STRONG IS THE NEW PRETTY, THE CHOIR OF MAN & More Launch Brisbane Festival 2026
The 23-day festival begins with nearly 2,000 artists, more than 750 performances and a program that is over 70 percent free.
Brisbane Festival 2026 has officially opened, launching 23 days of performance, public art and community events across the city through September 26.
The festival marks Artistic Director Ebony Bott's inaugural program and features nearly 2,000 artists and more than 750 performances, including world premieres, international productions and free community experiences. More than 70 percent of this year's program is free to the public.
“Bringing Brisbane Festival home to South Bank feels like opening our arms to the whole city, creating a Village where everyone can find their own kind of magic,” said Bott. “Across theatres, parks, streets and neighbourhoods, Brisbane is at its most creative, most generous and most alive, and we can't wait to share it with you.”
VERSO PROJECTS. FESTIVAL VILLAGE, SOUTH BANK
At the center of this year's festival is Verso Projects. Festival Village, South Bank, a riverside hub at the Cultural Forecourt offering free and ticketed programming throughout the festival. The precinct features the return of the Magic Mirrors Spiegeltent, nightly river spectacular Bright Nights by ANZ and interactive mass-choir installation Giant Sing Along by Montreal studio Daily tous les jours.
The Magic Mirrors Spiegeltent is home to West End hit The Choir of Man, while Fijian Flying Circus makes its Australian premiere at South Bank Piazza, combining Fijian dance, aerial acrobatics, stunts and storytelling.
The Village will also host Generations and Dynasties, Opera Queensland's Are You Lonesome Tonight and Piano Man, alongside live music, DJs and late-night programming.
RIVERFIRE
Opening weekend will feature Riverfire by Australian Retirement Trust on Saturday, September 5. The annual event will illuminate the Brisbane skyline with fireworks launched from bridges, barges and rooftops, preceded by a RAAF flyover.
STRONG IS THE NEW PRETTY
Among the festival's major world premieres is Strong is the New Pretty at QPAC, a co-production between Brisbane Festival, Sydney Theatre Company and Trish Wadley Productions. Playwright Suzie Miller turns to the story of the creation of the AFLW in the new work.
SCORCHED EARTH
Following its U.S. premiere at St. Ann's Warehouse in New York, Luke Murphy's Attic Projects brings Scorched Earth to Brisbane. The work examines the darker questions of the Irish psyche through a story set inside an interrogation room.
ESCAPE
Los Angeles company DIAVOLO | Architecture in Motion will present ESCAPE, using moving architectural structures as the setting for a combination of dance, acrobatics, stunt work and circus arts.
DEAD AS A DODO
New York puppetry company Wakka Wakka will present Dead as a Dodo, a musical odyssey set in the underworld.
WOMAN FAR WALKING
From New Zealand, Woman Far Walking spans 185 years of Aotearoa's history and stars Miriama McDowell and Nī Dekkers-Reihana. The festival will also welcome Binge Culture's immersive horror-comedy Werewolf and choreographer Tupua Tigafua's Shel We.
MAMA DOES DERBY
Written by Virginia Gay and directed by Clare Watson, Mama Does Derby brings the world of roller derby to Brisbane Powerhouse through theatre, a live punk band and roller derby. The story follows a single mother and daughter finding their place in a regional town.
NIGHT AT THE PARKLAND
Night at the Parkland will return with a music lineup featuring Human Nature, Icehouse, The Temper Trap, The Cruel Sea with Magic Dirt, Missy Higgins and PNAU. Elsewhere, organist Calvin Bowman will undertake The Complete Bach Cycle on QPAC's Concert Hall pipe organ.
MAKE, BELIEVE, MAGIC: THE WORLDS OF THE Jim Henson Company
Family programming includes Make, Believe, Magic: The Worlds of The Jim Henson Company at QAGOMA, exploring the creative worlds behind The Dark Crystal, Labyrinth and Fraggle Rock. QPAC's Cremorne Theatre will host Betsy Balloon and the Very Great Terrible Flood, bringing Bill Manhire's modern fable to the stage.
Additional family offerings include Dance with Tom, Living Sculptures: How the Birds Got Their Colours and The Listies' This Show is a Joke. A dedicated Family Fun Day will take place Sunday, September 20 at the Festival Village.
COMMUNITY PROGRAMMING
Brisbane Serenades will return with free outdoor concerts across the city's parks and neighborhoods, while the Moorooka Block Party celebrates its fifth year with live music, dance and family activities. Community Choir: The Musical and the Common People Dance Eisteddfod will also return.
The annual Quandamooka Festival will celebrate the living culture, art and stories of the Quandamooka people of Minjerribah, while four festival editions of the Lord Mayor's City Hall Concerts will bring additional free programming to the city.
Brisbane Festival runs September 4-26, 2026. Tickets for festival performances are on sale now.
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