Must-see Brisbane Festival events
It’s the final weekend of Brisbane Festival, and what a month it’s been! As you’d expect, the action-packed program bows out in spectacular fashion. There are plenty of events not to be missed this weekend, here are some top picks …

Closing Concert: All Together Now is the festival’s finale – and it’s your chance to make as much noise as you want! The mass-participation concert is taking over Victoria Park from 3:30 pm this Saturday, and will also include the 10,000 Kazoos extravaganza – the world’s biggest kazoo orchestra, ever. You’ll get a free kazoo upon entry, so get ready to blow! Along with group dances and performances, the All Together Now concert will also feature Pasifika party starters Siva Mai Club, before Dancenorth Ensemble joins forces with a mass group of community drummers for NOISE. This dynamic community performance will close the concert with a united force of percussion and dance – and a whole lot of noise! This grand finale concert is free to attend – and perfect if you’ve got the kids in tow.

Erth’s Shark Dive is one of many must-do festival events taking place at Northshore Brisbane. If you’ve ever wanted to swim with the sharks, but can’t bring yourself to get in a cage with Great Whites circling above, Erth’s world-renowned puppeteers will take you below the surface and bring you face-to-face with majestic sharks in the most remarkable way – without even getting wet. The immersive choose-your-own ‘shark dive’ adventures run daily at Northshore until Friday September 29. The kids will love this one, too! Book in here.

Bananaland is a brand-new musical comedy from creative geniuses Kate Miller-Heidke and Keir Nuttall, wowing audiences with laughs and lyrics as it brings to life the story 21-year-old idealist, Ruby, and her unintentionally hilarious protest band that accidentally becomes a massive hit with preschoolers. This rollercoaster romp is beaming with heart and comedy, and some cheeky adult content thrown in for good measure. The debut season at QPAC’s Playhouse runs until Sunday October 1. Get your tickets here.

Lightscape, a multi-sensory illuminated oasis that sprawls beneath the lush canopy of the Brisbane’s City Botanic Gardens, is an absolute must-see! Head out after dark and take a journey along the sparkling 2-kilometre path of immersive light, colour and sound, strolling under mesmerising light tunnels and passing larger-than-life neon flowers. Tickets are required for Lightscape, but sessions are snapped up quick – grab yours here.

Cirque Bon Bon brings a mind-bending fusion of contortion, aerial artistry, sensational dancers and death-defying acrobatics to South Bank Piazza this week, lighting up the stage with a floor-to-ceiling extravaganza of electrifying dance, acro and comedy. The production is the brainchild of former Cirque Du Soleil assistant creative director Ash Jacks (McCready) and choreographer Julieann Nugent (both from Brisbane), so expect to be blown away! Be quick to book your tickets, they’re selling like hot cakes.

Bite Club: 2nd Serve, the latest work from cult-cabaret creators Briefs Factory, is dishing up a mischievous blend of circus, drag and burlesque at The Princess Theatre from Tuesday to Saturday this week. This all-star cast of burlesque royalty will have you laughing, singing and a little hot under the collar. The shows kick off at 8:00 pm, or you can get a little bit rowdy at the Boozy Brunch matinee performance this Saturday. Book your seats to this decadent performance here.

Tracker is a moving, ambitious and original story told through dance, theatre and text. Wiradjuri choreographer and Australian Dance Theatre artistic director, Daniel Riley, recreates the personal story of his great-great uncle, Alec ‘Tracker’ Riley, a Wiradjuri Elder and police officer who had to navigate the enforced colonial system in which he worked while creating a path for Wiradjuri lore. Catch this remarkable multi-disciplinary production at Brisbane Powerhouse from Wednesday to Saturday nights this week. Tickets are available online.

Head to the Brisbane Festival website to scope out the full program of events for this weekend and beyond!

Live music
Brisbane Showgrounds will be thumping this Saturday when the likes of Skrillex, Mallrat, Ice Spice, Young Franco and more send their tunes sky-high for the annual Listen Out Festival. From Friday, Daryl Braithwaite, Eskimo Joe, Russell Morris, Thirsty Merc and more are lining up for VAN JAM, a weekend-long festival at Willowbank Raceway that’ll see the precinct lined with camper vans and music fans.

Roving music stage Brisbane Serenades continues to roll around the suburbs as part of Brisbane Festival this weekend. Cultural collective Kooralbyn, featuring Tibetan musician Tenzin Choegyal, will play free pop-up concerts at Graceville Memorial Park, Orleigh Park in West End and Hawthorne Park across Saturday afternoon and evening for all to enjoy. Jump here to scope out times and locations.

Also seeing out the final weekend of Brisbane Festival is FilmHarmonic ’23, a symphonic collaboration between The Conservatorium Symphony Orchestra and Griffith Film School, where iconic film music is performed as a live soundtrack to moving images. The spectacle is being staged both Friday and Saturday nights – grab your tickets here. There’s also grand orchestral experience Clerici Conducts Mahler gracing QPAC’s Concert Hall on Friday and Saturday evenings, a spectacular concert where Queensland Symphony Orchestra and chief conductor, Umberto Clerici, treat audiences to Mahler’s epic Sixth Symphony.

All things food
This weekend marks the last Sunday of the month, so you know what that means? It’s time to enjoy a bounty of bites and bottomless booze at Industry Beans’ monthly bottomless brunch. You’ll enjoy three courses of Industry Beans’ best bites (pandan bubble waffles with blueberry gelato, anyone?) and, of course, unlimited drinkables. You can even upgrade your brunch to include bottomless espresso martinis, Aperol spritzes and negronis. Hoo boy! Read more about what’s on offer here, then head to the Industry Beans website to secure your seat for this Sunday.

