Brisbane Festival 2026 – SAVE THE DATE!
The full 2026 program will be revealed on 10th June 2026, but if you’re feeling curious, here’s what the event looked like in 2025 to give you a taste of what’s usually on offer and get the excitement started.
Brisbane Festival 2025
Brisbane Festival 2025 returns from 5th to 27th September, offering a spectacular mix of free and ticketed events that will ignite imaginations across the city. With more than 100 events over 20 days and across 15 venues, this is Australia’s largest international arts festival. Families, art lovers, and curious minds will be immersed in captivating performances, interactive installations, and unforgettable experiences across Brisbane’s rivers, gardens, and iconic landmarks.
The festival opens with the much-loved Riverfire, Brisbane’s favourite night of the year. Bridges, barges, and rooftops come alive with dazzling fireworks from Foti Fireworks, while the entire city becomes part of the celebration. Artist duo Craig & Karl will light up Brisbane’s bridges with bright, bold installations that reflect the colour and creativity of the festival spirit.
Skylore: Nieergoo – Spirit of the Whale also returns, bringing hundreds of drones to the sky above the Brisbane River. Created by Traditional Owner Shannon Ruska with Tribal Experiences, and set to original music by Guy Webster, this spectacular piece shares a story of Culture, Country, and connection to place.
Families and thrill-seekers alike will be drawn to Elements of Freestyle, a heart-pounding blend of breakdance, inline skating, BMX, skateboarding, freerunning and more. Created by the Netherlands’ ISH Dance Collective and directed by Marco Gerris, this adrenaline-fuelled show transforms extreme urban sports into art.
As twilight falls, Afterglow transforms the City Botanic Gardens into a glowing dreamscape of fire sculptures, illuminated installations and ambient soundscapes. Visitors are invited to follow a trail of flickering flame through an immersive, multisensory experience designed to spark wonder and reflection.
Craig & Karl’s work continues across the city in Walk This Way, with the Neville Bonner, Goodwill and Kangaroo Point bridges reimagined through their playful, colourful designs and inflatables. As internationally recognised creatives, their work invites audiences to see familiar places in bold, joyful new ways.
At Queensland Museum Kurilpa, families can explore Sea of Light, where a torch becomes a paintbrush to create glowing trails across a magical sea floor. This interactive installation features projections by Aboriginal Contemporary Visual Artist Elizabeth Close and is part of the Museum’s spring holiday program.
In Festival Garden, the Lord Mayor’s Children’s Program presents TheatreDome, a high-energy improv comedy competition where young performers take to the stage under the watchful eye of the Great Overseer. With rapid-fire theatre games, dramatic twists and plenty of laughs, this theatrical adventure promises to entertain audiences of all ages.
With these highlights and so much more to discover, Brisbane Festival 2025 invites everyone to experience the extraordinary. From large-scale spectacles to intimate performances, it’s a celebration of art, culture and community that transforms the city into a living stage.
Brisbane Festival 2026 details
When: 4th –26th September 2026
Where: Various Brisbane locations
Cost: Mix of free and ticketed events
More information: https://www.brisbanefestival.com.au/
