Brisbane Festival 2024

Brisbane Festival is set to return from Friday, August 30 to Saturday, September 21, with a jam-packed program of exciting events and experiences!  

Held over 23 days, Brisbane’s most anticipated event of the year brings people together as they awake from their winter slumber for an explosion of arts performances and much more. These are just some of highlights!

Based on the life and creations of the French fashion icon, Jean Paul Gaultier's Fashion Freak Show is a must-see theatrical spectacle! Fresh from sellout seasons in Europe and Japan, it's now Brisbane's turn to witness this Australian exclusive season, as part of Brisbane Festival.

All aboard for a unique and unforgettable experience! Let the Brisbane River be your guide as you delve into the party of the year on The Art Boat, chartered and curated by the world-class local legends BRIEFS FACTORY with a collaborating entourage of artists from across the Festival.

Warumpi Band is the original First Peoples rock band to sing in language, known for their anthems like Blackfella/Whitefella and My Island Home. Big Name, No Blankets follows founding band member Sammy Tjapanangka Butcher as the charismatic narrator, who weaves intimate storytelling with larger-than-life rock 'n' roll songs.

Jonathan Mills’ new opera Eucalyptus, based on the Miles Franklin Award-winning novel by Murray Bail, is an ageless story of love and longing, about a daughter and a father, featuring a mysterious and colourful score with moments of dramatic intensity and hushed beauty.

The multi-award winning Volcano invites audiences into a voyeuristic journey played out across four 45-minute episodes. The serialised live performance miniseries crosses the boundaries of experimental theatre, contemporary dance and psychological sci-fi thriller.

The ARIA-nominated Eishan Ensemble has been described as  ‘Persian chamber jazz’ and ‘Middle Eastern jazz fusion'. Eishan defies neat labels and is more than the sum of its parts. Don't miss this groundbreaking orchestral performance when Eishan Ensemble perform for one-night-only.

Assembly Vol. 1 sees Danny Harley from The Kite String Tangle, Dominik Felsmann from Felsmann + Tiley, Louis Frere-Harvey from $0.003 and the acclaimed Australasian Dance Collective come together for one-night-only, to deliver a late-night party filled with dance, music, and good times. 

Private View invites audiences to become voyeurs; to observe people in their domestic spaces and discover their romantic dreams and hidden desires. This production is an intimate exploration of unspoken stories and secret longing from Australia’s leading creator of dance theatre by dancers with and without disability.

GURR ERA OP (which means 'the face of the sea' in Meriam Mir) is a celebratory sharing of culture and a call to action in the face of climate devastation, interweaving hybrid Torres Strait Islander contemporary storytelling, movement and spoken word. 

Meet Your Maker is a high-octane, pop-fuelled debut premiere from Blak Social’s Alethea Beetson (Kabi Kabi/Gubbi Gubbi and Wiradjuri). Set in the fictional universe of Queen’s City, this story re-imagines a world where Indigenous communities were given their land back.

Straight from the Strait reverberates with the power of song; a harmonious fusion of traditional Torres Strait music and contemporary melodies. This production pays homage to the stories of Torres Strait Islanders who ventured far from their homes in pursuit of employment on the mainland.

Don’t miss this world premiere where Camerata - Queensland’s Chamber Orchestra and Lior once again join forces, this time with Lou Bennett, for a moving and heartfelt performance exploring the extraordinary story of Yorta Yorta man, Uncle William Cooper.

The No Bang Theory is ready to charm the pants off Brisbane with stories, show tunes and sparkly jackets. Fresh from captivating audiences in Melbourne, Adelaide, Darwin, and more, it’s Brisbane Festival's turn to witness this heartbreaking and hilarious, but always honest, look at life on the autism spectrum.

Brisbane Festival is a valued partner of Must Do Brisbane.com