Photos: FESTIVAL VILLAGE, South Bank Reveals Full Program at Brisbane Festival
Artistic director Ebony Bott says the riverside precinct aims to be a gathering place for the community.
Brisbane Festival has released the complete lineup for FESTIVAL VILLAGE, SOUTH BANK, a riverside precinct designed to run from early morning through late night with a mix of major productions, free experiences and nightly entertainment. The precinct will host the festival's Opening Night celebrations and serve as a viewing location for Riverfire by Australian Retirement Trust, alongside fixtures including the Magic Mirrors Spiegeltent, Bright Nights by ANZ and the Giant Sing Along. Wellbeing sessions, workshops, family activities and live music round out the program, with registrations now open for select workshops and activities.
Verso Projects. Festival Village, South Bank is described as an expansive day-to-night destination bringing together major productions, free experiences and nightly spectacle in one riverside precinct from 4–26 September.
Audiences can discover something new from first light until well after dark, with registrations now open for workshops and selected activities to help festivalgoers plan their Festival Village experience. Visit www.brisbanefestival.com.au/festival-village-south-bank to find out more.
'What I hope for Festival Village is that it becomes a place where people feel they belong – somewhere to meet, spend time together and connect with their city and with each other. From First Nations ceremony and storytelling at sunrise to movement, music, creativity and play throughout the day, there will always be something to discover. Whether you come for a major performance, Bright Nights by ANZ or a midnight singalong, we want everyone to feel that this is their Festival Village', Bott said.
Minister for Education and the Arts John-Paul Langbroek said the Festival Village represents the heart of Brisbane Festival, offering a vibrant program of free and low-cost events and workshops and outstanding shows by local and International Artists.
'From sunrise until late night, the Village will offer fantastic opportunities to be part of a festival community—from participating in early morning dance and music experiences to enjoying feel good shows and installations,' Minister Langbroek said.
'The Crisafulli Government is proud to support Brisbane Festival to deliver on our Queensland's Time to Shine strategy, ensuring Queenslanders and visitors can access transformational arts and cultural experiences, as we count down to Brisbane 2032.'
Minister for the Environment and Tourism Andrew Powell said Brisbane Festival was one of Queensland's biggest events and a major driver of visitation to the State.
'Brisbane Festival is another example of why Queensland leads the nation when it comes to major events, attracting audiences from across Australia,' Minister Powell said. 'We're backing a calendar of events that keeps Queensland front and centre as Australia's events capital.'
Brisbane Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner said Verso Projects. Festival Village, South Bank would transform the riverside precinct into an all-day destination for the whole community.
'Brisbane is Australia's lifestyle capital and the world's earliest-rising city, so it's only fitting Festival Village starts at sunrise and keeps going well into the night,' Cr Schrinner said. 'With more than 90 workshops, talks and activities across 23 days, there is something for everyone, from sunrise ceremonies to midnight singalongs. Festival Village will create even more to see and do while making the most of one of Brisbane's most popular destinations.'
Brisbane Festival has welcomed Verso Projects. as the new naming rights partner of Festival Village, South Bank, with the partnership supporting the precinct as a vibrant destination for audiences to gather throughout the Festival.
Verso Projects. CEO Steve Laffey said, 'Our commitment to Brisbane extends well beyond the places we create. We're passionate about supporting the people, culture and experiences that make this city exceptional, and partnering with Brisbane Festival is a natural extension of that commitment.
“The partnership is particularly fitting as we continue to deliver The Marigold in South Brisbane, a precinct that sits at the heart of the Festival each year. We believe great developments should contribute to the character and vitality of the neighbourhoods they're part of, and supporting Brisbane Festival is one way we're investing in the cultural experiences that make South Brisbane, and our city as a whole, such an incredible place to live.'
Verso Projects. Festival Village, South Bank reaches full stride throughout the day with an interactive program designed to encourage participation as much as performance. At its centre, Giant Sing Along invites audiences of every age to step up to one of 32 microphones and add their voice to a joyful, ever-evolving community choir. Created by acclaimed Montreal studio Daily tous les jours, the interactive installation features a crowd-pleasing playlist spanning soul classics through to contemporary favourites, with Brisbane audiences helping choose the final songs. Equal parts performance, participation and celebration, it promises to become one of Festival Village's most uplifting gathering points.
Across the Village Green, audiences can drop into free dance sessions ranging from Bollywood and belly dancing to Hip Hop, Latin and line dancing. An expansive workshop program invites curious minds to try everything from puppetry with Dead Puppet Society and circus skills with Flipside Circus to African dance, Queensland Ballet workshops and collaborative creative experiences inspired by language, movement and visual art.
Families take centre stage with a rich mix of performances and hands-on activities designed for young festivalgoers. Indigenous-led contemporary circus Living Sculptures: How the birds got their colours shares First Nations storytelling through acrobatics and movement, while children can dance with ABC favourite Dance with Tom, discover Polynesian language and music with Tui and Friends and take part in free creative workshops throughout the Festival. A dedicated Family Fun Day supported by Brisbane Airport on Sunday 20 September will bring many of these experiences together in one vibrant celebration, with performances, workshops and activities running throughout the Village.
Ideas are equally at home in Verso Projects. Festival Village, South Bank, with the Talks of the Town series bringing together artists and creative leaders from across the Festival for lively conversations exploring performance, culture and contemporary life. The Village will also host two special performances of Generations and Dynasties, with one exploring the legacy of Uncle Graham Brady and Jungaji, and another celebrating the musical lineage of Deline, Naurita and Merindi Briscoe. Meanwhile, Musical Mantras with Camerata offers reflective Sunday morning performances beneath Brisbane's spring skies.
At the heart of the Village, Magic Mirrors Spiegeltent hosts a season of standout productions, from the Olivier Award-nominated, West End hit, The Choir of Man, and Opera Queensland's acclaimed Australian work Are You Lonesome Tonight, to family favourite The Listies: This Show is a Joke. Nearby, Piano Man celebrates Queensland musical talent through an ever-changing lineup of guest performers, while live bands and DJs keep the Village Green buzzing each evening before audiences gather for Bright Nights by ANZ, the Festival's spectacular nightly display of fountains, waterscreens, lasers and soaring water jets choreographed to an exclusive soundtrack by The Veronicas.
Verso Projects. Festival Village, South Bank will also offer one of Brisbane's premier Riverfire by Australian Retirement Trust viewing experiences, with one of the city's largest licensed viewing locations as the annual spectacle unfolds across the river. Far from signalling the end of the evening, fireworks give way to another night of live music, Giant Sing Along, DJs and Bright Nights by ANZ, keeping the precinct alive long after the final shell has faded from the sky.
Verso Projects. Festival Village, South Bank is open throughout Brisbane Festival from 4–26 September. Most activities are free, with selected workshops requiring advance registration.
Full program details and registration information are available at brisbanefestival.com.au.
Notes to Editor
Verso Projects. Festival Village, South Bank runs for the duration of Brisbane Festival, 4–26 September.
There are over 90 workshops, talks and activities taking place over 23 days.
Registration is now open for all events here.
Brisbane Festival Artistic Director Ebony Bott said the goal for Festival Village is to create a space where people feel they belong, describing a day that moves from First Nations ceremony and storytelling at sunrise through movement, music and play. Morning programming includes the weekly Sunrise Ceremony: BIKKI WANTIMAA, wellbeing sessions such as yoga and sound healing, the DAYBREAKER dance experience, Wake Up & Sing choir performances, and Wake Up with the Con, featuring Queensland Conservatorium students rehearsing in the open air.
