Stage 1 of Sunshine Coast Council’s highly anticipated new Maroochydore City Centre site will officially open to the public with a free People’s Day on Saturday 10 August.
SunCentral CEO John Knaggs said residents and visitors are invited to explore, engage with and celebrate the new city centre when it welcomes the public for the first time with a free program of events, education and entertainment across the day and into the evening.
During the open day event, visitors can walk, cycle and explore the first section of the new Maroochydore City Centre site and participate in a range of activities and events for all ages from 11am until an evening performance begins at 6pm.
The daytime activities will take place on the future Sunshine Coast Council City Hall site on the newly constructed section of First Avenue and in the pop-up creative precinct the MET.
Adults and children alike can immerse themselves in Maroochydore City Centre’s smart city technology and interactive displays highlighting its innovative infrastructure with Sunshine Coast Council officers on site to answer questions.
Maroochydore City Centre Activation Project Manager Bronwyn Buksh said children could explore the new precinct in an orientation-style treasure hunt, build a city with LEGO or paint one of the 1000 keys comprising the Keys to the City installation that will light up in the evening.
All visitors can interact with high quality entertainers and take part in the overarching Your City. Your Story. curatorial framework and ongoing engagement program through photography, media booths, original artwork and the Maroochydore City Centre Storyboard unveiled along one of the construction hoardings on site.
The People’s Day then delivers a free evening entertainment program showcasing local talent on the urban square from 6pm.
The all-ages performance celebrates Maroochydore’s past, present and future through music, dance, storytelling, visual art and projections, beginning with a traditional Welcome to Country by Kabi Kabi representatives.
The evening performance will also feature talented local acts including Gubbi Gubbi Dance Troupe, cellist Louise King, dancer Soraya Fewquandie-Scott and vocalists Lindsay Pollak, Lizzie O’Keefe, Andrea Kirwin, Shannon Sol Carol and Elixir, a folk-jazz ensemble with Katie Noonan and saxophonist Zac Hurren.
Visitors are invited to pack a picnic and rug/chair to enjoy with family and friends during the evening performance. There will be an opportunity to purchase limited refreshments from one of the local food vendors on site during the daytime.
The Maroochydore City Centre project is Australia’s largest greenfield CBD development site and is being delivered over a 20-year period to service the wider Sunshine Coast and the 518,000 people expected to call the region home by 2041
The city centre’s design, delivery and activation is overseen by SunCentral Maroochydore, a wholly-owned enterprise of Sunshine Coast Council.
“Ultimately, a successful city centre is about the people and enterprises it attracts, so The People’s Day is a great way for the community to celebrate this innovative and ground-breaking CBD development as it evolves,” Mr Knaggs.
“There’s a lot of curiosity about what we’re building and it will be great to welcome the community on site for the first time so they can see the progress for themselves, learn how the city centre will take shape over the next 20 years and understand its significance in the region.
“We all have a stake in making this a contemporary city centre and I welcome the community’s enthusiasm and assistance in shaping its identity from the ground-up.”
The Maroochydore City Centre People’s Day is a free, all-ages, non-ticketed event on Saturday 10 August from 11am until 8.30pm.
For the open day event, vehicles will not be permitted within the project site. The main pedestrian access to the Maroochydore City Centre People’s Day events is via Aerodrome Road at First Avenue.
The newly constructed roads will be opened to traffic at 7am on Monday 12 August.
More information about the project: https://www.maroochydore-city.com.au
