Grandstand collapse at the Red Hot Summer Tour in Coolangatta: what we know, the Victorian shows still to come, and how Victoria regulates temporary seating

By The Rundowns News Desk · Published 1 November 2026

A temporary grandstand on Coolangatta Beach collapsed during the sold-out Red Hot Summer Tour show on the Gold Coast on Sunday afternoon, 1 November. Early reports say at least three people were injured, none seriously so far as has been reported, and Queensland authorities and the local council are looking into what happened. The same tour is due to play Ballarat on 7 November, Mornington on 8 November and the Sidney Myer Music Bowl on 22 November.

What happened

The temporary seating gave way during Boom Crash Opera's set. Brisbane Times and news.com.au put the collapse at about 2.30pm. 7NEWS says about 2.50pm, which matches the time Queensland Police told Brisbane Times they were called to a reported "industrial incident" on Marine Parade.

What's confirmed across outlets:

• Injuries: Queensland Police reported three minor injuries (7NEWS, Brisbane Times). Brisbane Times reports on-site medics assessed 18 people, and one person took themselves to hospital with a reported ankle injury. The Queensland Ambulance Service told Brisbane Times it wasn't called to the collapse itself, but paramedics later treated two people with back pain. 7NEWS reports paramedics also assessed a man who fell nearby, but the ambulance service couldn't say whether that was linked.
• The show went on: the area was cleared, the concert was paused, and it resumed after a break (7NEWS, Brisbane Times).
• Refunds: an organiser told the crowd every person seated in the grandstand would get a full ticket refund through Ticketmaster (Brisbane Times, 7NEWS).
• Engineer sign-off: in footage obtained by 7NEWS, an organiser says the grandstand was signed off by an engineer the day before, and that organisers will meet the company involved to investigate.

The Age and SMH headline report says the grandstand held 1000 people. We haven't seen that figure confirmed elsewhere, so treat it as unconfirmed.

Who is investigating

According to 7NEWS, Workplace Health and Safety Queensland is investigating. The City of Gold Coast says it issued a permit for the event on council land but didn't organise it, that permit conditions require organisers to meet all relevant Australian safety standards, and that it will conduct a review. Organisers have said they'll investigate with the company that supplied the structure. No cause has been announced, and we won't guess at one.

Why it matters in Victoria

The Coolangatta show is one stop on a national run. According to the official tour page, the Australian Crawl and Men At Work line-up still has these Victorian dates:

• Saturday 7 November: Victoria Park, Ballarat
• Sunday 8 November: Mornington Racecourse (listed as sold out)
• Sunday 22 November: Sidney Myer Music Bowl, Melbourne (an added show)

Organisers haven't publicly said whether the Victorian shows use similar temporary grandstands, or whether anything will change for those dates. If you hold grandstand or reserved-seating tickets, watch for emails from the promoter or Ticketmaster.

How Victoria regulates temporary grandstands

Each state has its own rules. In Victoria, a seating stand for more than 20 people is a "prescribed temporary structure" under regulation 207 of the Building Regulations 2018. So are tents and marquees over 100m², stages over 150m², and some prefabricated buildings. Under the regulator's guidance:

• These structures need an occupancy permit from the state building regulator (the Building and Plumbing Commission, whose guidance still sits on the VBA website) before they're used for public entertainment, ticketed or not.
• The application has to use engineering principles to show the structure isn't a hazard. It needs a certificate of compliance from a registered civil engineer, plus drawings. The regulator assesses against the Australian Building Codes Board's Temporary Structures Standard 2015.
• A complete application is due at least 30 business days before first use. A permit can cover one event or statewide use for up to five years.
• Under section 57 of the Building Act 1993, a permit can come with conditions: the local municipal building surveyor approves where the structure goes, and a registered building practitioner or licensed building employee puts it up.

A statewide permit approves the design, so the way each structure is put up and checked at each site still matters. That's likely to be the focus in Queensland too.

What's next

• Updates from Workplace Health and Safety Queensland, the City of Gold Coast review, and the organisers' own investigation.
• Any word from the promoter on seating at the Ballarat (7 Nov), Mornington (8 Nov) and Melbourne (22 Nov) shows.

We'll update this as investigators or organisers release more detail.

General information only. Injury figures differ between early reports and may change. Victorian permit rules are summarised from the regulator's published guidance and the legislation linked above.