Some music festivals fill your calendar for a day or two, or perhaps a week or so at once. Popping up midyear each year for multiple months, Open Season has much longer in its sights. The Brisbane event that's all about getting everyone out and about enjoying the River City's live music scene first launched in 2020, and now celebrates its fifth birthday in 2025 in its favourite way: with a hefty lineup that's not only heading to The Tivoli and The Princess Theatre, the venues behind the series from the outset — or to Winn Lane, where it expanded to in 2024 — but also making the Queensland Performing Arts Centre one of its homes. Six venues, 30-plus live gigs, three months: that's 2025's Open Season setup, no matter what kind of tunes that you're into. Bringing QPAC onboard means adding Sigur Rós' already-announced stint at the South Bank location's Concert Hall with the Brisbane Philharmonic Orchestra to the program, for starters. The partnership also sees First Nations fest-within-the-fest Blak Day Out team up with QPAC's Clancestry, even though the former is taking place at The Princess Theatre. On its bill: Christine Anu is joining the party, alongside Thelma Plum, Miss Kaninna and more acts still to be announced. Indeed, this isn't the full Open Season lineup, either, with the talents revealed so far set to score more company. The names already hitting Brisbane would make any other festival jealous, though, including more from Iceland courtesy of Kiasmos, the Afro Cuban sounds of Ezra Collective, Grammy-nominee Kamasi Washington, Soccer Mommy, Killing Heidi playing their debut album Reflector to celebrate its 25th anniversary, DIIV touring on the back of their latest record Frog in Boiling Water, Cloud Control reuniting for the first time in over ten years and Moktar spinning beats. Pale Jay, Jessica Pratt, Mount Kimbie, Ravyn Lenae, Surprise Chef, MonoNeon: they're all on the lineup as well. You'll also find The Preatures, Skegss, Maxwell Byrne (aka Golden Vessel), Sahara Beck, Pruient, SHOUSE and The Gin Club taking to the stage, plus Handsome and Emma Volard at Quivr's Quiet on Set program. This years' Open Season boasts its own brew, Green Beacon's Open Season Lager, which you'll find quenching your thirst at participating venues during the festival. For bites to eat, King Street in Bowen Hills is serving up deals among its eateries, too. Open Season 2025 Lineup 1tbsp Accomplice Collective Christine Anu Cloud Control DIIV Emma Volard Ezra Collective Handsome Jessica Pratt Kamasi Washington Kiasmos Killing Heidi Miss Kaninna Moktar MonoNeon Mount Kimbie Pale Jay Purient Ravyn Lenae Sahara Beck Shouse Sigur Rós with the Brisbane Philharmonic Orchestra Skegss Soccer Mommy Surprise Chef The Gin Club The Preatures Thelma Plum Open Season images: Chris Love, Darcy Goss, Kelsey Doyle and Lachlan Douglas.
