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Brisbane cultural events guide – spring 2026 edition
As the days grow longer and Brisbane starts to buzz with the energy of spring, the city's cultural calendar comes alive. From major exhibitions and world premieres to festivals, live performances and family days out, there's plenty to look forward to over the months ahead.
As a long-standing arts partner to many of the city's not-for-profit arts and cultural organisations, we've had the privilege of watching our city's creative scene continue to evolve. It's exciting to see Brisbane attracting internationally acclaimed artists and exclusive exhibitions, while also championing the local talent, bold ideas and homegrown stories that make this city such a rewarding place to explore.
This season, our arts partners are once again inviting us to experience something new. Whether you're discovering a thought-provoking exhibition, taking your seat for opening night, or making memories with family at Brisbane Festival, every event is another reason to get out and enjoy the city.
We'll see you there.
Festivals & Special Events
Night Feast presented by Brisbane Powerhouse
Brisbane Powerhouse
On now until 23 August
Awaken Your Appetite at Brisbane Powerhouse where Night Feast, a culinary and cultural celebration returns. With new names, festival favourites and exclusive dishes, indulge in a tantalising array of food from some of Brisbane's best restaurants while immersing yourself in free art installations. There is no one flavour this winter, just the next.
Brisbane Festival 2026
Locations across Brisbane and as far as Stradbroke Island (Minjerribah)
4 – 26 September
This year, the Festival moves with the rhythm of Brisbane itself. Inspired by Brisbane being the world’s earliest rising city, the program stretches from First Light through to After Dark. Across every corner of the program — from theatre, music, dance, circus, and puppetry to intimate encounters and large-scale spectacles — you will discover World Premieres, Australian Exclusives, and extraordinary artists from Queensland, across Australia, and around the globe.
Riverfire by Australian Retirement Trust presented by Brisbane Festival
Brisbane River & Surrounds
5 September
One of Australia’s most electrifying fireworks displays and an unforgettable night of community celebrations. Come alive with the dazzling Riverfire by Australian Retirement Trust, one of Australia’s most electrifying fireworks displays and an unforgettable night of community celebrations.
Experience Foti Fireworks’ incredible displays as Brisbane’s iconic skyline comes to life. Whether you see the show from the Festival Village at South Bank, find a spot along Brisbane River, or tune in to Triple M’s live broadcast or Channel Nine’s exclusive television coverage, this explosive start to Brisbane Festival is not to be missed!
Brisbane Festival Family Fun Day supported by Brisbane Airport
Festival Village presented by Brisbane Festival
20 September
Get ready for take-off! Pack your sunscreen, grab the kids and glide onto the Green in Festival Village for a first-class day of free family-friendly performances, entertainment and activities.
Family Day is a relaxed, inclusive and community-focused event for all ages. It’s an open invitation for families to spend quality time together in the heart of the Festival to explore, play, and connect.
There will be sky-high fun, prizes, giveaways, and surprise moments landing throughout the day.
This is a free event.
Festival Village presented by Brisbane Festival
South Bank Parklands
4 – 26 September
Experience the best of Brisbane from sunrise to last call at Festival Village, South Bank.
Start the day with First Nations–led Sunrise Ceremonies, and enjoy dawn choirs, yoga classes, river walks, and morning fitness. Explore dance workshops in the Town Square Pavilion, discover roving performers and pop-ups, and sing it loud and proud at the Giant Singalong. Throughout the day, a mix of free and ticketed experiences lets everyone find their rhythm, from family-friendly activities to headline performances in the Magic Mirrors Spiegeltent.
Melt Festival presented by Brisbane Powerhouse
Brisbane/Magandjin – Citywide
21 October – 08 November
Melt Festival is the Citywide celebration of Queer Arts and Culture that takes over Brisbane/Magandjin for three weeks every year in October and November.
