost Mobile Gold Coast 500 runs Friday 23 to Sunday 25 October on the Surfers Paradise Street Circuit, and Burleigh Surf Apartments sits about 15 kilometres south of it. This guide covers the five things that matter for doing the race from here: the dates and tickets, getting in from our door, the on-track highlights, where to eat and when to book.
When is the race, and what do tickets cost?
The dates first, because they are the one thing to lock in. The 2026 Gold Coast 500 is Friday 23 to Sunday 25 October 2026. It is Round 12 of the Repco Supercars Championship and it opens the Supercars Finals, which means the drivers are fighting for their place in the title run, so the racing tends to be sharper than a mid-season round. Session times are confirmed closer to the weekend on the official Supercars event page, so check there before you set your alarm.
On tickets, the family-friendly detail is that children aged 12 and under get in free with a paying adult on General Admission. General Admission lets you roam the public viewing areas around the street circuit, while grandstands and paddock passes cost more and are sold per person. For a family, a General Admission Saturday or Sunday is the value play.
How do we get to the circuit from our door?
Surfers Paradise is roughly a 20-minute drive north of us on a normal day, but the race weekend is not a normal day. Streets around the circuit close for the event, traffic banks up, and parking near the track is scarce and expensive.
The smart move from Burleigh is to let the tram do the work. Drive north to Broadbeach, park there, and catch the G:link light rail up to the Surfers Paradise stops, which drop you within walking distance of the circuit. The light rail extension south towards Burleigh is still under construction, so Broadbeach South remains the nearest station to us for now. If you would rather not drive at all, TransLink runs bus services into the event. Either way, going in without your own car near the track saves the parking headache entirely.
What are the on-track highlights?
The heart of the weekend is the pair of championship races, one on Saturday and one on Sunday, run on a tight street circuit that threads between the high-rises and along the Surfers Paradise beachfront. It is one of the few places you will see a Supercar at full noise with the sand a block away.
Because this round opens the Finals, the racing carries real weight, and the concertina of concrete walls and chicanes makes for the kind of contact and overtaking the Gold Coast round is known for. Past events have drawn crowds of around 200,000 across the weekend, so the atmosphere off the track, the support categories, the pit walk when it is open, and the entertainment, is a big part of the day even if you are not a rusted-on race fan. Get there early on race day to claim a spot at a corner, because the best General Admission vantage points fill fast.
Where do we eat around it, and when should we book?
Around the circuit, Surfers Paradise has plenty of casual food along Cavill Avenue and the surrounding streets, though queues are long at peak times, so eat early or late. A tidier plan is to eat on the way in or out: Miami Marketta, roughly five minutes north of us, runs Wednesday to Saturday from 5pm, which lines up neatly with a Friday or Saturday at the track, and its undercover street-food vendors feed a hungry group without a booking. Broadbeach is another sensible stop, since you are parking there for the tram anyway, and its dining precinct around the mall has enough options to suit both a five-year-old and a grandparent before you head north.
On booking, this is the part people leave too late. Race weekend is one of the busiest of the Gold Coast spring, and rooms across Surfers and the northern beaches fill and climb in price as October nears. Basing yourself at Burleigh keeps you south of the crush and close to the beach for the slow mornings, but our apartments still book out for this weekend, so reserve your dates as early as you can.
FAQs about the Gold Coast 500 from Burleigh
When is the 2026 Gold Coast 500?
The 2026 Boost Mobile Gold Coast 500 runs Friday 23 to Sunday 25 October 2026 on the Surfers Paradise Street Circuit. It is Round 12 of the Repco Supercars Championship and opens the Supercars Finals, so the title chase is live. Always check supercars.com for the final session times.
How do we get to the circuit from Burleigh Surf?
Surfers Paradise is about 15 kilometres north, roughly a 20-minute drive outside race traffic. On event days, roads around the circuit close and parking is tight, so the easy option is to drive to Broadbeach and catch the G:link tram north to the Surfers Paradise stops.
Do kids need a ticket?
Children aged 12 and under get in free with a paying adult on General Admission tickets. That makes a Saturday or Sunday General Admission a genuinely affordable family day out, especially compared with buying a ticket each. Grandstand and paddock passes are priced separately for all ages.
Is it better to stay in Surfers for the race?
Not necessarily. Surfers Paradise rooms book out early and surge in price for the race weekend. Basing yourself at Burleigh keeps you a short trip south of the noise, with the beach across the road for the mornings, and you travel in only when you want to be trackside.
Three days of engines, a tram ride each way and the beach to come home to: that is the Gold Coast 500 done the Burleigh way. Sort your dates early and book direct with us, then use our location and distances guide to plan your run into Surfers and back for race weekend.
Image credit: Supercars
Recent Comments