Music
Hiatus Kaiyote returns to Australia this weekend for its Love Heart Cheat Code Tour. This Melbourne-born band is best known for its odyssey of progressive-soul music, which has captivated listeners across the globe. In this new tour, Hiatus Kaiyote returns to its home country for a night of genre-bending music and playful fresh sounds. Catch the band live at The Fortitude Music Hall on Saturday.

Legendary American artist Charlie Musselwhite and harmonic maestro is doing a run of shows across Australia this month. Experience the music great at The Tivoli on Saturday night for a stirring set of his more famous tunes. Charlie will be accompanied by Brisbane-based guitar-slinger and singer Dana Gehrman as well.

Arizona rock outfit The Maine makes its return to Australia this month for the Sweet Sixteen Tour. Experience a night of emo excellence at The Tivoli this Thursday when the band unites to celebrate 16 years of music and nine albums.

Live music and genre-bending dance collide this weekend for one electric night at The Princess Theatre. Assembly Vol 1.. is bringing together Australasian Dance Collective and 4000 Studios and transforming this Woolloongabba favourite into a late-night party with a guest list stacked with world-class artists. Discover both mesmerising music and movement. With live sets by Danny Harley from The Kite String Tangle, Dominik Felsmann from Felsmann + Tiley and Louis Frere-Harvey from $0.003.

Queensland Symphony Orchestra continues its Studio Series this weekend, inviting you into the intimate setting of its studio to hear the mesmerising talent of the company. On Friday and Saturday, experience The Best of Broadway According to Amy Lehpamer. Fresh off the back of her stint in the titular role of & Juliet in Sydney, Amy will be performing her favourite show tunes hits as part of this beloved show series.

Food and drink
This week marks International Negroni Week. From September 16–22, bars and restaurants across the globe have been stirring up these bitter beauties to support Slow Food’s mission for a more sustainable and equitable world of food and drink. In Brisbane, Fish Lane venues will be putting on a slew of special drinks and deals to celebrate. Bar Brutus will be hosting its Negroni Week Pop Up as well as Hello Please, Julius Pizzeria, Maeve Wine Bar, Midtown, Kiki Kiosk and even Messina. You’ll also find a a Negroni Sour being shakin’ at Fortitude Valley’s Dark Red or at river-front fave OTTO, the bar team will be serving up a few house variations like Negroni Bianco, The Napoleon, and the tropical Kingston King.

Theatre and live events
The fascinating four-part work of dance theatre Private View makes its Brisbane debut this weekend. Set across four rooms, the music-fuelled theatre explores the romantic and sexual desires of people with intellectual disability. Private View is set to boldly tackle societal myths and misinformation by showcasing unspoken stories and secret longing – accompanied by a live performance from singer Carla Lippis.

The Broadway blockbuster WICKED has arrived in QPAC – bringing with it a wickedly talented cast, sensational songbook and dazzling set design. Get ready to delve into the world of Oz long before Dorothy arrives and discover the enthralling origin story of the Wicked Witch of West. This latest Australian production will defy your expectations (and gravity) and TodayTix just unveiled a $50 ticket lottery as well.

In the mood for love? Trent Dalton’s second stage adaptation continues to captivate audiences at QPAC this weekend. Love Stories tells the romantic epics of local Brisbanites, which Trent gleaned in 2021 when he interviewed strangers on a street corner of Brisbane City. Dreamed up by the same team behind the smash-hit Boy Swallows Universe, Love Stories is en route to join it as an Australian theatre classic. Limited tickets remain so get in quick.

Something wicked this way comes with Shake and Stir Theatre Co’s enchanting new production, GRIMM. This brand-new show dives into the darkness which haunts our favourite fairy tales. Get ready for spine-tingling new takes on the stories you know and love as literary legends get reimagined through a raw new lens, featuring lavish costuming design by Australian fashion icon Paul McCann.

Arts and exhibitions
Lightscape returns to set Brisbane’s Botanical Gardens alight with a technicolour wonderland of music and light. Back as part of Brisbane Festival, Lightscape invites you on a 2-km trail of glowing tree canopies, sparkling tunnels and neon-lit tree roots. The light show is running all September and kicks off this Saturday.

Experience fifty years of pop culture through the eyes of fashion’s enfant terrible this weekend with the Australian premiere of Jean Paul Gaultier’s Fashion Freak Show. This new theatrical spectacle by the fashion powerhouse is a centrepiece of this year’s Brisbane Festival. Bare witness to new exclusive outfits by Jean Paul Gaultier alongside some of his most iconic creations on the Brisbane runway in this unmissable fashion event.

Fashion fans should also head to Brisbane Powerhouse this weekend to experience the trailblazing work of Grace Lillian Lee’s new exhibition The Dream Weaver: Guardians of Grace. The exhibition will showcase eight ethereal shields and armours of Grace’s totem, Koysemer (moth), exploring Grace’s multicultural lineage from the symbolism of the Koysemer to her Chinese name. The exhibition opens this Friday.

Iconic Brisbane-born author Trent Dalton continues his artist residency at Museum of Brisbane this weekend. Trent’s work just premiered at QPAC with the world-premiere Love Stories at Brisbane Festival, documenting Trent’s time spent writing the love stories on a busy street corner in Brisbane City. This new exhibition invites you to fill the Dome Gallery with tender tales by writing your own love letters to celebrate everything and everyone we love in the city.

The fiercely anticipated new blockbuster exhibition from QAGOMA opens its doors this weekend, with the launch of Iris Van Herpen: Sculpting the Senses this Saturday. The exhibition will showcase more than 100 mesmerising garments by the prolific Dutch designer, showcasing their pioneering approach to 3D printing, new-wave fabrications and robotics. The designs – which fuse fashion and art – will be exhibited alongside a curated collection of the specimens, contemporary art and artefacts which have inspired their creations.

School holidays
For budding-little theatre-buffs, Brisbane and craft icon Rachel Burke’s debut play Fancy Long Legs continues its run this weekend. This new play follows the adorable arachnid Fancy, a spider who loves to create webs but struggles to stay focused on her craft. On a quest to find her own style and identity with the help of her friends, this marks in a wholesome new tale about neurodivergence.

Classic children’s book Spot returns to the stage this weekend with a run of shows at QUT Gardens Theatre. Join Spot and his friends are off on a new adventure to visit Spot’s Dad on the farm in this adaption of the classic picture book by Eric Hill. Whilst you’re in the city – dessert dispensary Yo-Chi kicks off its Unicorn Magic Event this weekend. Fro-yo fiends will be spoiled with a limited-edition swirl (Signature Tart x Strawberries & Cream), as well as a unicorn-ified topping station with rainbow cake, sprinkles and more – plus, unicorn-themed decorations. Add a touch of magic to your Yo-Chi run with this four-week-long event.

If you’re looking to get in the spirit these school holidays, Victoria Park’s Putt Putt course is under one spooky spell. Spooky Putt Putt promises all the fun of putt putt with the addition of seasonal decorations, creepy clowns and even otherworldly alien invasions. A haunted experience that’s perfect for ghouls and boys, big and small.

Markets
Stock up on fresh-local produce, bespoke goodies and street food snacks at one of the weekly markets as well. Riverside Markets, Kelvin Grove Village Market, Jan Powers Farmers Markets, Carseldine Markets, Nundah Farmers Markets and the Redcliffe Markets are open and trading this weekend. For our night owls still craving the delicious market fare but can’t beat the ‘snooze’ button and hit up Eat Street Northshore. Open on Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights.

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! We do our best to remove cancelled events but be sure to check the organiser’s own event page for the most current updates.