Rubber Duck by Florentijn Hofman presented by Brisbane Powerhouse
Brisbane River / Maiwar
22 October – 08 November
The iconic Rubber Duck is a large-scale public artwork by internationally acclaimed Dutch artist Florentijn Hofman, arrives at Melt Festival for its new pink edition. Standing four storeys high, Rubber Duck transforms an everyday object into an extraordinary public artwork that is free and open for everyone to experience.
Onesie World by Adele Varcoe feat. art by Dylan Mooney presented by Brisbane Powerhouse
Makers Workshops – Brisbane Powerhouse and Queensland State Library
Mass participatory installation event – River Pride Parade
Make the Work: 5 – 23 October
Wear the Work: 24 October
Make the work. Wear the work. Be the Work - A playful, large-scale participatory artwork exploring identity, belonging and connection, worn on your body and released into the city. Help make the work in community workshops before the big event, or be one of 1,000 people wearing the work in a large scale participatory artwork on the banks of the Brisbane River/Maiwar.
Exhibitions
The Red Dress presented by Museum of Brisbane
Museum of Brisbane, City Hall
25 July – 13 September
380 Embroiderers. 51 Countries. 1 Dress.
A 14-year global collaborative embroidery project, The Red Dress was conceived by British artist Kirstie Macleod to provide a platform for individuals—especially women in vulnerable situations—to tell their stories through embroidery. In a coup for Queensland, The Red Dress will be presented at Museum of Brisbane and Warwick Art Gallery giving audiences right across the state the chance to see this beautiful work.
From 2009 to 2023, the dress travelled the world, embroidered by 367 women, 11 men, and two non-binary artists from 51 countries. Constructed from 87 panels of burgundy silk dupion, it holds a Guinness World Record for the largest collaborative embroidery project.
Every thread carries a story. The dress includes contributions from refugees, asylum seekers, survivors of war, and disadvantaged women across the globe, with all commissioned embroiderers compensated. It also features Lambani embroidery from southern India, gathered by Kirstie in 2002, which inspired the project.
Initially intended to spark dialogue on identity, The Red Dress evolved into a powerful platform for self-expression, amplifying marginalised voices and addressing vital social issues. Some artisans are rebuilding their lives through embroidery, using their skills to support themselves and their communities.
Now complete, the 6.8 kg dress is covered in an estimated 1–1.5 billion stitches and has been exhibited in major galleries and political gatherings worldwide. It continues to travel, aiming to reach diverse audiences, including refugees, vulnerable individuals, and those with complex needs.
The Australian contribution to The Red Dress is an intricate and highly skilled embroidery, created by 24 members of Brisbane’s Allthreads community, that beautifully captures our unique landscape, flora, and fauna. Museum of Brisbane is honoured to present this extraordinary project and looks forward to welcoming the embroidery and textile community, audiences from diverse cultural backgrounds, and those interested in seeing the exquisite details of this artwork up close for the first time in Australia.
Presented by Museum of Brisbane and Warwick Art Gallery with support from QWHA, NWCQ, Qld Embroidery Guild and private donors. The Red Dress project is supported by charities, social enterprises, and funding bodies, including the British Council Dubai, Arts Council England, and others.
Lord Mayor’s Photographic Awards presented by Museum of Brisbane
Museum of Brisbane, City Hall
1 August – 1 November
Brisbane through the lens of local photographers
The finalist exhibition of the 2026 Lord Mayor’s Photographic Awards brings together striking photographic works that capture the city’s spirit — from familiar streets and riverside scenes to the fleeting moments, routines and characters that make Brisbane feel like home.
New this year, the Brisbane Postcards Collection category invites photographers to showcase Brisbane’s charm and energy through images that locals recognise, and visitors instantly fall in love with. Selected winning works will be available as collectible postcards at MoB Shop.
Open to anyone who lives, works or studies in Brisbane, the 2026 Awards celebrate what makes our city unique through this year’s theme, Everyday Brisbane. Entries are now closed.
