After a closing ceremony that barely focused on athletes and featured long, rambling speeches, Gold Coast Commonwealth Games chairman Peter Beattie has admitted organisers got it wrong.

The athletes entered Carrara Stadium before the television broadcast and were rarely shown to TV audiences as they stood in darkness on the fringe of the stage.

There were reports many began leaving the venue less than an hour into the event.

Sorry, this video has expired Commonwealth Games chairman says closing ceremony was a mistake

The ceremony also featured at least seven speeches by dignitaries, including Mr Beattie, Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk, and the Lord Mayor of Birmingham — the 2022 Commonwealth Games host city.

Channel Seven's own commentators, Johanna Griggs and Basil Zempilas, launched into an extraordinary attack on the ceremony immediately after it finished, saying they were "furious".

Mr Beattie tweeted an apology on Monday morning.

"The speeches were too many and too long. I was part of that and I acknowledge it. Again, we got that wrong," he wrote.

"It is very simple. I should not have spoken.

The near-empty athlete's section of the stadium. ( AAP: Darren England )

"We wanted athletes to be part of and enjoy the closing ceremony. However, having them come in to the stadium in the pre-show meant the TV audience were not able to see the athletes enter the stadium, alongside flag-bearers. We got that wrong."

Mr Beattie later told the ABC the athletes were brought into the stadium early to avoid a scenario where they would have been kept "standing around".

"At previous ceremonies athletes were herded around, they stand around, they hate it, they get bored, often they don't go," he said.

What you didn't see on TV — athletes entered the ceremony before the broadcast began. ( AAP: Dan Peled )

"Our decision to bring them in early was right, but what we should have done though is have them parade as well.

"The athletes would not have enjoyed last night. I understand that and frankly the buck stops with me on that."

Mr Beattie said he wanted to personally apologise to Australian flag-bearer Kurt Fearnley.

Production company Jack Morton also expressed regret at the response to the closing ceremony.

"Having received such a positive response to the opening ceremony on the Gold Coast earlier this month, we share GOLDOC's disappointment at the level of criticism targeted at specific aspects of last night’s ceremony," Jack Morton managing director Helen Graney said.

Organisers should 'hang their head in shame'

Ms Palaszczuk was shown laughing and dancing in Carrara Stadium alongside Commonwealth Games Minister Kate Jones on Sunday night, but her tone had shifted significantly by the morning.

She said she was "just as disappointed as everyone else" that the athletes were not able to march during the ceremony, laying the blame on Mr Beattie's organisation.

Loading

"We appoint an agency to run the day-to-day operations of the game, and that was GOLDOC," she said.

"Whoever made that decision not to allow those athletes to march in should hang their head in shame."

Ms Palaszczuk and Gold Coast Mayor Tom Tate said the ceremony should have better celebrated the athletes' achievements, but neither had any apologies for delivering speeches of their own from the podium.

"You can only look at what you can control. Mine was short and sweet, don't you think?" Cr Tate said.

Ms Jones said the Government had no control over the ceremony program, and was not consulted about the athletes' entrance not being broadcast on television.

'I'm furious' athletes weren't shown, TV host says

Channel Seven's commentators said athletes were denied the spotlight.

Griggs said her network was not at fault, saying they could only use the pictures provided by the Commonwealth Games host broadcasters.

She was particularly critical of the decision not to show para-sports veteran Kurt Fearnley carrying the Australian flag into Carrara Stadium, surrounded by his teammates.

TV viewers didn't get to see flagbearer entering the ceremony. ( AAP: Dan Peled )

"They made the decision not to have the actual athletes enter the stadium, they made the decision not to show the flag-bearers and I'm furious," Griggs said.

"You want to see the athletes come and you want to see them jumping in front of a camera, you want to see them celebrating 11 days of great sport. We missed out on all of that."

Host broadcaster NEP said on Twitter it understood the disappointment of many viewers.

"NEP is just as disappointed in tonight's outcome after what has been an incredible 11 days of competition," it said.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk speaks at the ceremony which Mr Beattie says had too many speeches. ( AAP: Darren England )

"None of this should reflect negatively upon the outstanding performances of the athletes of the Commonwealth."

The ceremony was largely panned on social media, with critics upset about the lack of focus on athletes, quality of the musical performances, speeches and the length of the event.

Opposition treasury spokesman Tim Mander said it "overshadowed" the athletes' feats.

"There were plenty of rehearsals and plenty of opportunities for somebody to say something, to realise that that's not what the public is after," Mr Mander said.

"The fact that the athletes weren't front and centre is a real shame.

"Annastacia Palaszczuk after throwing a tantrum got her speech, but unfortunately that just contributed to the attention being taken away from the athletes."

'The real closing ceremony'

Australian athletes gathered for a meet and greet with fans on the Gold Coast on Monday morning, with champion swimmer Cate Campbell dubbing the event "the real closing ceremony".

Campbell said it was disappointing Fearnley had missed his moment in the spotlight but did not want the controversy to overshadow the Games' success.

Swimmer Cate Campbell and other athletes swamped by fans after autographs at Monday's meet-and-greet. ( AAP: Regi Varghese )

"It has far surpassed everyone's expectations — the performances from the athletes, the stories that we've seen emerge — and I don't want last night to take away from that at all," she said.

Fearnley, who won gold in the T54 marathon on Sunday, said it was strange not having a parade of athletes, but nothing could take away from being the flag-bearer at the closing ceremony.

"If you do it and it doesn't get covered on telly, does the tree actually fall? I don't know. It was pretty strange, but what do you do?" he said.

"I got to carry that flag around, and thankfully my mum and my sister were in the stadium. They did see that moment.

"I got that photo, and it was Instagrammable. So you know what? I'm not going to let anything even slightly taint what was an incredible day."

Spectators leave ceremony early

Spectators began streaming out of the Carrara Stadium before the ceremony finished, leaving the venue seemingly half-empty when the lights were turned back on.

Many told the ABC outside the stadium that there had been too many empty seats during the ceremony.

Amber Pitty said ticket prices may have been to blame.

Spectators are seen leaving the stadium at the end of the closing ceremony. ( AAP: Darren England )

"I would have liked to see more of the athletes but other than that, I think they did a really great job," she said.

Toby Findlay said watching Indigenous band Yothu Yindi was "fantastic", but he left early because "the last bit wasn't great".

George Wilson provided a less than ringing endorsement for the ceremony, calling it "not bad".