Whether you're an early riser or perpetually out late with mates, Brisbane is a vibrant city with a jam-packed schedule of exciting to-dos — all year round. Sunlight or city lights, kid-friendly or up-past-bedtime, in 2023 you'll be more than set to explore the city your way.
Early bird? Rejoice! You've come to the right place — it is the Sunshine State, after all. Sate your appetite for science with an intellectual festival feed. Be enraptured by song with a stellar calendar of music events. Take to the skies via artistic explorations of our earth's atmosphere in a world-class exhibition. Flock together for storytelling and cultural conversations. See your city habitat transformed by immersive installations that query the lines between art, science, human, nature and AI. There are tours and workshops, parties and playtime — all before the sun sets.
Though, they don't call her Bris Vegas for nothing. Bright lights and late nights, baby. It's not the city that never sleeps — but there's more than enough to keep you occupied well into the night. In 2023, expect festivals and innovative cultural events, immersive experiences and guided night tours, groundbreaking theatre and augmented reality landscapes. Explore art, science and the space in between via pop-up installations; catch rare films in an art-gallery cinema; watch an epic opera al fresco; witness light shows and fireworks along the river; and feed your musical appetite at a huge urban festival dedicated to the most exciting, fresh talent in the Australian music scene. Whether you prefer to stay indoors or venture into the darkness, Brisbane will keep the lights on for you.
Here, we've compiled a bunch of arty things to do and see in 2023, so that no matter what time you're heading out in Brisbane you're guaranteed to have a ripper time. Read on for all the daytime fun, then flick the switch above and we'll turn down the lights and show you the best events happening at night.
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Head to GOMA and enter Air, the sprawling ground-floor exhibition dedicated to that very element — peeling back the layers of the invisible, ethereal element that life cannot exist without. The show will be open until Sunday, April 23, with many of the art pieces commissioned especially. Wander through a vast installation of 30,000 moths and butterflies, shining suspended spheres, glowing light displays and mixed-media pieces encapsulating the power, danger and delicacy of this vital yet transcendent element. If the timing doesn’t work out, don’t worry: GOMA attracts world-class artists and touring exhibitions throughout the year, along with its stellar permanent collection that challenges and inspires, with free guided tours of the gallery highlights.
Air will be open daily at GOMA until Sunday, April 23, 2023.
Image: Ed Mumford
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From Wednesday, March 22 till Sunday, March 26, the World Science Festival will ignite your intellect at locations across the Queensland Museum precinct, South Bank and city. Expect a program of STEM-focused activities for curious minds, young and old. The signature events cover everything from space exploration to surgery, memory, migration, regenerative land practice, prehistoric wonders and the science that could save our future. There are also school activities, conversations and activations — including augmented reality, walking and photography tours, wildlife encounters, live myth busting and a picnic with dinosaurs. With a suite of free and ticketed events, there’s set to be something to feed every hungry mind — and surprise even the most knowledgeable among us.
World Science Festival hits Brisbane from Wednesday, March 22 till Sunday, March 26, 2023.
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Spilling out from World Science Festival, Curiocity Brisbane (22 March–2 April, 2023) takes over the wider city of Brisbane. Art meets STEM in a landscape of experiences and installations designed to challenge and enlighten urban explorers. Use augmented reality to bring memory fragments to life, encounter kinetic art through an intense colour spectrum in a changing parabolic curve, interact with playful cybernetics and help teach AI in real time. Take a free curator tour to take a deeper dive into the meaning behind the artworks, which includes the interactive “sound sculptures” T.H.E.M (that’s The Handmade Electric Machines, if you’re curious — a collection of six sound and lighting mechanisms brought to life by musicians, artists and designers). The free Curious Conversations program offers discussions on topics such as the future of AI, our role in the natural world and First Nations artists’ relationship with history, culture and traditional knowledge.
Curiocity Brisbane pops up around Brisbane from Wednesday, March 22–Sunday, April 2, 2023.
Image: Markus Ravik
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The daytime counterpart to the music festival, the BIGSOUND conference is the largest music industry gathering in the southern hemisphere. More than 1700 delegates attend the conference, drawing in a wealth of Australian and international talent and industry expertise to discuss, celebrate and shape the future of Australian music. Over three days, there’ll be a packed schedule of speakers, ranging from promising emerging new talent to homegrown stars and established stalwarts of the industry. Past speakers have included musicians, journalists, producers, radio DJs, audio tech specialists and record company reps — as well as big artists like Nick Cave, Tina Arena, Amanda Palmer and Peter Garrett.
BIGSOUND hits Fortitude Valley from Tuesday, September 5 till Friday, September 8, 2023.
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Each year, Brisbane Festival coats the city in a springtime flourish of art and culture — where the local streets and public spaces are the stage. Everyday hangouts become a canvass for art, a space for dance and music, and a cradle of exciting conversations shaping the cultural future of Brisbane. The festival also gives space to First Nations peoples — featuring creators and storytellers and collaborating with the local Indigenous communities, working to ensure their voice, art and culture is an integral pillar in the program. The schedule is yet to be announced, but past daytime events have included free dance and performance workshops scattered throughout the city, matinee theatre shows, planetary installations and the BOQ Festival Garden, an excitingly playful space filled with roving performers, free events, food and interactive art.
Brisbane Festival is set to hit the city from Friday, September 1 till Saturday, September 23, 2023.