For more information, visit the Brisbane City Council website.
Brisbane Airport Pop-Up | 3 – 31 August
Selected works will also be on display at Brisbane Airport Domestic Terminal for travellers and visitors to enjoy.
Presented in partnership with Brisbane City Council and Major Partner Brisbane Airport.
Make, Believe, Magic: The Worlds of The Jim Henson Company presented by Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art
Gallery of Modern Art
12 September 2026 – 18 April 2027
Celebrating 70 years of creativity and innovation, the exclusive-to-Brisbane exhibition ‘Make, Believe, Magic: The Worlds of The Jim Henson Company’ will be an unprecedented exploration of world-building and imaginative storytelling.
Founded by Jim and Jane Henson in 1955, The Jim Henson Company has created some of the most cherished characters in screen history and continues to revolutionise the art of puppetry for television and film. Their indelible imprint on entertainment, education and popular culture globally is seen in the much-loved series Fraggle Rock and Fraggle Rock: Back to the Rock, the treasured fantasy worlds of The Dark Crystal and Labyrinth, the iconic characters of the Muppets, and the instantly recognisable residents of Sesame Street.
Immense and immersive, the exhibition will explore the Company’s dynamic trajectory from practical puppetry to today’s animatronic and digital innovations, as well as its ongoing dedication to the craft of creature design and trailblazing developments in on-screen puppeteering. It will feature hundreds of objects, from practical puppets and animatronic creatures to props, costumes, original drawings and moving image clips.
In a world-first, ‘Make, Believe, Magic: The Worlds of The Jim Henson Company’ will include the Great Hall set from the Emmy Award-winning television series Fraggle Rock: Back to the Rock, taking audiences behind the scenes of a working puppeteer’s film set.
This exhibition is organised by the Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art in collaboration with The Jim Henson Company.
Precious presented by Museum of Brisbane
Museum of Brisbane, City Hall
Open daily
What makes a collection?
Museum of Brisbane is giving you the keys to some of the most awe-inspiring collections across our amazing city. An irresistible array of breathtaking curiosities, Precious brings together thousands of remarkable items from more than 20 public and private collections.
From textiles to tin-toys, micro-architectural marvels to marine treasures, this exhibition is a joyful celebration of the art of assemblage.
We invite you to immerse yourself into the incredible stories of some of the prolific collectors of Brisbane, and get to know what makes a keepsake and collectible truly Precious.
Stories you Wear: Magpie Goose presented by Museum of Brisbane
Museum of Brisbane, City Hall
Open daily until 5 October
Celebrating Country and Culture through the bold designs of Magpie Goose.
Museum of Brisbane is excited to collaborate with Magpie Goose, a proudly Aboriginal owned and led fashion and social enterprise, to celebrate extraordinary First Nations cultural stories and designs.
This exclusive to Brisbane exhibition, developed in close collaboration with Magpie Goose owners Amanda Hayman (Wakka Wakka and Kalkadoon) and Troy Casey (Kamilaroi), offers a deep dive into the work of some of the region’s most talented First Nations artists and designers. Using clothing as a canvas for storytelling, this exciting collaboration will connect audiences with the rich and diverse cultural expressions of First Nations communities in Queensland and beyond.
Discover the artists and stories behind the brand that’s making a difference, one garment at a time.
Stories You Wear: Magpie Goose is supported by the Queensland Government through Arts Queensland.
The God of Small Things: Faith and Popular Culture presented by Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art
Queensland Art Gallery
Open daily until 5 October
'The God of Small Things: Faith and Popular Culture' draws its title from Arundhati Roy's evocative novel to explore the omnipresence of faith in the mundane and extraordinary alike. Centred around a rare collection of embellished oleographs by Raja Ravi Varma (India, 1848-1906), the exhibition delves into the intersection between devotional imagery and popular culture, capturing the divine as a living part of everyday life.
