A River Parade, Drag Race, Boba Pancakes and Lots of Pride: A Weekend in Brisbane for Melt Festival

It’s hard to imagine this year’s Melt Festival going harder than the last one. The inaugural edition included a performance by pop icon Sophie Ellis-Bextor, drag royalty Courtney Act leading a parade on the Brisbane River and more than 5000 people posing naked on the Story Bridge. But the program for 2025 is giving 2024 a run for its money. From October 22 to November 9, brace yourself for almost three weeks of performances, social events, art shows, comedy acts and more – all celebrating the best of queer culture.

Don’t know where to start, or how to make the most of the program? Show up fashionably late for the festival’s big finale – here are our picks across two days at Brisbane’s Melt Festival, plus the best places to eat and drink nearby.

Friday November 7

Get your photo fix

Start your festival by heading into the CBD for a dose of culture courtesy of Gerwyn Davies’s playful photographic exhibition, Shimmer. It explores visibility and self-expression through dazzling portraits, all posed in surreal, handcrafted costumes. The award-winning queer artist and costume maker worked on the photos and outfits with members of Queensland’s Open Doors Youth Service, an organisation for trans and gender-diverse young people.

Caffeinate and fuel up

Step through the archways at Coffee Anthology and you’ll find yourself in a long hallway filled with marble benchtops and warm brickwork: the perfect spot to sit down with a cuppa and plan your next festival stop. You can also grab a bite next door at Fika, which combines European and Asian techniques in dishes like a hoisin duck crumpet with chilli butter; and Earl Grey-flavoured boba tea pancakes with brown-sugar tapioca pearls.

Browse a handpainted Instagram feed

After lunch, visit Brisbane’s Powerhouse for another visual spectacle, Demon Rhythm, returning to the festival for the second year. Interdisciplinary Brisbane artist Micah Rustichelli has re-created “stolen” images from other users on Instagram as 1000 miniature paintings. Ranging from the banal to the intimate – including provocative selfies, internet memes, political statements and earnest confessionals – the show playfully engages with ideas about AI image generation, art theft, creative ownership and the social media algorithms that shape our lives.

Have your heart broken

Cap off the evening with one of the most hotly anticipated events on the festival calendar, Whitefella Yella Tree by award-winning playwright Dylan Van Den Berg. In the early 19th century, Ty and Neddy are two teenage boys tumbling headlong into young love while, unbeknownst to them, their home teeters on the brink of colonial invasion. After a sold-out debut season in 2022, this heartbreaking story about love, Country and Blak queerness is coming to Brisbane for the very first time as part of Melt Festival.

Saturday November 8

Brunch in West End

There’s no wrong choice between Morning After, West End Coffee House and the Gunshop Cafe, but our top pick is Alphabet. There’s a seasonal menu, with staples like the cornbread with bacon, poached eggs, tomato and avocado, and the Lockdown Muffin with self-avowedly “trashy” yellow cheese. The coffee is good too, with beans from Coffee Supreme.

Board the (queer) love boat

At midday, head down to the Brisbane River for the iconic River Pride Parade. In true Brissy style, it takes place on the water with a colourful flotilla of more than 50 paddleboats, yachts and other watercraft cruising down from West End to the Brisbane Powerhouse. You’ll need a vessel to march in this parade, so register your boat to ensure no watery collisions.

No yacht? No problem – there are plenty of ways to get in on the action. The Pride Ride launches from beside the Powerhouse and guarantees you a prime spot in the middle of the flotilla, with non-stop anthems, a bumping dance floor and a fully stocked bar. Splash Out, meanwhile, is a luxurious three-level party boat that cruises under the Story Bridge all the way to New Farm Park. For a whopping five and a half hours, you’ll be treated to the party boat experience of a lifetime, with DJ sets, cocktails, dancing and drag shows.

On land, there’s the River Pride Picnic, a relaxed, family-friendly way to soak in the atmosphere without getting your feet wet, featuring food trucks, live entertainment and viewing spots by the riverbank. You can also catch the Brisbane Lesbian Run Club running, walking or dancing alongside the flotilla in the Race the River Pride Parade.

Explore New Farm

Amble around one of Brisbane’s oldest suburbs, home to many of the city’s art deco and heritage-listed buildings. New Farm Deli is a beloved local institution that first opened in 1975. Fifty years on, the family-run cafe has an extensive menu combining classics (scrambled eggs, pancakes) with Italian restaurant fare (minestrone, lasagne, risotto). And just one street away, you’ll find Idle. Opened this year, the cafe-bakery is a reimagining of the wildly popular Agnes Bakery, expanded to include an all-day menu. Pastries are made fresh every morning, alongside savoury pies, whole cakes and sourdough loaves. Good luck ordering just a coffee.

Roll to slay

Make your way to Big Fork Theatre, Brisbane’s dedicated improv and comedy venue, for a delightfully geeky, one-of-a-kind comedy show. A Drag Race RPG is exactly that: a live tabletop role-playing adventure set in the Drag Race universe, where a group of hilarious queer comedians compete to be crowned next drag superstar.

Grab a bite in the afterlife

Head over to arcade, bar and diner Netherworld in Fortitude Valley. Vintage arcades and free-to-play console and board games meet a customisable menu of burgers, snacks and bowls – vegan by default, with dairy and meat options available. Stand-outs include the karaage tofu with spicy miso mayo and the Bunyip burger, a classic cheeseburger with beetroot and pineapple. The bar offers tap beers, ciders and house-made sodas.

Go out with a bang

Make your way back to the Powerhouse for Reuben Kaye’s wicked, electrifying variety show, The Kaye Hole. For 90 minutes, the inimitable comedian, drag artist and cabaret star hosts a diverse group of performers in a range of outrageous, defiantly queer acts, all backed by a live band. With content warnings for nudity, sexual references, coarse language and adult themes, this one’s sure to be a feast for the senses. Best of all, it gives you one last taste of the dazzling diversity that’s been on show throughout the festival. Don’t pick just one act to close out your trip – pick them all.

Melt Festival of Queer Arts and Culture runs from October 22 to November 9, 2025. Tickets and full program available now on melt.org.au.

Broadsheet is a proud media partner of Melt.