Overview
When word first arrived in 2020 that Cali Beach was turning a Gold Coast rooftop into a beach club with pools and bars, everyone's thoughts immediately went to splashes and sips while the summer sun is shining. Just like most of southeast Queensland, Surfers Paradise doesn't get a three-month super-frosty stretch, so taking a dip in winter didn't seem out of the question, either. But this venue has had broader plans for its sky-high perch when the middle of the year has hit since 2022.
For the past two years, The Rooftop Lodge has taken over the 5000-square-metre venue on a fourth-floor rooftop on the corner of Surfers Paradise Boulevard and Elkhorn Avenue, featuring snow-topped trees, an ice-skating rink and cosy lodges. That isn't the 2024 experience, however. Until spring hits, running from Friday–Sunday weekly, Cali Beach is now an inflatable nightclub.
An alpine angle remains in the temporary makeover, taking cues from the Swiss Alps — albeit with poolside daybeds, which you won't find come winter at the real thing. By day on Saturdays and Sundays, you can still bask in the sun, knock back cocktails, play party games and listen to DJ-spun beats. By night, the festivities blow up, with the inflatable fun dubbed Wintersun.
Inflatable igloos? Check. Fire pits? Check again. Fire performers and fireworks? That's two more checks. Lighting displays add to the mood, as do more games, giant hanging inflatables above the pool, and a wintry food and drink menu.
"Cali Beach introduces new and exciting experiences each winter, and this year is no exception," said Matthew Keegan, Managing Partner of Artesian Hospitality. "This year we have the largest inflatable rooftop nightclub in Australia. It's something we have never done before."
No one expected snow at the Goldie haunt when Cali Beach was initially announced, and no one would've picked that inflatables would be used for anything other than kicking back in the pools — there's four of them — either.
Find Cali Beach Club on the corner of Surfers Paradise Boulevard and Elkhorn Avenue, Surfers Paradise. The Wintersun Rooftop is open until Saturday, August 31, 2024, with the venue operating from 5pm–1am on Fridays and 12pm–1am Saturday–Sunday.