Just In: Catch Missy Higgins, New Aussie Plays and AM Raves at Brisbane Festival 2026

Brisbane will ignite this September with 700 performances from more than 2000 artists, stretching across the city. Running from September 4 to 26, this year’s festival is the first from new artistic director Ebony Bott.

The festival opens and closes with explosions of light and colour on the river. Riverfire on September 5 kicks things off with fireworks from bridges, barges and rooftops across the city, as well as a RAAF flyover. The festival closes with Bright Nights, which features floating fountains, water screens, lasers and jets pumping water high against a soundtrack from Brisbane favourites the Veronicas.

Across the festival, dance, puppetry, circus and live music are all represented, but it’s the theatre program that particularly stands out.

There’s the world premiere of Strong is the New Pretty, from award-winning playwright Suzie Miller – the mastermind behind RBG: Of Many, One and Prima Facie. It tells the story of the people who took the AFLW from pipe dream to reality. Directed by Lee Lewis, the cast includes Sheridan Harbridge, Lucy Bell and Amy Ingram. Not just for footy fans, this play is an exploration of determination, legacy and pride.

Straight from New York’s St Ann’s Warehouse, Luke Murphy’s Scorched Earth is set in an interrogation room and delves into a cold case. Koreaboo is the debut play from Michelle Lim Davidson (The Newsreader). It tells the story of Hannah, who was adopted from Korea by Australian parents, as she returns to Seoul to meet her birth mother in a reunion story powered by Google Translate, K-pop and kimchi.

A hit from the Adelaide Festival, Mama Does Derby, created by Clare Watson and Virginia Gay (Cyrano, Calamity Jane), follows teenage Billie and her mum as they move to regional Australia. It’s a story about failing and getting back on your feet, finding your community and, of course, roller skating.

The music program – under the banner of Night at the Parklands – has a stacked line-up including Aloe Blacc, Human Nature, Icehouse, The Temper Trap, Missy Higgins, Pnau and Katie Noonan.

Other highlights include Daybreaker (a morning dance and wellness event), DJ sets and yoga sessions that will take place at the Festival Village, a hub at the South Bank forecourt.

Brisbane Festival runs from September 4 to 26. The full program is available online.

www.brisbanefestival.com.au/

@brisbanefestival