Halloween Paint and Sip Gold Coast 2026: Disco Isn't Dead at Dublin Docks
Saturday 31 October 2026. Two sessions, one function room at Dublin Docks in Biggera Waters, and a full day of Halloween paint and sip on the Gold Coast that nobody wanted to end. We called it Disco Isn't Dead, we filled the room with ghouls in glitter, and we painted disco balls into a graveyard. Twice. If you were there, you already know. If you weren't, pull up a coffin and let us tell you about it.
Disco isn't dead, it was just having a lie down
The canvas was pure Paint Juicy mischief. A glittering gold disco ball hangs where the full moon should be, over a swirling purple sky, crooked tombstones, bare branches and a bat or two flapping past. If you can paint a circle and a few wonky rectangles, you can paint this one, and every single guest walked out holding a canvas that looked like it belonged on a nightclub wall in the afterlife.
Some went heavy on the gold, some went heavy on the purple. That's the whole point. Same steps on the mic, a room full of different graveyards.
Trick or treat? We did both
We rolled into Dublin Docks with a tonne of lollies and treats, because it's Halloween and we're not monsters. Well, not that kind. Then we brought the haunt. Frankensteins, bats, skulls galore, scary clown paintings, blood red lighting, spiders, cobwebs on every surface that would hold one, and a few witchy poos lurking about, coming for the souls of the pure. Inflatable vampires stood guard over the easels and skeleton tablecloths ran the length of every table.
The result was a function room that felt like a haunted disco, which is exactly what we were going for.
Lotti, the disco diva who refused to stay dead
Lotti was on the mic, dressed as a sparkly disco diva who was meant to be dead and was very clearly, very loudly alive. She opened with Amy Winehouse, reworked as a slow, haunting ballad with spooky sounds underneath, and set the tone for the whole night. Spooky, but make it disco. That was the brief and she nailed it.
Across both sessions Lotti sang for a full six hours without missing a beat. When the last canvas finally went home, her voice clocked off with it. A handful of lollies later, she was on the mend. Six hours. We're still not over it.
The costumes came to win
Gold Coast, you understood the assignment. Witches, pirates, grim reapers, clowns in polka dots, Day of the Dead skulls, a wizard school student and a doll who looked like she'd wandered out of a horror film hallway. The standout? A husband and wife who rocked up as a matching Chucky pair, big red hair and a chainsaw ready to go. Married couples, take notes. That's commitment.
Somewhere between layers, Chucky had a stand-off with a red demon, a witch got very cosy with an inflatable vampire, and a pair of caped creatures pulled their best fright faces for the camera. Nobody was safe. Everybody was having the best time.
Proud painters, spooky masterpieces
Here's the bit we love most. Every single guest held up a disco ball graveyard they painted themselves. Same canvas, a whole room of different afterlives.
Dublin Docks brought the treats too
The function room at Dublin Docks is seriously spacious, so there was room for every easel, every costume and every cape that needed a bit of swishing space. The team there went beyond accommodating from the first session to the last. Ordering is a dream: scan the QR code, choose your food and drinks, and they land right at your seat. You never have to leave your canvas mid-masterpiece.
The bar went all in with spooky cocktails galore, and the food menu never disappoints. A special shout out to Mark, who has always been our go-to at Dublin Docks and who held it all together for our team on a big double-header. Mark, you're a legend.
And the best compliment of the day? People kept wandering in from the rest of the venue for a squiz at the function room, then asking if they could join the party. Next time, book early and you won't have to ask.
Next Halloween, we're going bigger
We had grand plans to build real haunted sets this year. With the right brand partner, next Halloween could look very different. If your business wants to own the spookiest room on the Gold Coast, have a look at Paint Juicy CONNECT and our Halloween marketing ideas for 2027. Bring the brand, we'll bring the ghouls.
Keen for your own spooky night out?
Every upcoming spooky date lives on our Halloween paint and sip page, and Halloween sessions are strictly 18+. Closer to home, keep an eye on Biggera Waters paint and sip for our next night back at Dublin Docks, or browse every date on the Coast at Gold Coast paint and sip. Missed our sunnier visit? Read the Biggera Waters sunflower recap.
Planning a spooky hens party or an October birthday? Halloween is the easiest dress code you'll ever set. And if you're after more ideas for a big one, our guide to things to do on the Gold Coast at night has 19 suburbs sorted.
Thank you to every ghoul, witch, pirate and Chucky who painted with us. See you on the dance floor of the damned next year.
Trent & James
