WHO: Surf photographer Hannah Anderson, leading surf filmmakers, Flotsam Festival Director Carolyn Emge
WHAT: Official launch of Flotsam Festival 2025 with the unveiling of a new Mick Fanning installation
VNR including B-roll from the 2024 Flotsam Festival and surf footage HERE
Interviews and B-roll from the media call including interviews will be available HERE by 2pm AEST
- The Flotsam Festival kicks off tomorrow with a free Block Party across five Coolangatta venues from 5pm
- Flotsam transforms the coastline into an outdoor surf museum with free film screenings, photography exhibitions, beachside concerts and more
Now in its fourth year, Flotsam Festival 2025 returns bigger than ever, coinciding for the first time with the World Surf League Championship Tour’s stop on the Gold Coast, offering fans, visitors and locals a two-week celebration of film, photography and surf-inspired arts events from Coolangatta to Burleigh.
Created during COVID to support local surf creatives, the festival has grown into one of Australia’s most exciting arts events, celebrating the talent that captures and shares the soul of the Southern Gold Coast.
Festival Director Carolyn Emge said this year's event is the biggest yet, with a record number of exhibitions, screenings, live performances and youth showcases planned across indoor and outdoor venues.
"The southern Gold Coast’s identity is so deeply tied to the ocean. Flotsam gives people a way to connect with that heritage, whether they surf or not."
"This year, for the first time, the WSL is back on during Flotsam. It means if the surf’s flat or the comp’s called off, there’s still an incredible program connecting people to the stories, history and future of our surf culture."
A new addition to this year’s Focal Point outdoor exhibition, set to be unveiled tomorrow, features an image of Mick Fanning surfing Kirra during the Cyclone Alfred swell, captured by photographer Hannah Anderson. Known for returning iconic surf photographs to the exact locations they were originally shot, Flotsam's signature exhibition also allows visitors to scan a QR code for extra content.
"That Mick photo was a funny one for me, I think as a photographer who focuses their lens on the ocean, you see these amazing cyclone swells on the Gold Coast and you know something special could happen," said Anderson.
"Sometimes that’s a really unusual wave, other times it’s a surfer doing exceptional things. In this case it was a mix of both. A brilliant surfer, riding a place he calls home and a perfect wave."
Also new this year is the Kirra Immerse Hub, featuring three full days of music, workshops and surf films, and Stoked!, a photo and art exhibition developed with the Gold Coast World Surfing Reserve, showcasing the evolution of Gold Coast surf culture through powerful visual storytelling.
"Stoked! captures the spirit and history of Gold Coast surfing while reminding us how vital it is to protect the ocean ecosystems that sustain this lifestyle," said Andrew McKinnon, President of GCWSR.
"The Flotsam team have done an amazing job curating such a dynamic and meaningful creative program for the region."
- International Masters of Surf: Curated by Ted Grambeau, opens at Kirra (May 6)
- Focal Point: Self-guided walk with QR codes unlocking behind-the-scenes surf stories
- Kirra Immerse Hub (May 2–4): Beachside community space at Doug Roughton Park with films, music, kids' workshops and a sustainability focus
- Next Wave Youth Showcase beach concert (May 4) featuring the GC’s best up-and-coming musicians
- Stoked! at Dust Temple (May 4): Curated by Gold Coast World Surfing Reserve, this exhibition blends surf photography, film and art with a focus on ocean conservation.
- Flotsam: Homegrown film and photo showcase under the stars (May 11, Burleigh Justins Park)
For more details, please visit:
Event Website: https://flotsamfestival.com.au
Media Images: https://flotsamarts.pr.co/media_kits/
News Archive: https://flotsamarts.pr.co
Flotsam Festival is a multi-site film and photography celebration inspired by surf
culture. The fourth annual Flotsam Festival will run from 1st to 14th May, 2025.
Flotsam Festival is presented by Flotsam Arts Inc, a not-for-profit association formed
to create pivotal events that showcase the Gold Coast’s iconic surf culture through photo and film, and to create opportunities for photographic artists to extend their practice through mentorships, workshops and exhibition opportunities.
Flotsam Festival is supported by the City of Gold Coast and Experience Gold Coast.
Contact details
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Download vCard
- Carolyn Ridings Emge
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Soul Arch Media
P: 07 55595551
M: 0415301913 - caz@soularchmedia.com