September in Brisbane already comes with a certain energy. The mornings feel brighter, the river sparkles a little harder, and suddenly everyone’s texting the group chat asking what’s on this weekend. This year, Brisbane Festival is leaning all the way into that feeling.
The city’s biggest cultural celebration has just unveiled its 2026 program, marking the first festival from new Artistic Director Ebony Bott, and it’s shaping up to be a glorious three-week takeover of theatres, parks, riverbanks, rooftops and just about every corner in between.
Running from 4–26 September, the festival arrives under the banner Switch On, Light Up, Come Alive, which feels particularly fitting for a program designed to stretch from sunrise wellness sessions through to late-night performances and riverside drinks under the stars.
More than 700 performances involving over 2,000 artists and arts workers will unfold across the city, blending world premieres, international exclusives, family adventures, big-name concerts and plenty of free events that make stumbling across something wonderful part of the experience.
At the centre of it all sits the new Festival Village at South Bank, a sprawling riverside hub that feels destined to become September’s favourite meeting place.
The return of the beloved Magic Mirrors Spiegeltent is reason enough to visit. The jewel-box venue will host everything from the internationally adored pub musical The Choir of Man to family favourites The Listies and a wonderfully unexpected collision of opera and country music in Are You Lonesome Tonight.
Outside, the Village Green is set to buzz from morning onwards with workshops, live music, wellness sessions and family activities. Then, when the sun goes down, the river becomes the star of the show thanks to Bright Nights by ANZ, a nightly spectacle of fountains, lasers, waterscreens and soaring water jets choreographed to an original soundtrack by Brisbane’s own The Veronicas.
If your ideal morning involves movement rather than hitting snooze, global wellness phenomenon DAYBREAKER is making its Brisbane Festival debut. Think yoga, dancing, DJs and coffee at daybreak, which somehow sounds like the most Brisbane thing imaginable.
Of course, no Brisbane Festival conversation is complete without Riverfire. The city’s favourite annual excuse to stare skyward returns on Saturday 5 September, bringing fireworks, flyovers and that unbeatable feeling of seeing thousands of people gathered along the river for one shared moment.
Among the headline productions, one of the most anticipated is Strong is the New Pretty, a world premiere from acclaimed playwright Suzie Miller. Following the extraordinary journey that led to the creation of AFLW, it tells the story behind one of Australia’s most significant sporting movements and the women who refused to let the dream stay on paper.
For something completely different, Los Angeles company DIAVOLO brings ESCAPE to Brisbane, a gravity-defying collision of dance, acrobatics and stunt performance performed across towering architectural structures. Expect plenty of moments where you’ll find yourself gripping the armrest.
Families have plenty to look forward to as well. The Australian premiere of Fijian Flying Circus lands under the big top at South Bank’s Piazza with aerial acrobatics, storytelling and larger-than-life adventure, while puppetry company Wakka Wakka arrives from New York with Dead as Dodo, a visually spectacular tale featuring skeletons, underworld adventures and a dodo bird undergoing a rather dramatic transformation.
One of the festival’s most charming additions might also be one of its simplest. Giant Sing Along invites visitors to step up to a microphone and join a growing community choir installation. No auditions. No pressure. Just a chance to add your voice to something bigger.
Music lovers are particularly spoiled this year. Night at the Parkland returns to Roma Street Parkland with a lineup featuring Aloe Blacc, Missy Higgins, Human Nature, Icehouse, PNAU, The Temper Trap and Katie Noonan performing Jeff Buckley’s Grace in full beneath the open sky.
Then there’s RocKwiz, which is giving Brisbane’s musical legacy the full celebratory treatment. Expect plenty of local pride, a healthy dose of nostalgia and the sort of musical mayhem that has made the show a national favourite.
Beyond the headline acts, one of the strongest threads running through the program is community. Brisbane Serenades will once again pop up in neighbourhood parks, the Moorooka Block Party celebrates its fifth birthday, and the much-loved Common People Dance Eisteddfod returns with all the suburban glory, enthusiasm and dance-floor commitment we’ve come to expect.
There’s also a strong connection to Aotearoa running through the program, with several acclaimed New Zealand productions making the journey across the Tasman. From epic Māori storytelling to immersive horror-comedy theatre inspired by the game Werewolf, the lineup reflects Brisbane Festival’s growing role as a cultural meeting point for the wider Asia-Pacific region.
What makes this year’s program feel particularly exciting is the way it mirrors Brisbane itself. There’s room for blockbuster moments and spontaneous discoveries, world-class performances and neighbourhood celebrations. You can start your day with yoga, spend the afternoon exploring puppetry, theatre or visual art, and finish it watching fountains dance across the river.
Spring arrives every year. A Brisbane Festival program like this doesn’t.
Brisbane Festival runs from 4–26 September. Tickets are on sale now via Brisbane Festival, with a huge range of free and ticketed events across the city.
In her spare time, she likes long walks down the makeup aisle and performing in Brisbane theatre. You can follow her adventures on Instagram and TikTok @thebeautypalate.
