With a few days on Fern Street, you can give one of them over to art. SWELL Sculpture Festival is on from 11 to 20 September 2026, and a midweek visit gives you the chance to hear how the work is made as well as see it on Currumbin Beach. Choose an artist talk, leave room for the exhibition around it, and bring the conversation back to the apartment that evening.
Marriner Views suits that sort of longer stay: 180 m² apartments, a full kitchen and a dining table for everyone to gather around. You can make breakfast together before the trip and leave the next day’s plans undecided.
Choose the conversation first
SWELL’s free In Situ artist-talk series takes place at the Fringe in Wallace Nicoll Park, Pacific Parade, Currumbin, with a listed daily start of 11 am. The weekday subjects give you several reasons to pick a particular date.
On Monday 14 September, ceramic artist Jo Norton discusses her practice and the experience of building a life around making. Tuesday 15 September brings Fiona Haynes from Monte Lupo Arts for a conversation about creative collaboration. On Wednesday 16 September, Sarah Tait hosts a panel on AI, 3D printing, robotics and art. Friday 18 September features Drew McDonald reflecting on his route from fitter and turner to artist.
Pick the topic that gives your group something to talk about. You do not need to know the speaker’s work beforehand, although reading the programme description over breakfast can help you decide. Check the individual day’s listing before setting off, rather than assuming every session follows the same format or duration.
Give the sculptures the rest of the day
The main exhibition is free to explore. Let the talk guide what you notice afterwards: how something has been put together, which materials it uses, or how its position changes your reading of it. There is room for different opinions when a group walks through an exhibition together.
Agree on a meeting point before splitting up if some people want to spend longer with individual works. A shared lunch gives everyone a chance to compare notes without having to move at the same pace throughout the day. SWELL’s visit guide welcomes packed picnics, so preparing lunch in the apartment is a straightforward option. Take water for each person and use the festival map to plan your break.
If walking access matters to your group, check the organiser’s accessibility guidance first. Wallace Nicoll Park, where the talks take place, is a grassed site. The guidance recommends midweek for reduced visitor numbers and easier parking access. A quieter date can make more difference to the day than squeezing another activity into it.
Leave time to reach the talk
Currumbin is a trip south from Marriner Views, beyond the walks to Northcliffe Beach and central Surfers Paradise. Work backwards from the 11 am session when planning departure. Leave a margin for parking or connections, then time to find Wallace Nicoll Park.
The official getting-here page explains the festival’s park-and-ride and public transport options. For guests using the shuttle, the final return to Currumbin RSL leaves the festival at 4.45 pm. Make that a shared appointment if your group separates during the afternoon. Check current journey information rather than relying on a fixed driving-time estimate.
An evening with room to spread out
Back on Fern Street, there is space to put the programme on the table, cook dinner and settle into the evening. Marriner’s two- and three-bedroom apartments all have their own laundry and private balcony, useful when an art day sits among several beach days.
Explore the apartment choices and choose the layout that suits your group. For SWELL, start with one talk that interests you and let the sculptures fill the space around it.
