Best of BrisFest: Fun Things to do at Brisbane Festival 2021

BrisFest 2021 is here and we are welcoming it with open arms! With over fifty events, performances and installations across the city, it’s a true celebration of the colour, culture and energy that makes Brisbane the unique and vibrant city that it has grown into today. 

Be sure to check the event page or with the venue when planning your visit, to confirm any changes or COVID-19 precautions.

Lost 

Australia artist Amanda Parer returns to BrisFest for another incredible installation, this time bringing to life giant botanical pieces that celebrate nature in all of it’s incredible forms. These illuminated floral creations represent exotic and endangered flora that we may not otherwise have the opportunity to experience. Get lost in Parer’s wonderland in West End, and what’s more… it won’t cost you a dime. 

3rd-23rd September

111 Boundary Street, West End 

Airship Orchestra

An installation that’s just too cool to miss - even it it’s just for the Instagram factor! ENESS, a local art and technology company, is bringing over 16 inflatable pieces that extend over 500 square metres to BrisFest. First located on the Brisbane Art Boat, and spending the last two weeks of the Festival at Northshore, there’s plentiful opportunities to be absorbed by this immersive and playful experience.

3rd-24th September

Multiple locations

Imaginaria

Whether you have kids or you’re a big kid at heart, Imaginaria will transport you into a playground of lights, textures and imagination with a fully immersive playground experience. Crafted by a team of fashion designers, architects, light projectionists, audio-visual artists and stuntmen, Imaginaria is part game, part gallery and part journey. So what are you waiting for? Dive right in! 

3rd-25th September

412 Stanley Street, South Brisbane (adjacent to Queensland Maritime Museum) 

Love Stories

Love comes in many shapes and forms. Love Stories brings true tales of love between children, parents, pet budgies and total strangers in this hour-long performance that weaves together story telling, live music and film. Centred around stories of homelessness, Love Stories is bound to pluck at your heart strings and open your mind to a new perspective. 

12th September

South Bank Piazza, BOQ Festival Garden, 410 Stanley Street, South Brisbane

Brisbane’s Art Boat 

Experience the Brisbane River in a new light with a sunset cruise travelling from Northshore and South Bank this September as part of the BrisFest line up. Brisbane’s Art Boat will host a bar, performances, installations by ENESS (an art and technology studio) as well as an evening soundscape by Shannon Ruska, the managing director of Tribal Experiences. Other guests include Brisbane sweethearts Sahara Beck and Jaguar Jonze. Book your spot now to avoid disappointment! 

3rd-24th September

Let’s Be Friends Furever 

This one’s for the dog lovers! The Powerhouse is bringing their local dog parks indoors this September as part of the Brisbane Festival Program. The team behind Let’s Be Friends Furever has searched high and low for local pets with stories to tell. Meet an 80kg dog with his own bedroom, an insta-famous dogfluencer and more in this hour of heartfelt and tail wag-worthy tales. 

16th-25th September

Powerhouse Theatre, 119 Lamington Street, New Farm

Sunsuper Riverfire

BrisFest wouldn’t be complete without the annual Riverfire event, so we’re thrilled to see it is back again for another installment this year! The event will be opened with a smoking ceremony by Yuggera & Turrbull man Shannon Ruska, who is the managing director of Tribal Experiences. Followed by the thrilling pyrotechnics and fireworks displays that signal the exuberant finale of this incredible Festival. See you next September! 

25th September

Brisbane River and surrounds

Boy Swallows Universe

Trent Dalton’s best-selling book has been adapted for theatre, and it couldn’t be more fitting that it makes its debut as an official part of BrisFest 2021. Boy Swallows Universe follows it's unlikely hero, Eli Bell, through the streets of Brisbane on a tale of love, death, drugs and crime. Get swept along for the ride and feel the magic that only theatre and an incredible tale can bring.

30th August - 3rd October

Playhouse, QPAC, Cnr Grey and Melbourne Street, South Brisbane

As you can see, there are so many great things to do this month at Brisbane Festival! If this month is extra special for you cause it's your birthday month (hooray)  then you might want to check out the best party venues in Brisbane or the best bakeries in Brisbane for some delicious, delicious birthday cake!