12 Events You Don’t Want To Miss at Brisbane Festival 2026

From September 4 to 26, Brisbane Festival turns the city into one big stage, with performances, sideshows and exhibitions for all ages. The spectacle of Riverfire is just the beginning – there’s a world-first theatre premiere, a beloved block party, a roller derby, light shows and more to look forward to. So clear your calendar and be sure to book tickets to these 12 essential Brisbane Festival events.

Strong is the New Pretty

Before the festival officially begins, you’ll have the chance to see a brand new work by one of Australia’s most exciting playwrights. Suzie Miller – the mastermind behind RBG: Of Many, One and Prima Facie – explores the world of the AFLW in this world-premiere production. In Strong is the New Pretty, Miller tells the story of the people who took the Aussie Rules women’s league 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.

Strong is the New Pretty runs from September 1 to 19 at Playhouse Theatre, Queensland Performing Arts Centre. Tickets are available online.

Koreaboo

Actor-turned-playwright Michelle Lim Davidson (The Feather in the Web, The Newsreader) leaves it all on the stage in this deeply personal, funny and moving production, which explores themes of identity, belonging and the search for family. Davidson tells the story of Hannah, who was adopted from Korea by Australian parents, as she returns to Seoul to meet her birth mother. A reunion story powered by Google Translate, K-pop and kimchi, Koreaboo was originally produced in 2025 by Sydney’s Griffin Theatre Company at Belvoir St Theatre.

Koreaboo runs from September 2 to 19 at La Boite Theatre. Tickets are available online.

Mama Does Derby

Queensland Roller Derby League skaters circle a track-like stage in this action-packed show created by Clare Watson and Virginia Gay (Cyrano, Calamity Jane). It follows teenage Billie (Elvy-Lee Quici) and her mum (Anna Lindner) after a move to a regional Australian town, where they each struggle to make friends and fit in. It’s about failing and getting back on your feet, being alive and free, and finding your community.

Mama Does Derby runs from September 3 to 5 at Powerhouse Theatre, Brisbane Powerhouse. Tickets are available online.

Bright Nights

Riverfire isn’t your only chance to see the Brown Snake come alive. Every night throughout the festival, you can catch a choreographed light show that uses the river as its canvas. Powerful floating fountains are set up on the river at South Bank, between the Victoria and Neville Bonner bridges. They’re synced with laser lights to create colourful animations and patterns, like a fireworks display, but using water. There are three 15-minute shows each night, and they’re all backed by a special soundtrack by the Veronicas – go on, admit it, you miss the mid-2000s.

Bright Nights runs from September 4 to 26 at Festival Village, South Bank. Free entry.

Riverfire

This synchronised fireworks display along the central stretch of the Brisbane River has been a September favourite since 1998. It’s free to watch, but you’ll need to plan ahead to snag one of the best viewing spots. If you don’t have a friend with a riverfront apartment, your next best bet is to arrive in the early afternoon and stake out space at South Bank or on the Kangaroo Point Cliffs. Alternatively, book a table at a riverside venue like Greca, Joey’s or the Brisbane Jazz Club – they’ve all got special Riverfire menus and events to help you really make a night of it.

Riverfire is on September 5. RAAF flyovers run from 4.45pm–5.30pm and fireworks begin at 7pm. Free entry.

Living Sculptures: How the birds got their colours

Living Sculptures is an outdoor dance performance retelling the Dreamtime story about a time when birds were all coloured black. A parrot helps an injured dove, unintentionally giving all the birds their vibrant, colourful feathers – except the standoffish crow, who remains jet black. Living Sculptures combines traditional Indigenous dance with contemporary circus, telling the story through impressive acrobatics. 

Living Sculptures: How the birds got their colours runs from September 5 to 9 at Festival Village Green, South Bank. Free entry.

