Five Romantic Brisbane Date Ideas for This Week From Budget to Blowout

Tired of the classic movie and dinner date night combo? Us too. That's why we're always on the hunt for new things to do, scouring the city for not-boring Brisbane activities — ones that are guaranteed to take your next date way beyond done-before beers at the pub.

Whether you're taking someone on a second date or doing your 100th with your significant other, we've got some killer (and, yes, cute) ideas for dates to go on this week, no matter how much money you've got to spend.

Just think of us as your cultural wingman. You're welcome.

Free

Step Inside Stylish and Significant Gold Coast Buildings

The Gold Coast might be known for its sandy beaches, sizeable array of shopping strips and more than a couple of theme parks, but beyond all that lurks plenty of interesting and architecturally significant buildings. Luxe houses, sky-high residential buildings, cute seaside chapels, a towering art gallery — the list goes on.

It's a side of the Goldie that many never ponder, and it's on display for two days across Saturday, October 12–Sunday, October 13. That's when Open House hits the sunny tourist spot for 2024, and welcomes in anyone who'd like to take a sticky beak at 25-plus locations — you and your other half included.

Public buildings, sites and structures opening their doors include HOTA, Home of the Arts, plus the Broadbeach Cultural Precinct, Gold Coast Airport International Terminal, the former Southport Town Hall, Gold Coast Hinterland Heritage Museum, Broadbeach Library, Robina TAFE and Broadwater Chapel by the Sea. Fancy peering inside homes and cabins? That's where the Tugun Hill House, a cabin in Tallebudgera, Dolphin Court House and more all come in.

Remember your childhood dreams of getting to run rampant in a department store after hours? Or your grown-up version, involving IKEA? Think of this as a more realistic version. And, it's also a way to satisfy your architectural and design curiosity. The 2024 lineup also includes talks on Surfers Paradise's 60s and 70s apartment towers, plus future-proofing the Goldie, and a Coolangatta walking tour.

Under $20

Take Your Pooch for a Saturday-Morning Browse

On any given Saturday morning across Brisbane, plenty of pooches can be found descending upon the city's markets. Come 6am–12pm on Saturday, October 12, 2024 in Carseldine, dog lovers and their furry four-legged BFFs will be doing what they usually do — with the added bonus of attending the northside spot's returning Barktoberfest.

What do cute canines have to do with celebrating this time of year? Nothing, but don't let that get in the way of a dapper doggo-friendly morning out. As well as the usual food and fresh produce, an array of pet-related stalls will ramp up the fun to barking great levels. There'll also be a pupper fashion parade and a pawparazzi photo contest — to determine just which canine cutie friend is the most adorable.

Dog-focused demonstrations, pupper prizes, a hydration station that'll come in handy given Brisbane's sultry spring weather — they're all on offer, too, for you, your plus one and your pooches to enjoy.

Entry is free, and live entertainment is part of the 150-plus-stall market as well.

Under $50

Celebrate the Latest and Greatest in Queer Cinema

Celebrating both new and classic must-see movies is what film festivals are all about — and Brisbane's returning New Farm Queer Film Festival couldn't be more committed to that remit. The River City's annual showcase of LGBTQIA+ flicks, the event began back in 2022, proved a hit, and keeps returning year after year with an impressive lineup.

Running until Sunday, October 13, 2024's fest includes the Tilda Swinton (The Killer)-starring Problemista, as directed by and also starring Fantasmas and Los Espookys' Julio Torres — plus The White Lotus' Bartlett and Fantasmas guest star O'Brien in closing night's Ponyboi, which follows an intersex sex worker on the run from the mob.

Another highlight, Scala!!! tells of the London cinema in the same name. The rest of the documentary's moniker is Or, The Incredibly Strange Rise and Fall of the World's Wildest Cinema and How It Influenced a Mixed-up Generation of Weirdos and Misfits, which gives viewers an idea of the kind of tale it's telling — with iconic filmmaker John Waters among its interviewees.

Or, settle in with a retrospective trio, thanks to Gregg Araki's Totally F***ed Up, The Doom Generation and Nowhere. You and your movie-loving significant other have more flicks to choose from from there, too, for a tried-and-trusted cinema date.

Big Blowouts

Tuck Into a Boozy Brunch Beneath a Sea of Purple Flowers

When spring arrives in Brisbane, the River City turns violet, as well as gorgeous. There's nothing like wandering beneath the jacaranda trees around town when they're in full bloom, and we all have the camera roll filled with vibrant snaps to prove it. Frolicking outdoors is one way to celebrate the floral explosion. Until Saturday, November 16, 2024, so is hitting up the Regatta Hotel each Saturday for a blossoming boozy brunch.

From 11am–1pm weekly, the Toowong pub is serving up a meal, a beverage package, live tunes and even sing-alongs, all in its bloom-adorned courtyard. So, you and your favourite person will still be outside — but sitting down, eating and drinking, and soaking in a piano-fuelled soundtrack.

You'll pay $79 per person to get brunching, which includes two hours of food and drinks. On the menu: a three-course spread that starts with tempura zucchini flowers and saltbush chevre, then offers a pick of pizzas (including mushroom and truffle oil, plus jamon and roquette) or a salad, and finishes with mini pancake stacks and fudge.

The singing is as much of a drawcard as what you'll be downing, with lyrics displayed on the venue's big screens karaoke-style while everyone croons along as a crowd.

Anne Colliard

Catch Cirque du Soleil's First-Ever Show Featuring Rain in Its Acrobatic Scenes

Forty years after first forming, Cirque du Soleil still knows how to notch up firsts among its lineup of dazzling circus shows, especially for Australian audiences. In 2023, the Montreal-based company headed Down Under with CRYSTAL, its first-ever ice production on ice. In 2024, it's following that up with LUZIA, which takes inspiration from Mexico, and also marks Cirque du Soleil's first touring performance that features rain in its acrobatic and artistic scenes.

LUZIA's name is a combination of the words 'lux' and 'lluvia' in Spanish, with the first translating as light and the second as rain. What that means in the production is being unveiled to Brisbane audiences — including you and your date — until Sunday, November 10, 2024, next to Royal Queensland Golf Club, off Curtin Ave East.

While it has been four decades since Cirque du Soleil was created back in 1984, 2024 is the 25th anniversary of the troupe's performances in Australia, making LUZIA the tenth big-top show to hit our shores. So, although it's already an ode to Mexican culture, the production has even more to celebrate as it spends the bulk of 2024 and into 2025 making its way around the nation. Packing their bags to help: a team of 120 people, which includes 47 artists from 26 countries.

First staged in 2016 and becoming Cirque du Soleil's 38th original production at the time, LUZIA has already been seen by 4.5-million people, a number that'll grow in Australia. Audiences are in for a trip to an imaginary version of Mexico, where the performance gets playful and surreal amid the light and rain. Some of the settings include an old movie set, the desert, the ocean and a dance hall, all backdropping the company's acrobatics, trapeze displays, contortionist feats, juggling and more.

Top image: Anne Colliard.