Pacific Airshow Gold Coast 2025 cancelled amid beach safety concerns
One of the biggest tourism drawcards has been sidelined for 2025, with the Pacific Airshow Gold Coast officially cancelled due to ongoing beach erosion.
The high-octane aerial spectacle, set to return to Surfers Paradise from August 15–17, has now been pushed back an entire year, following the continued impact of Cyclone Alfred and relentless coastal conditions which have hammered the city's foreshore, Airshow director Kevin Elliott said on Friday.
'Our team had every confidence that the ongoing beach restoration efforts would have the sandy beach in Surfers Paradise in peak shape in time for this year's event.
'Unfortunately, a combination of severe weather, recurring king tides, and powerful swell created new safety concerns. It's been one step forward, two steps back.
'The decision to cancel this year's event timely and decisively is the right one.'
The airshow had become a flagship event on the Gold Coast calendar, attracting over 200,000 aviation enthusiasts from across the country with major economic benefits for Queenslands ' tourism industry.
But this year's hopes were dashed.
John Warn, CEO of Experience Gold Coast, said that the three-day event would have injected $33 million into the economy.
'It is a big hit.'
More than four million cubic metres of sand were lost from the coastline during Cyclone Alfred.
Local authorities have been working around the clock to restore the beach.
'There has been such a monumental effort behind the scenes around beach restoration,' Warn explained.
'The money, the resources, the equipment and the team effort has been exceptional.
'Unfortunately, Mother Nature has not been on our side.
'We've had significant rainfall, huge swells, king tides on the back of a one in 50-year cyclone.
'It made it very, very difficult.
'Unfortunately it hasn't landed in our favour and we've had to make that really difficult decision.'
No option but to cancel
In recent weeks, contingency plans were explored – including date changes and venue shifts – but none met the event's strict safety and scale standards.
'Delivering a substandard experience is not what you've come to expect. And it's not what we're prepared to offer,' Elliott explained.
'After considering all alternatives ... we couldn't find a way to keep our community safe without compromising the show, either in the air or on the ground.'
Ticket holders will receive full refunds.
'You've got access to a full refund or you can defer and hold your ticket for next year and we are asking and encouraging our accommodation providers to provide that same opportunity to customers who have also booked for the weekend,' Warn said.
While 2025 is off the radar, organisers are already locking in dates for 2026, promising that the event will return 'bigger, faster and louder' from August 14–16.
Gold Coast Mayor Tom Tate backed the decision, saying safety had to come first.
'Beach recovery works continue, but we cannot guarantee this section of coastline will be ready to welcome 200,000-plus people in August.'
The cancellation is a blow to the city's tourism economy, especially after 2024's record-breaking turnout, where jets like the F-35 Lightning II and F/A-18 Super Hornet wowed crowds.
Local businesses hailed the previous airshow as one of the busiest weekends of the year.
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