Works from the QAGOMA contemporary Asian collection complement and extend this dialogue, through the juxtaposition of religious and vernacular iconographies with contemporary reflections on belief. QAGOMA has embarked on a landmark conservation and research exchange with colleagues in India to document and conserve a rare collection of Ravi Varma works. Specialists from
QAGOMA’s conservation team will collaborate with the Museum of Art and Photography (MAP), Bengaluru, to share expertise and deepen cultural ties. QAGOMA’s conservation and research exchange is supported by the Centre for Australia-India Relations. QAGOMA is proud to be a recipient of a Centre for Australia-India Relations Maitri grant.
Archie Moore: kith and kin presented by Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art
Gallery of Modern Art
Open daily until 18 October
First Nations Peoples of Australia are among the oldest continuous living cultures on earth; Archie Moore’s kith and kin affirms this by tracing the artist’s Kamilaroi and Bigambul relations over 65,000+ years. The artist’s extensive drawing captures the common ancestors of all humans alongside animals, plants, waterways and landforms in order to emphasise our kinship responsibilities to each other and our surroundings.
Justene Williams: Once We Were Mudskippers presented by Queensland Art Gallery
Queensland Art Gallery
3 October 2026 – 7 March 2027
Justene Williams is one of Australia’s leading contemporary artists. ‘Once We Were Mudskippers’ profiles the diversity of her three-decade long practice and shows the vivacity of her recent work.
In an amalgamation of video, performance and installation, Williams creates a viewing experience through an absurdist, high-energy mash up of art history and pop culture intertwined with personal narratives. Suburbia features heavily in Williams's works, encapsulating the wear and tear on the Australian dream while also celebrating the textural qualities found in the materials and objects of the urban fabric.
This is a free event.
Perspectives of Brisbane presented by Museum of Brisbane
Museum of Brisbane, City Hall
Open daily
Perspectives of Brisbane offers a captivating insight into the people, events and changing landscape that is our city. The evolving life of Brisbane, its history and its culture, is revealed through stories, photographs and film. The place we now call Brisbane has a rich history going back 65,000 years and beyond. Situated on Traditional Lands, it remains home to some of the world’s oldest living cultures. Since European settlement began in the 1820s with the Moreton Bay penal colony, Brisbane has experienced conflict, growth, innovation and celebration.
Today, Greater Brisbane is home to more than 2.5 million people from diverse backgrounds. The city continues to transform, its cultural landscape shaped by the ongoing care of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, waves of migration and powerful social change. Museum of Brisbane respectfully acknowledges ‘Warunghu’, Aunty Raelene Baker, for her insight, conversation and participation in writing the text presented in this exhibition.
Theatre
Do Not Go Gentle presented by Queensland Theatre Company
Bille Brown Theatre, Queensland Theatre Company
11 – 30 August
In this searing masterpiece by Patricia Cornelius, the icy expanse of Antarctica becomes a haunting metaphor for old age — vast, majestic, unknowable, and unyielding. Featuring a cast of Australian theatrical titans, Do Not Go Gentle is a richly layered work which inhabits two poetic worlds: one of epic adventure, and another of quiet validation.
Strong is the New Pretty presented by Brisbane Festival
Playhouse, QPAC
1 – 19 September
Suzie Miller, the celebrated Australian playwright behind sell-out smash hit RBG: Of Many, One and international phenomenon Prima Facie, turns her extraordinary talents to the historical formation of the AFLW in this world premiere.
In 2010, an official report into the state of Australian Rules Football recommended the creation of a national women’s league. Seven years and a whole lot of grit, passion and fancy footwork later, the AFLW was born. This is the untold story of the extraordinary characters that took the league from a pipe dream to a sensation the sports world could no longer ignore.
Koreaboo by Michelle Lim Davidson presented by La Boite
La Boite Theatre
2 – 19 September
Hannah had her trip all planned out. Travel to Korea. Visit her birth mother. Spend a golden summer creating precious memories.
