Best entertainers in Southport
The busy, unglamorous end of the Gold Coast is Southport: the courts, the hospital, the council offices and the university sit here rather than on the beach, and the Broadwater is its waterfront instead of surf. So the list below is the Gold Coast's list with Southport at the centre of the circle, and the acts giving the suburb as home are a fair reflection of the place. A city brass band, a solo singer and a DJ, with a caricaturist and a wedding band next door in Labrador.
Almost every other act on the coast simply says Gold Coast, which in practice means Surfers Paradise, Broadbeach and the suburbs behind them, all a few minutes down the light rail line. For a work lunch on the Broadwater, a retirement do or a community day in the parklands, that's more choice than you can use. The trick in Southport is to think about the room before the act: a caricaturist and a jazz duo suit a corporate lunch in a way a cover band never will.
Top picks in Southport
Top picks are the nearby performers with the most visible reviews, then rating, then the closest; further afield the closest come first, and premium listings break remaining ties. Distances are straight-line from Southport. Ask each act whether they travel to your venue and what that costs.
Questions people ask about entertainers in Southport
Where can I get a caricaturist for a work function in Southport?
There's one a couple of kilometres up the road in Labrador, and caricaturists suit the conference lunches and long-service dinners that Southport's office blocks put on. Tell them the head count and how long the function runs; they work at a set pace per face, so a big room needs either more hours or a second artist. Whatever they charge to start is on their card above.
How much is a DJ in Southport?
Southport DJ prices are Gold Coast prices, and hours decide most of it, followed by whether they bring lights and a microphone for speeches. A hotel function room with its own sound system takes something off the quote, and a Broadwater park with no power adds a generator. The DJs on this page show their from-prices on the cards.
Is a Broadwater park a good spot for live music?
Good, with two conditions: the council permit for amplified sound, and power. The parklands along the Broadwater host community days and family events, and a solo singer with a battery rig or the brass band needs nothing more than a shady spot. A DJ or a full band needs mains or a quiet generator, and you should say which you have.
Booking tips
Brass for the civic occasions
A brass band is a rare thing on this site, and Southport has one. For an anniversary, a memorial or a citizenship day in the parklands it's the right sound, and nobody else on the coast is offering it.
Parking is the question, not travel
Nobody on the Gold Coast charges to reach Southport. What they'll ask about is the load-in and where the van goes, because the hospital and university precinct is tight on a weekday, so say where the loading door is.
Surfers is next door and its acts know it
Surfers Paradise and Main Beach are a short hop across the bridge, and the singers and duos based there play Southport's hotel and club rooms all week. Check those cards before you settle for anyone further south.