Home of the Arts, Gold Coast facts for kids
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HOTA, also known as the Home of the Arts, is a super cool place for culture and fun on the Gold Coast. It's surrounded by beautiful parklands and a lake. At HOTA, you can enjoy all sorts of shows and art, both inside and outside.
They have live music, theatre, dance, comedy, opera, and special shows just for kids. You can also see amazing art and watch movies. Artists from the Gold Coast, Australia, and even around the world share their talents here. HOTA is a big part of the Gold Coast's plan to create a central cultural area for everyone to enjoy.
Before it was called HOTA, it was known as The Arts Centre Gold Coast and the Gold Coast Arts Centre. It used to have the Gold Coast City Art Gallery. That gallery closed in 2018 to get ready for the brand new HOTA Gallery, which opened in early 2021.
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Discover HOTA: Gold Coast's Arts Hub
HOTA, Home of the Arts, is a modern place filled with different areas for art and entertainment. Here are some of the main parts you can explore:
- Outdoor Stage
- Theatre 1
- Theatre 2
- Panorama Room
- Lakeside Room
- Basement
- Various Function Rooms and Spaces
- Sculpture Walk
- St. Margaret's Chapel
- Adventure Trail (you can climb over the Outdoor Stage!)
- Lake
- Accessibility features for everyone
The Awesome Outdoor Stage
The Outdoor Stage at HOTA is a fantastic place to see shows. It officially opened on March 17, 2018, with a sold-out concert by Tim Minchin. This stage is surrounded by green parklands and a calm lake. You can even see the Surfers Paradise skyline from here!
A huge 100-tonne screen protects performers from the sun and glare. The stage is 20 metres wide and about 1.4 metres high. It even has a special 5.5-tonne door that folds open and closed.
Theatre 1: A Big Show Space
Theatre 1 is a large, traditional theatre with two levels of seating. It can hold up to 1139 people! This theatre has all the equipment needed for big plays, concerts, and even special events like product launches.
HOTA Cafe and Bars
The HOTA Cafe is a great spot to grab a bite. It has a large outdoor deck where you can enjoy meals, snacks, coffees, and drinks. From the cafe, you get amazing views of the Surfers Paradise skyline. Inside HOTA Central, you'll also find a Foyer Bar and a Candy Bar for movie snacks.
HOTA Cinema: Catch a Movie
HOTA Cinemas show all kinds of movies. You can watch big Hollywood blockbusters, as well as unique art-house films and movies from other countries. The two cinemas are open seven days a week, except for Good Friday and Christmas Day. They have really modern sound systems for a great movie experience.
HOTA Cinema also makes sure everyone can enjoy the movies. Some films have Closed Captions [CC] for people who are deaf or hard of hearing. You can get special headsets or small caption boxes that show the words. For visually impaired guests, there are listening headsets. These help you hear audio descriptions of what's happening on screen, like visual jokes or important actions. This makes sure everyone can follow the story!
St. Margaret's Chapel
St. Margaret's Chapel is a beautiful old chapel at HOTA. It's a non-religious building, so it can be used for many different events. It's a popular place for wedding receptions and weddings. The Chapel is also very close to the new function rooms at HOTA.
The HOTA Project: Growing the Arts
The HOTA area is the main part of the Gold Coast Council's big plan for a cultural hub. This plan aims to create a central place for all the city's exciting art and cultural activities.
The first part of this plan, called Stage 1a, was finished when the $37.5 million Outdoor Stage was built. Stage 1b involved building a new bridge to Chevron Island. This bridge, which cost $19.5 million, connects the HOTA parklands to Chevron Island and makes it easier to get to Surfers Paradise. It officially opened in early 2020.
The second part of Stage 1b is a brand new, world-class art gallery. This amazing $60.5 million HOTA Gallery is the biggest gallery outside of a capital city in Australia! It allows HOTA to show huge art exhibitions and projects from Australia and around the world, both inside and outside the building. Construction started in mid-2018, and the Gallery opened in early 2021.
HOTA's History
HOTA has had a few names over the years! It first opened in December 1986 and was called 'The Keith Hunt Community Entertainment and Arts Centre', or simply 'The Centre'. The Gold Coast City Council owns and manages it. Later, its name changed to the 'Gold Coast Arts Centre', which it kept until March 2010.
In 1996, The Arts Café was added. Then, in 2004, they built an extension with a new cinema, two function rooms, and office space.
In March 2010, the Gold Coast Arts Centre was updated and renamed The Arts Centre Gold Coast. This was part of a plan to make it more modern and exciting.
Then, in 2018, it got a fresh new name: HOTA – Home of the Arts. This new name shows that it's a modern place and truly a home for all kinds of art on the Gold Coast.
The original art gallery at HOTA closed in 2018 after welcoming over 1.2 million visitors and hosting 700 exhibitions in 33 years. Now, the fantastic new $60.5 million HOTA Gallery is open, ready for many more years of amazing art!
Images for kids
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The Arts Centre Gold Coast in 2015
