Brisbane Festival 2025 Features Grinspoon, Amy Shark, Lime Cordiale and More

Brisbane Festival is back for 2025 with more than 1000 events and performances, including 21 world premieres and four Australian exclusives. Outgoing artistic director Louise Bezzina described this year’s program in a statement as “a love letter to Brisbane”. And organisers are committed to sharing the love and keeping the festival accessible, so 518 events are completely free.

In one high-profile event, three Brisbane bridges – the Neville Bonner Bridge, Goodwill Bridge and Kangaroo Point Bridge – will be given a bold new look courtesy of design duo Craig & Karl. The pair met studying graphic design at Griffith University and have since made a name for themselves on the global stage with their vibrant art installations. Their festival installation, Walk This Way , will be part of a city-wide art trail.

The Brisbane River will host a dance performance on a floating barge, celebrating First Nations peoples’ connection to baleen whales. Featuring giant whale bones floating along the river, Baleen Moondjan is a contemporary dance performance choreographed by Brisbane-born First Nations artist and former Bangarra Dance Theatre artistic director Stephen Page. Inspired by a story Page’s grandmother told him about Indigenous communities of Minjerribah (Stradbroke Island), the performance will run nightly from September 18 to September 21.

Belloo Creative is bringing the heart-wrenching story of the Nadesalingam family to the stage with Back to Bilo. The family was forced into immigration detention in 2018 after their visas expired and they were deemed ineligible for refugee status. Their detention outraged many Australians, and they were eventually issued bridging visas and allowed to return to Biloela in 2022. The production will recount the Biloela community’s efforts to bring the family home.

Further theatrical events include A Place in the Sultan’s Kitchen , where Joshua Hinton brings his grandmother’s one-pot chicken curry recipe to the stage. Gatsby at the Green Light combines classic literature with cabaret and contemporary music at Twelfth Night Theatre, which will be reimagined as a 1920s jazz-era club for a variety show.

For music lovers, Night at the Parkland is essential booking. Held at Roma Street Parkland amphitheatre, the outdoor concert series runs from September 6 to September 14. The line-up features many acclaimed Aussie artists including surf-rock duo Lime Cordiale (who will have singer-songwriter Jack River on hand as their support act), alternative rockers Grinspoon and indie-pop singer Amy Shark. Another series, Tivoli in the Round , sees Phantastic Ferniture (Julia Jacklin, Elizabeth Hughes, and Ryan K Brennan), DJ Odd Mob , pop singer Mallrat , Scottish producer Franck and blues singer C.W. Stoneking perform.

International works featured in this year’s program include Gems , a contemporary ballet trilogy performed by French choreographer Benjamin Millepied (Black Swan) and his ballet company LA Dance Project. It’s a modern reimagining of George Balanchine’s Jewels and will run from September 4 until September 7 at QPAC.

Brisbane Festival runs from September 5 until September 27. The full program is available online.

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