But when she arrives in Seoul reality hits hard. Her Umma works in a convenience store day and night, barely taking a break. She seems more interested in stacking shelves and re-arranging the garden gnome display than connecting with her long-lost Australian daughter.
Hannah is Korean, yet in Umma’s mind, Hannah is a “Koreaboo”—a foreigner captivated by K-Pop, kimchi and hanboks. Armed with only Google Translate and unrelenting optimism, Hannah must try to find a place within Umma’s world before the end of a sweltering summer.
Taking inspiration from real events in playwright Michelle Lim Davidson‘s life (The Feather in the Web, The Newsreader), this profound and heartfelt play marks the writing debut of one of Australia’s most beloved performers. Michelle herself takes to the stage under the direction of Jessica Arthur (The Dictionary of Lost Words), in a reunion story that reaches across continents, cultures and Spotify® playlists.
Small Mouth Sounds presented by Queensland Theatre
Bille Brown Theatre
13 October – 01 November
Breathe in. Breathe out. Break down.
In the overwhelming tranquillity of nature, six runaways from city life embark on a silent retreat. As these strangers confront internal demons both profound and absurd, their vows of silence collide with their achingly human need to connect. Check-in and chill-out with this wayward group of misfits as they attempt to find their purpose, a little peace and maybe themselves … all without saying a word!
In a first for the Bille Brown Theatre: each audience member will be given their own headphones to hear the sublime inside the silence. With audio-immersive intimacy engineered by indie collective Counterpilot.
Into the Woods presented by Opera Queensland and Queensland Theatre Company
Glasshouse Theatre, QPAC
11– 21 November
Opera Queensland and Queensland Theatre Company combine to conjure a bold new production of Into the Woods, Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine’s Tony Award-winning musical, opening at QPAC’s sparkling Glasshouse Theatre.
Into the Woods follows iconic and well-loved characters like Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood, Jack and Rapunzel. In a world where fairy tales collide, this timeless musical asks what happens when the story ends and “… everyone lives happily ever after”. When deepest desires are fulfilled, not all wishes are granted without a cost…
After the blockbuster season at QPAC, there will be two limited performances at Toowoomba’s Empire Theatre.
Kids and Families
Warrajamba presented by Museum of Brisbane
Museum of Brisbane
Open now until 15 November 2026
Follow the mermaid in the bay.
Dive into story, culture and hands-on creativity with our latest Artist in Residence, Quandamooka artist Delvene Cockatoo-Collins.
Journey alongside Delvene to the shores of Minjerribah and discover the ancestral story of Warrajamba, the mermaid, a living cultural legacy that Delvene continues to explore as she searches for its lost ending.
Get hands-on and create your own mermaid or dugong using artist-designed stamps, connecting with the stories of Warrajamba and Yungong, the dugong. Discover Delvene’s powerful sculptural work made from materials gathered from Country—yungair/yungaire (freshwater reed), talwalpin (beach hibiscus cotton tree), and quampie shell. Come and be immersed in a space that celebrates care for land, sea and story.
Art Box for Kids: Shannon Brett presented by Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art
Gallery of Modern Art
23 May – 8 November
‘Art Box for Kids: Shannon Brett’ introduces children to the work of Shannon Brett, a Wakka Wakka, Butchulla, and Gurang Gurang artist, designer, educator, researcher and curator. When Shannon was a child, they would draw clothing and create pattern designs in their school exercise books. Today, Shannon creates garments for the runway and community with their own fashion label, LORE. The story behind each of their patterns is unique, with Shannon interested in understanding First Nations’ perspectives and the stories that connect community and family.
As part of their activity Fashion Show, Shannon encourages children to be creative by using card and coloured pencils to make their own fashion model and outfits, decorated with patterns meaningful to them. Shannon believes that ideas and stories can come from anywhere and encourages children to think of their own experiences to help inspire their unique designs.
