Council & Public Events · Sunshine Coast

Working With Sunshine Coast Council

The Sunshine Coast Surf Lifesaving Carnival is a three-day regional event hosting 2,000+ competitors, families, and spectators. The council wanted day events to run into evening without losing energy or safety—which meant designing a modular lighting rig that could light the main carnival grounds, the beach, and the awards ceremony platform without looking like an eyesore during daylight hours. Our solution: low-profile intelligent LED towers designed to sit on the carnival grounds without dominating the landscape. Eight towers total, positioned in a grid pattern, each capable of independent colour and intensity control via DMX. During day one and two (daytime events), the lights sat dormant—just dark poles. Come 5 PM on day three (awards and evening celebration), we brought the full rig online: warm ambient light covering the grounds, accent lighting on the main stage, and dramatic accent lighting on the flagpole area where the major awards were presented. The carnival ran until 10 PM, and foot traffic and food sales increased dramatically once the lighting came on. The awards ceremony was broadcast live by local TV, and the lighting design—which viewers didn't consciously notice, but which made the scene feel professional and celebratory—became a reference point for how council events should look. The rig was also designed for fast strike: eight technicians could dismantle and remove the entire system in 90 minutes, leaving the carnival grounds clean and ready for the next council use. That zero-footprint approach made this the template for future large-scale outdoor council events.