Brisbane Festival
An art trail featuring three of the city's pedestrian bridges, stunning dance performances and drone shows are just the beginning of this year's lineup.
Overview
When the Goodwill Bridge, then the Neville Bonner Bridge, then the Kangaroo Point Bridge each opened in Brisbane, helping pedestrians get around the River City on foot was high among each structure's aims. Brisbane Festival 2025 clearly applauds that idea. The Queensland capital's major annual arts fest is not only embracing the concept, but is also building upon it. How does an event in a city that adores constructing more and more bridges work that reality into its program? By turning those three aforementioned river crossings into art installations — and featuring them in an art trail.
Walk This Way is one of Brisbane Festival's big 2025 highlights. Brisbane art and design duo Craig Redman and Karl Maier, who are globally known as Craig & Karl, have been given the task of transforming the Goodwill, Neville Bonner and Kangaroo Point bridges with large-scale art. With this free part of the fest's program, you'll not only see these structures as you've never seen them before and, of course, mosey along them; you'll also follow the path around the city to other iconic sites. Craig & Karl have an exhibition at Griffith University's Art Museum, celebrating where they first met, on the Brisbane Festival 2025 as well.
Across Friday, September 5–Saturday, September 27, there's plenty more in store for the city — 106 productions and 1069 performances, in fact, featuring contributions from 2260 artists. A huge 21 events in the program are world premieres, while more than 39 percent of the lineup is free.
After-dark experience Afterglow is among those global debuts, filling the Brisbane City Botanic Gardens with fire sculptures and candlelit installations. Or, catch The Great Gatsby-themed show and pop-up club GATSBY at The Green Light, which is heading to Twelfth Night Theatre to celebrate 100 years since F Scott Fitzgerald's book first hit shelves.
Thanks to Gems, which was commissioned by French luxury house Van Cleef & Arpels, Brisbane will witness three specific pieces by acclaimed choreographer Benjamin Millepied and LA Dance Project staged together for the first time ever. Courtesy of Baleen Moondjan, First Nations artist and Bangarra Dance Theatre founder Stephen Page is back home in Brisbane with a production that explores the link between baleen whales and Country — and, fittingly, will be performed in a barge featuring whale bone sculptural elements on the Brisbane River.
Craig & Karl, Dirty Puppet and Jared Hinz.
Another must-attend Brisbane Festival show pays tribute to one of the city's beloved Indian restaurants, with A Place in the Sultan's Kitchen not only featuring Joshua Hinton chatting about his family's eatery, but cooking his grandmother's chicken curry live.
Fellow standouts include yet another dance must-see in Bad Nature, with Australasian Dance Collective and the Netherlands' Club Guy & Roni teaming up; TINA — A Tropical Love Story's tribute to Tina Turner; the solo debut of Josh Taliani, who is behind House of Alexander; Shake & Stir giving A Midsummer Night's Dream a pop makeover as The Lovers; and Back to Bilo bringing Priya and Nades Nadesalingam and their family's tale to the stage for the first time.
Plus, AMPLIFIED: The Exquisite Rock and Rage of Chrissy Amphlett is an ode to its namesake, Milestone is William Yang's latest presentation, 100 Guitars gives 2025's festival its mass-participation performance and Community Choir: The Musical does indeed show the love for everyday voices.
Roma Street concert series Night at The Parkland has a heap of Aussie talent on its bill, such as ICEHOUSE, Lime Cordiale, Jack River, Xavier Rudd, Amy Shark, Grinspoon and Cut Copy. To catch Odd Mob, CW Stoneking, Wolters, Phantastic Ferniture and more, head to Tivoli in the Round, which is shaking up its stage setup. And, Wunderhorse, Winston Surfshirt and Sarah Blasko are also on Brisbane Festival's program, as are Brisbane Serenades' outdoor concerts at Brisbane Powerhouse, Manly, Moorooka at St Lucia.
It wouldn't be a Brisbane Festival without Riverfire, which will light up Brisbane's night sky with fireworks on the event's opening weekend. Also getting everyone looking up, Skylore will be back with another First Nations traditional story taking to the air via 400 drones.
Laurent Philippe
Top images: JD Lin, Craig & Karl, Lachlan Douglas, Joseph Mayers, George Gittoes, UAVS, Stephanie Coombes, Laura Du Ve and Children of the Revolution.
Information
- Twenty-Five Exceptional Films by Indigenous Australian Filmmakers That You Can Stream Right Now
- A List of All of the Wes Anderson Films, Ranked
- Nine Waterside Picnic Spots in and Around Brisbane That You Might Not Have Visited
- Five Romantic Brisbane Date Ideas for This Week From Budget to Blowout
- Six Scenic Hiking Trails You Can Enjoy Within 50 Kilometres of Brisbane
- The Best Picnic Spots in Brisbane