'Art Box for Kids' is an exhibition series that prioritises sustainable exhibition design and the use of recycled or repurposed activity materials where possible.
The Big Hose presented by Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art
Gallery of Modern Art, GOMA Bistro lawn
Open daily
In a first for the Queensland Cultural Centre, the artist-designed play sculpture in the form of an oversized 119 metre-long garden hose — outside the Gallery of Modern Art (GOMA) — joins Australia’s list of iconic ‘big’ things. The artwork alludes to Queensland’s domestic architecture, inhabiting GOMA’s 'front yard', evoking breezy verandahs and subtropical gardens. The Big Hose 2022–25, a collaborative creation of contemporary Australian artists Tony Albert (Brisbane, Girramay/ Yidinyji/ Kuku Yalanji peoples) and Nell (Sydney), sits on the banks of the Brisbane River at Kurilpa Point, a traditional meeting and trading place for the region’s Turrbal and Yaggera peoples. This artistic collaboration reveals nuanced layers of meaning through local histories of First Peoples, migration and art.
Vipoo Srivilasa: Express Yourself presented by Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art
Gallery of Modern Art
Open daily until 13 September
How do you feel on the first day of school? Or when you win a really hard game? What about when someone you love is upset? Artist Vipoo Srivilasa invites children to explore their emotions through drawing, dancing, and digital activities as part of his upcoming Children’s Art Centre exhibition. The project will feature a reprisal of Vipoo’s 2021 activity ‘Garden of Love’ along with fun new interactives, encouraging visitors to consider the spectrum of human emotion with curiosity and an open mind.
Music
Are You Lonesome Tonight: Brisbane Festival presented by Opera Queensland
Magic Mirrors Spiegeltent – Festival Village, South Bank
9 – 12 September
Are You Lonesome Tonight is a unique celebration of country music and opera, featuring arias and songs by Puccini, Verdi, Slim Dusty, Troy Cassar-Daly, Dolly Parton and more.
Showing at the Magic Mirrors Spiegeltent in the reimagined Festival Village, Are You Lonesome Tonight is a genre-crossing crowd-pleaser, perfect for the whole family. So, dust off your boots, don your Akubra and get ready for a memorable performance in the heart of Brisbane's cultural precinct.
This is opera like you’ve never seen it before - bold, adventurous, and full of heart.
Young Artist Program Showcase: Viva La Voce presented by Opera Queensland
Redland Performing Arts Centre: 10 September
Opera Queensland Studio: 11 – 12 September
For more than 35 years, the Opera Queensland Young Artist Program has nurtured the next generation of Australian opera talent, providing unparalleled opportunities to perform at the highest standards both locally and on the world stage.
This beautifully diverse program presents solo and ensemble operatic repertoire from Mozart to Puccini in an exuberant celebration of what it means to be young. Experience dazzling voices, passionate storytelling, and exhilarating musicality as these performers reveal the joy, vitality, and promise of the next generation.
Dances with the Winds - Metro Series Concert #2 presented by Brisbane Philharmonic Orchestra
Old Museum Building Concert Hall
19 September
The Brisbane Philharmonic Orchestra’s second mainstage concert for 2026 offers a program of drama, colour, and emotional power.
Opening the evening is Aram Khachaturian’s Masquerade Suite, which offers a mix of dances and sentimental movements that give life to the play’s setting of 1830s aristocratic St Petersburg. Finnish composer Einojuhani Rautavaara’s flute writing, which traverses haunting lyricism, hushed and mysterious tones and a carnival-like atmosphere, is brought to life by Brisbane’s own Tim Munro. The concert culminates in Shostakovich’s gripping fifth symphony, a work of profound political tension and enduring cultural impact.
Live at MoB: Sachém Parkin-Owens presented by Museum of Brisbane
Museum of Brisbane, City Hall
9 October
Join a residency showcase of stories and sound.
