RnB heavyweights, $1 ramen and rosé all-day – here’s what’s on in Brisbane this weekend
All this steamy heat and wild weather can only mean one thing – we have sadly reached the final month of summer. Thankfully, we’ve curated the ultimate agenda to make the most out of these last few weekends of the season. From the music greats en route to Brisbane to urban cellar doors, here’s the best of what’s on February 1 to February 4.
Food & Drink
Escape to a London tea room this weekend with a tea party at Bacchus Restaurant. The Bacchus tea room is hosting an afternoon of bottomless tea, delicate finger sandwiches and delightful pastries – served on William Edwards fine bone chinaware – so you can raise your pinky and revel in this classically luxe pastime this weekend for catch-ups and celebrations alike.
February kicks off a huge Lunar New Year celebration at Treasury Brisbane, with plenty of exciting festivities, delicious banquets and roving lions from Chinatown and beyond. Toasting the Year of the Dragon, Fat Noodle’s New Year banquet is a must-do, with the pan-Asian institution serving up its most popular plates for $88 a couple. Pair your dinner with one of the precinct Lunar New Year-themed tipples and take a wander to the Wishing Tree to start your new year with power and prosperity.
Japanese comfort food favourite Motto Motto is finally coming to South Bank and is introducing its menu to the riverside precinct with $1 ramen this Saturday. The new Grey Street location will be exchanging your loose change for its famous tonkotsu ramen of freshly made noodles, a perfectly-soft boiled egg and shoyu kaeshi. There are only 400 ramens up for grabs, so shake out the couch cushions and check the cup holders – it’s a bargain bowl not to be missed.
West End has become a wonderland for wine lovers, with endless bars, wine rooms and pubs boasting menus of the best Aussie bottles. You can get a taste of its wine scene this Saturday with the Urban Wine Walk, which sees local haunts transform into urban cellar doors and welcome winemakers from across the country. This self-guided experience lets you stroll and sample unique wines, whilst meeting the vintner behind it.
For those who already know that their perfect glass is always pink-hued, refreshingly cold and sweetly crisp – Rosé Festival is your source of all-things rosé this weekend. Presented by City Winery, this grape-stomping romp features everything from rosé blending workshop to expert-led tastings and delicious plates to pair. Discover the secrets of your perfect blend and toast to this summertime staple.
Music
St Jerome’s Laneway Festival returns to Brisbane Showgrounds this Saturday, with international artists like grime god Stormzy and indie RnB icon Steve Lacey, as well as Unknown Mortal Orchestra and Teenage Dads. Snag a few of those remaining tickets and get ready for a boogie on the green.
Reggae-music festival Jammin Fest will take over Riverstage for two big days this Saturday and Sunday, with icons Shaggy and Sean Paul leading the charge alongside the likes of UB40 and J Boog.
Cult-favourite artist Melanie Martinez is making her highly-anticipated return to Brisbane with THE PORTALS Tour. With a genre-bending alt-pop sound, see Melanie perform as the otherworldly creature of her alter ego Cry Baby and belt her relatable and chart-topping hits this Friday at Riverstage.
Live events and theatre
This weekend, QPAC says goodbye to its duo of daring performances that have been electrifying Brisbane with feminist-fun and seductive spectacles. The steamy satire Dangerous Goods will be finishing up at Cremorne Theatre this weekend with its final shows. This scorching hot fusion of comedy, cabaret and circus acts is not to be missed, so secure your tickets before it’s gone. It’s the final curtain call for Chicago and its award-winning pop-six-squish. Bid farewell to the legendary character of Roxie Hart and indulge in the devilish and decadent world of the twenties – complete with murder, musical numbers and mayhem.
For a change of pace, heart-wrenching modern classic Rent: The Musical has taken over the QPAC’s Playhouse Theatre. Experience a night of Le Vie Boheme with this infamous group of twenty-something friends as they confront love, heartache and crisis in East Village New York.
Around the river, experience the fiery flamboyance and awe-inspiring antics of Hamilton’s The Pink Flamingo Spiegeland. Home to burlesque, acrobatics and revue, get ready to indulge in glitz, glamour and grandeur at one of the pavilion’s three-world class shows. The Vegas-style comedy Suave will wow you with aerial spectacles and captivating cirque acts whilst the titillating theatre of Ripped is an ab-solute riot. In the vein of Paris’ Crazy Horse Club, La Teaze promises a cabaret reimagined with provocative and pulse-racing performances. Electrify your typical weekend routine with a night of escape and extravagance.
Exhibitions
QAGOMA blockbuster exhibition Fairy Tales invites you to step into the world of your favourite childhood stories that have captivated us for generations. With a carefully curated collection of art, costumes and artefacts, QAGOMA has transformed into a fantastical fairyland – bound to delight kids and adults alike. Experience this enchanting exhibition this weekend and even immerse yourself in the movie magic of Jean Cocteau’s La Belle et la Bête (1946) with a Saturday afternoon screening at the precinct’s Australian Cinémathèque. Also at QAGOMA, Living Patterns exhibition goes back to basics with a collection focused on colour, shape and form. Living Patterns offers a complex experience about the core of art – explored through the works of leading Australian artists.
For our local LEGO masters (big or small), Jurassic World by Brickman continues to roar at Queensland Museum. Discover the delicate artistry of dinosaurs, props, scenes and activities constructed over more than 10,000 hours of LEGO play. This awe-inspiring exhibition showcases total brick-building mastery as well as the endless entertainment of dinosaurs.
If you’re already craving Spring, the Museum of Brisbane’s Rearranged: Art of the Flower boasts a bouquet of artworks that honour the tradition of floral still life works. With a wide range of artists, styles and mediums, this exhibition blooms with colour, beauty and fresh perspectives on this timeless art subject.
Markets
With a gap in the rain on the forecast this weekend, there’s no better place to start your Saturday than at Brisbane’s best markets. Take in the fresh air whilst you stock up on local produce, feast on street food and hang with your fellow locals. Here are a few to hit up: Riverside Markets, Kelvin Grove Village Market, Jan Powers Farmers Markets, Carseldine Markets, Nundah Farmers Markets and the Redcliffe Markets. For a Saturday sleep in, press snooze and experience all this market goodness at Eat Street Northshore – open on Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights. Take a roadtrip and escape this Saturday to the debut Towri Markets. Just an hour or so outside Brisbane, this new market offering brings together stalls from the best farmers and makers in the Scenic Rim for the ultimate paddock-to-plate experience.
Events may be subject to be postponed or cancelled at the last minute. We do our best to remove cancelled events but be sure to check the organiser’s own event page for the most current updates.
Want more? Head to our comprehensive Event Guide for all of the fun around town where you can search by category, date, location and more!