In more ‘bottomless booze’ news, the brand-new Sunday Sessions at Corbett & Claude are now in full swing – the perfect excuse to round up your cocktail-loving pals for an afternoon of snacking and sipping ’til your heart’s content. Book a table and indulge in an array of delicious starters to share, followed by favourite pizza or pasta, and two whole hours of bottomless cocktail jugs, beer or wine. Oh, and you’ll get a decent side serve of live music, too! Get the details here.

Got a sweet tooth? The Strawberry & Dessert Festival is taking over Sandstone Point Hotel this Sunday with strawberry-eating competitions, farm-fresh strawberry stalls, dessert food trucks, cooking and cocktail demonstrations, rides, live music and plenty of sugar highs.

Festivals, outdoor events and school-holiday fun
Grab your tote bags – a new fresh-food market has kicked off this month at the picturesque Northshore Brisbane, sure to become your new favourite Sunday morning ritual. Brought to you by The Market Co., the Northshore Produce Market will take place every Sunday from 7:00 am to 1:00 pm, filling Maritime Green with a vibrant offering of fresh and organic local produce, free-range eggs, fragrant flowers, artisan crafts, delicious pastries and bread, food trucks, locally-grown coffee, live music and more.

If you’ve got the kids in tow, head to Indooroopilly Shopping Centre these school holidays so they can get virtually creative at V-Art Studio, which kicks off this Saturday. Enter the VR Art Stimulator or perch at the digital drawing studio where you can customise unique characters using iPads. Brisbane artist Hey Aidan has designed exclusive templates for players to complete, and a VR expert will be there to guide everyone through mastering their artwork. Want to watch your youngster create their masterpiece? Parent seating will be supplied with a screen so you don’t miss any of the creativity. The experience is free to attend from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm daily.

For some early Halloween fun, check out Spooky Putt Putt, which is now in full swing at Victoria Park. Sip boo-zee slushies and proceed with caution as you head onto the putting greens, which are filled with spooks galore!

If you’re yet to check out the Toowoomba Carnival of Flowers, jump in the car and follow your nose to the floral wonderland this weekend. Along with the whopping 190,000-strong floral displays in Laurel Bank Park and the Botanic Gardens of Queens Park, there’s also a fun program of free and ticketed events and tours on offer until September 30. Check out what’s on here and plan a road trip to the roses.

Live shows and theatre
Don’t miss the final performances of Strut & Fret’s latest work, The Party – a wildly provocative show full of surprises, which wraps up its run of high-energy shows at the South Bank Piazza this Saturday as part of Brisbane Festival.

Over at QPAC’s Cremorne Theatre from this Thursday to Saturday, you can catch the world premiere of Hide the Dog, a family-friendly performance that highlights the power of First Nations’ culture through a truly heartwarming tale. An ideal school-holiday activity! Tickets are $35 and can be purchased via the QPAC website.

It’s the final weekend to see MAMMA MIA! The Musical at QPAC before its strictly limited season comes to a triumphant close. Book a seat here and treat yourself to an uplifting night of dancing and singing to a songbook of ABBA’s greatest hits.

Must-see exhibitions
Make tracks to the Gold Coast this weekend to experience HOTA Gallery’s landmark exhibition, Archie 100: A Century of the Archibald Prize, which showcases the rich history of the Archibald Prize – the most sought-after accolade in Australian art today. Unearthing fascinating stories behind more than 100 carefully selected artworks, the Archie 100 delves into the controversies and the commonplace, the triumphant and the thwarted, and honours the artists who’ve made the coveted Archibald Prize. This masterful exhibition is in its final weeks (it all wraps up on Monday October 2) so don’t miss out!

Closer to home, you’ve also got mere weeks to check out QAGOMA’s two major exhibitions, eX de Medici: Beautiful Wickedness and Michael Zavros: The Favourite. Be sure to set aside some time to experience these brilliant showcases before they wrap up on October 2.

Two new exhibitions are underway at the Institute of Modern Art (IMA) – Rainbow Serpent (Version) is Daniel Boyd’s first major exhibition in Brisbane, featuring 15 new paintings, a mirrored stage floor and a program of live activations. There’s also Laresa Kosloff: Capital, which presents three of the artist’s darkly humorous films, created using stock footage sourced from the internet.

Over at Museum of Brisbane, you can check out its latest exhibition, Clay: Collected Ceramics – a celebration of the hand-crafted endeavour that combines works from the Museum of Brisbane’s esteemed collection of ceramics, plus works from more than 300 external makers lending their individual pieces in celebration of the art that beholds them.

The State Library of Queensland is uncovering the role Aboriginal people played in establishing our pastoral industry in its latest collection, Working Country. Peruse the halls of First Nations community space – kuril dhagun – and you will be transported to a time of colonial invasion where, amid upheaval and devastation, working Country became a means of survival. You can wander through this free exhibition until January 2024.

The Indigenous Arts Program is turning Brisbane City’s Outdoor Gallery into a homage to our city’s waterways until October 2 with its latest exhibition Reflection: A reflection of Brisbane’s waterways. There are various free guided walking tours, including night visits to Howard Smith Wharves, in the program – you can view all of the details and book your spot here.

Markets
If you’re eager to stroll through some stalls and stock up on some fresh fruit and veg over the weekend, be sure to check out these markets happening – Saturday Fresh Market, Riverside Markets, Kelvin Grove Village Market, Jan Powers Farmers Markets, Davies Park Market, Carseldine Markets, Nundah Farmers Markets and the Redcliffe Markets. For delicious dinner time eats, Eat Street Northshore is open for your snacking pleasure on Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights.

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.

This article was written by Janna Hrastovec from The Weekend Edition.