Artist in Residence Sachém Parkin-Owens is a proud Noonuccal and African American artist whose practice spans poetry, music and public installation. Sachém’s residency has been a period of reflection and creative exploration, developing new music while considering the next evolution of his practice. Now, audiences are invited on that journey through an evening of songs, stories and works in progress shared for the first time.
“Performing is where I connect to people and myself the most. It almost creates this perpetual cycle of learning and re-learning lessons from the past because I’ve always spoken my truth.” – Sachém
Sharing new work alongside the stories and questions that shaped it, this intimate event offers a rare opportunity to experience a creative practice in motion – an honest exploration of where an artist has been, what they are leaving behind, and where they may be heading next.
Please note: This is an 18+ event with a cash bar.
“A phenomenal First Nations/ African American performer with a gift for creating connection, Sachém’s work is both hard-hitting and hopeful, an exceptional blend of unflinching honesty and hopefulness.” – scenestr
MoB’s Artist in Residence program is supported by Tim Fairfax AC.
Camerata Weekender presented by Camerata
Stanthorpe, Queensland
23 – 25 October
Escape to Queensland’s stunning Granite Belt with Camerata - Queensland’s Chamber Orchestra, for a unique festival experience combining world-class chamber music, local food and wine, art, and regional culture.
Set against a backdrop of beautiful scenery, this immersive event offers the perfect opportunity to relax, explore, and enjoy the best of one of Queensland’s premier food and wine destinations.
Camerata: Orava Quartet presented by Camerata
Concert Hall, Redland Performing Art Centre (RPAC): 25 October
Concert Hall Reverse Mode, Queensland Performing Arts Centre (QPAC): 28 October
Church Theatre, The Empire, Toowoomba: 29 October
Experience the artistry of the acclaimed Orava Quartet, Camerata’s long-standing Quartet-in-Residence, in an intimate concert showcasing works by Haydn, Janáček and Mendelssohn. Renowned for their exceptional musicianship and expressive performances, the quartet brings chamber music to life with emotion, precision and depth, offering audiences a captivating and immersive musical experience.
Love is Love - Metro Series Concert #3 presented by Brisbane Philharmonic Orchestra
Old Museum Building Concert Hall
7 November
Love is Love celebrates queer composers in a program that offers colour, storytelling, and rhythmic energy.
Benjamin Britten’s The Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra pays homage to Baroque composer Henry Purcell and shows off the tone colours and capacities of the various sections of the symphony orchestra. Tchaikovsky and Bernstein then offer two very different perspectives on the tragic love story featured in Shakespeare’s play Romeo and Juliet. Tchaikovsky’s interpretation is dramatic, filled with both love and conflict, while Bernstein’s reimagination transports the listener to 1950s Upper West Side Manhattan and infuses Puerto Rican–inspired dance music. The concert will also feature the world premiere of Pulse by Brisbane-based composer, Joe Twist.
Conductor: David Law
Narrator: Ed le Brocq
Program:
- Benjamin Britten | The Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra, Op. 34
- Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky | Romeo and Juliet Fantasy Overture
- Joe Twist | Pulse (world premiere)
- Leonard Bernstein | Symphonic Dances from West Side Story
Fire and Finesse presented by Camerata
Concert Hall, Queensland Performing Arts Centre (QPAC): 12 November
Armitage Centre, The Empire, Toowoomba: 14 November
Experience an evening of classical music featuring Camerata - Queensland’s Chamber Orchestra, in a program that pairs two of Mozart’s most celebrated symphonies with captivating works for cello and strings. Featuring acclaimed cellist Hyung Suk Bae, Fire and Finesse showcases passion, elegance and artistry, taking audiences on a musical journey through moments of drama, beauty and Australian-inspired reflection.
Circus
ESCAPE presented by Brisbane Festival
Playhouse, QPAC
23 – 27 September
This is a show that will leave you breathless. Visceral and high-octane, ESCAPE blends complex, moving architectural structures with multi-talented performers to create a blood-pumping and emotional multimedia experience. Along with DIAVOLO’s signature athletic movement aesthetic, ESCAPE features a collection of the company’s most famous architectural structures.
