[Back to the blog](/experience/blog/) # Lunch on Tedder and the Main Beach Street Festival 2026 > Plan lunch and live music at Main Beach Street Festival on Sunday 13 September 2026, with free entry from 1–6 pm. Tedder Avenue is a five-minute walk from Contessa. --- A table on Tedder Avenue is a useful place to start this Sunday. On **13 September 2026**, the **Main Beach Street Festival** brings music, dance and fashion to the precinct from **1 to 6 pm**. Entry is free, and the local restaurants are part of the occasion. Plan a meal, choose a performance and leave space between the two. For Contessa guests, Tedder is a **five-minute walk** from the residence. You can spend the morning by the beach or in the riverside gardens before joining the afternoon. The [official festival information](https://www.mainbeachstreetfestival.com.au/event-info/) includes downloadable stage times and a food map, useful for deciding where to eat and when to arrive. ## Start with the table The 2026 food map gives twenty local businesses a place in the day. Among them are **Bar Ricci**, listed as a modern Italian restaurant; **Xenia Grill**, for Greek meze; and **Birdcage Dining Room & Bar**. For something smaller, the map also includes **Main Beach Bakery**, **Dipcro Pastry** and **Rose Gelateria**. Treat those names as a shortlist to discuss with your group. A lunch booking suits anyone who wants to sit down before the stage programme gathers pace. A pastry or gelato stop leaves more of the afternoon open for wandering. With several generations together, agreeing on a meal first can be easier than trying to choose while everyone is watching something different. The map asks visitors to book ahead and says business hours and offers will vary. Check directly with your chosen restaurant for its Sunday service, menu and table availability. No particular festival special is needed to make the plan work; the point is to leave enough time to enjoy lunch before the performance you want to see. With younger children, you could eat in Contessa's apartment kitchen before setting out, then make a bakery or gelato stop the food part of your festival visit. The advertised kids zone and car display give you somewhere to explore together after eating. Leave those visits untimed and choose just one stage performance around them, rather than asking the children to sit through a long lunch and a full afternoon of music. ## Fashion first, or music later There are two natural ways to shape the afternoon. An early lunch puts you on Tedder for **Jamie Lamont at 1.05 pm** and **Sambalicious at 1.45 pm**, followed by the **GC Fashion Project Show & DJ Aloopa at 2.10 pm**. That sequence suits a visit with a little of everything, without staying until close. Alternatively, make lunch the longer part of the day and join the stage programme at **3.15 pm for Xenia Zorba Dance**. The **Goodrich Band** starts its first set at **3.30 pm**, the **ABBA Girls Tribute Show** follows at **4.30 pm**, and Goodrich returns at **5 pm** before the **6 pm** finish. Those times come from the official 2026 programme. Pick the act that matters most to your group and check for updates before leaving Contessa. You do not have to fit every performance into one visit. ## The walk home, and arrival-day details Walking from the residence avoids looking for festival parking. The [organiser's FAQs](https://www.mainbeachstreetfestival.com.au/faqs/) warn that spaces around the venue are limited. Drivers should also read the closure notice linked from the event page: the Tedder Avenue section between Hughes and Cronin avenues closes **7 am–9 pm**, with car park closures from **6 am**. Allow for the signed detours if Sunday is your arrival day. After the final set, the river and gardens give the evening a different setting. Contessa's apartments have their own kitchens, dining areas and private balconies, so dinner can be at home if lunch was the main event. Browse the [individual apartments](/accommodation/) and [residence facilities](/stay/facilities/) when planning your stay. ## More from the journal. ### [Kidchella 2026: a Main Beach family weekend](/experience/blog/kidchella-main-beach-family-accommodation/) Local guide ### [Gold Coast Show 2027: plan a Main Beach long weekend](/experience/blog/gold-coast-show-2027-main-beach-riverside-stay/) Travel tips ### [Ten years of Crafted Festival, and a quiet address to come back to](/experience/blog/ten-years-of-crafted-festival/) Travel tips ### [BLEACH Festival, reconsidered: a choir to open it, a quiet close eleven days later](/experience/blog/bleach-festival-opening-night-main-beach/) Travel tips ### [Groundwater 2026: a free Broadbeach festival, a quiet Main Beach base](/experience/blog/groundwater-2026/) Travel tips ### [Gold Coast 500 2026: a balcony that looks down on the track](/experience/blog/gold-coast-500/) Travel tips