Brisbane Festival 2016 Is Building a Giant Pop-Up Dancefloor in the City

You might fancy yourself a bit of a dancefloor master in the safe, dark confines of a nightclub (or you know, lounge room) — but how fancy is your footwork when it's on display in a more public, open air environment? That's the question this year's Brisbane Festival is asking the city's residents. All you have to do is jump on over to Queen's Park and strut your stuff to find out.

In fact, You Should Be Dancing is more of an order than anything. If you're heading along to the free event, moving and grooving is pretty much mandatory. Different styles will be showcased over the popup dance party's nine nights — and yes, that really is just the beginning of Bris Fest's onslaught of music, performance, arts, culture and participatory fun for 2016.

In his second year as the festival's artistic director, David Berthold isn't holding back when it comes to the big, busy program that will brighten up Brisbane from September 3 to 24. A whopping 70 productions and 540 performances will feature across the five key venues of QPAC, Brisbane Powerhouse, South Bank Piazza, QUT's theatre precinct, and the two-Spiegeltent setup that comprises Arcadia at South Bank's cultural forecourt.

Highlights include Rules of the Game, a multidisciplinary dance work from renowned choreographer Jonah Bokaer, visual artist Daniel Arsham and none other than Pharrell Williams that comes direct to Brisbane after its Dallas premiere — and before it even shows in New York. And, for seasoned Bris Fest attendees accustomed to indulging in Strut & Fret's latest food-and-entertainment combo, Blanc de Blanc brings a champagne celebration to the festival is several senses of the word.

Elsewhere, expect everything from an interactive take on the act of buying sex and Circa going Troppo to queer feminist sci-fi and a feast of music docos, plus — for fans of fresh takes on old classics — theatre, ballet and film versions of Snow White and a new, superhero-centric staging of Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream as well. Next, prepare to have all your pre-existing memories of the Little Mermaid completely shattered after seeing Meow Meow's interpretation of the tale, complete with an underwater themed stage and new music by Amanda Palmer, Kate Miller-Heidke and Megan Washington.

Music-wise, there'll be plenty of killer sounds to get your ears buzzing courtesy of a lineup international acts and local legends that features Montaigne, Kim Gordon, Pink Martini, Robert Forster, Custard, a reunion show by george and more. And yes, for those that like watching bright explosions light up the sky, Riverfire is back for its 19th year. So, that's your September well and truly sorted — if you don't have anything to do for the first three weeks of the month, you're just not looking hard enough.

Brisbane Festival runs from September 3 – 24 across Brisbane. For more the full 2015 program, or to book tickets, visit the festival website.