Show me Love by Circa presented by Brisbane Powerhouse
Brisbane Powerhouse
05 – 08 November
Australia’s most internationally toured contemporary circus company, returns to Brisbane Powerhouse in a world-premiere venue takeover, to close out Melt Festival 2026 well after dark.
Tours
Convict Brisbane Walking Tour presented by Museum of Brisbane
The Windmill, Wickham Terrace
11 April – 21 November
Explore Brisbane’s colonial history on this guided tour through the city’s convict past.
Beginning at the historic Windmill on Wickham Terrace and winding down to the river at Queens Wharf, the tour traces Brisbane’s transformation between 1823 and 1842 – from a remote penal outpost to an emerging free town. Hear stories of convicts and commandants, revealing how punishment, labour and authority shaped daily life. Along the way, our guides bring the settlement into focus, illuminating the social fabric and living conditions, as well as the central role of the Brisbane River in sustaining the colony.
Woven throughout the tour are First Peoples’ responses to British settlement, their enduring connection to Country, and the Frontier wars that directly followed this era. Together, these intersecting stories offer a deeper understanding of how Brisbane grew from its earliest foundations into a regional centre.
Please note: this tour involves walking downhill on city streets and uneven surfaces.
Queen’s Wharf Brisbane Precinct Public Art Tour presented by Museum of Brisbane
Queen’s Wharf Brisbane Precinct
Wednesdays 3:00pm – 4:30pm and Saturdays 9:00am – 10:30am
Step into Brisbane’s ever-evolving story with this expertly guided walking tour through the Queen’s Wharf Precinct, one of the city’s most significant historical and cultural sites.
Led by an expert Museum of Brisbane tour guide, this 90-minute experience explores the intersection of art, history, landscape and identity. Beginning at Lindy Lee’s awe-inspiring Being Swallowed by the Milky Way, the tour winds through the precinct’s vibrant new Art Trail, showcasing works by First Nations, Queensland and international artists alongside historical buildings and landmarks.
From colourful alfresco murals to towering sculptures and floating botanical gardens, this tour reveals the many layers of the city’s past and present. A celebration of shared public space, creativity and transformation.
Queen’s Wharf Brisbane Precinct Public Art Tours are proudly supported by Major Partner The Star Brisbane.
Get tickets >
Clock Tower Tours presented by Museum of Brisbane
Museum of Brisbane, City Hall
Open daily
Discover the hidden secrets of your heritage-listed City Hall building with a guided tour of Brisbane’s iconic Clock Tower. The Clock Tower Tour is a “must do” while in Brisbane.
For many years, City Hall’s Clock Tower elevated the building to Brisbane’s tallest, offering visitors a magnificent 360 degree view of the city around them. Whilst the view has changed significantly over the last 90 years, the time-honoured tradition of “taking a trip up the tower” happily continues at Museum of Brisbane.
The Clock Tower Tour includes a ride in one of Brisbane’s oldest working cage lifts, a look behind Australia’s largest analogue clock faces and time to explore the observation platform that shares a unique perspective of your city. See if you can catch a glimpse of the bells!
Make a booking online today to secure your spot! Spaces are limited and fill up quickly.
Unique Experiences
Vertigo Brisbane presented by Brisbane Powerhouse
Brisbane Powerhouse
Available Friday - Sunday
Step over the edge where gastronomic excellence meets heart pounding adrenaline.
Experience the first vertical restaurant as you dangle from the precipice of Brisbane Powerhouse. Push your limits. Dine on the edge.
Your exclusive locally sourced Vertigo menu includes a two-course meal from fine dining restaurant Bar Alto and a matching wine to be enjoyed while you’re suspended from the edge of Brisbane Powerhouse.