Not a Cult*

Brisbane-based theatre collective Counterpilot has put together another unpredictable, unsettling, uncategorisable, interactive show especially for Brisbane Festival. Participants don a pair of headphones and follow the strange instructions they’re given in order to spread a message of “unrelenting optimism and rabid Australiana” to the unsuspecting festivalgoers at South Bank. It’s a satire of toxic positivity, modern mob mentality and Australia’s supposedly laid-back culture. Counterpilot’s mastery of sound design, scene-setting and suggestion mean this is a performance you’ll definitely want to catch.

Not a Cult* runs from September 10 to 18 at Festival Village Green, South Bank. Tickets are available online.

Make, Believe, Magic: The Worlds of The Jim Henson Company

From Sesame Street and the Muppets to Labyrinth and Babe, Jim Henson’s puppets and effects have defined so many beloved films and TV shows. This exhibition is exclusive to Brisbane and draws back the curtain on the 70-year history of The Jim Henson Company. See puppets from classic Henson productions alongside the Great Hall set from the 2022 TV series Fraggle Rock: Back to the Rock. You’ll also get a peek at the company’s more recent animatronic and digital innovations. Even better: for the opening weekend, QAGOMA is screening Henson’s intricately designed ’80s fantasy films The Dark Crystal and Labyrinth.

Make, Believe, Magic: The Worlds of The Jim Henson Company runs from September 12, 2026 to April 18, 2027 at the Gallery of Modern Art. Tickets are available online.

Ocean in Concert with David Attenborough

Sir David Attenborough is an international treasure. His 2025 documentary Ocean with David Attenborough, which advocates for an urgent international conservation effort to protect oceans, pairs its beautiful undersea visuals with an evocative score by Oscar-winning composer Steven Price (Gravity, Baby Driver). To celebrate Attenborough’s 100th birthday this year, QPAC is hosting screenings of the film, with the score played live by a full orchestra.

Ocean in Concert with David Attenborough runs from September 16 to 17 at the Concert Hall, QPAC. Tickets are available online.

Night at The Parkland: Missy Higgins

Night at the Parkland takes place across two packed weekends in September, bringing beloved Aussie acts to the amphitheatre in the heart of Roma Street Parkland. Our pick of the shows this year has to be the Sunday session by Missy Higgins. You could spring for front row seats, but the ideal way to enjoy a gig at Roma Street is to embrace the outdoors and get cosy on a picnic blanket up on the hill. Come early for a good spot – and to catch the two support acts. First up is Brisbane-based indie pop and jazz singer Hazel Mei, followed by indie singer-songwriter Jem Cassar-Daley. By the time the sun has set, you’ll be ready to sing along to Scar.

Night at The Parkland: Missy Higgins runs from 4pm on September 20 at Roma Street Parkland, Brisbane. Tickets are available online.

Werewolf

Based around the social deduction game Werewolf (aka Mafia), this interactive theatre show comes to Brisbane straight from a successful run at the Edinburgh Fringe. You and your fellow audience members have been summoned to a local shelter for quarantine during a citywide outbreak of lycanthropy. There are wardens on hand to run the shelter and keep you safe, but it quickly becomes clear they’re not prepared for everything. It’s a horror comedy with plenty of jump scares and a semi-improvised script – so you may find yourself coming back for another trip to the shelter.

Werewolf runs from September 23 to 26 at the Underground Theatre, Brisbane Powerhouse. Tickets are available online.

Escape

This stunning production from experimental dance company DIAVOLO draws inspiration from architecture. The company is known for its shows using large, complex props and set pieces, called architectural structures, which performers interact with in unexpected and acrobatic ways. Escape is a greatest-hits showcase of the company’s signature structures, each with its own special story and design. You’ll be transported to surreal landscapes, see incredible circus stunts and enjoy a genre-hopping soundtrack ranging from pop and rock to EDM.

Escape runs from September 23 to 27 at the Playhouse, QPAC. Tickets are available online.

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

www.brisbanefestival.com.au/

@brisbanefestival

Additional reporting by Emma Joyce and Alice Jeffrey.