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What’s On in Brisbane This Weekend: 22-23 August 2026
Our pick of all the events happening this weekend in Brisbane.
This weekend in Brisbane (22-23 August 2026), we’re expecting some delicious winter sun. Our editors will be making the most of it, tucking into the last weekend of festive eats at Night Feast, channelling our inner wench at Southern Realm Festival, and enjoying free tunes from City Sounds.
Ready to plan your weekend? Read on for all the details you need to know…
In This Guide
- Editor’s Picks For This Weekend in Brisbane
- Food & Drink Events in Brisbane This Weekend
- Art & Culture in Brisbane This Weekend
- Live Music in Brisbane This Weekend
- Outdoor and Active Things to Do This Weekend
- Free Things to Do in Brisbane This Weekend
- Coming Soon: What’s On in Brisbane This Weekend
- What’s On in Brisbane This Weekend: FAQs
Editor’s Picks For This Weekend in Brisbane
Southern Realm Festival
Hear ye, hear ye! Southern Realm Festival is back for another year of medieval markets and armoured combat and you’d be mad to miss it. Live out your wildest medieval fantasy as you weave your way through the historic village, filled with re-enactors bringing traditional crafts and skills to life right before your eyes. Shop for mead, salves and period clothing, before securing a pork knuckle and settling in to watch a battle.
Where: Boonah
When: Saturday 22 August to Sunday 23 August 2026
Cost: From $25
Best For: Families, Group catch-ups, Unique experiences, Weekend plans
Food & Drink Events in Brisbane This Weekend
Night Feast
Returning for its fifth year, Night Feast is back bigger and better than ever. This free entry festival is championing cooler nights with immersive art, live music, and, of course, plenty of tasty festival-exclusive eats. We’ve got our eye on the luxe nuggs from Wine & Dine’m Catering, Donna Chang’s crispy pork kebab and Ruby, My Dear’s Japanese Carbonara Udon.
Where: Brisbane Powerhouse
When: Wednesday 29 July to Sunday 23 August 2026
Cost: Free
Best For: Foodies, Locals, Markets, Families, Group catch-ups
Need To Know: This year, the festivities will culminate in an exclusive shared table dining experience, Better Off Red, on Sunday, 16th August.
Art & Culture In Brisbane This Weekend
Brisbane Fashion Festival
Gear up for spring and summer with the latest drops from Queensland and Australia’s best emerging and established talent. This year, on top of nightly runways, the Brisbane Fashion Festival is offering exclusive access to Queensland Ballet’s costume workshop, a fashion-forward luncheon, a Carla Zampatti runway, the Hancock Prospecting Next Gen Group Show and W Brisbane Fashion Show.
Where: Brisbane City Hall
When: Monday 24 August to Saturday 29 August
Cost: From $62
Best For: Festival season, Unique experiences, Girls’ night
Horizons of Khufu
There’s no need to jump on a plane to have an almighty adventure this winter. The immersive VR experience Horizons of Khufu invites you to take a trip to the Giza pyramids. Journey underground into secret chambers and sail along the Nile, as you move about freely, exploring the shared virtual reality space.
Where: Fortitude Valley
When: Sessions available throughout August 2026
Cost: From $40
Best For: Cultural experiences, Locals, Visitors
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Stories You Wear: Magpie Goose
Exclusive to the Museum of Brisbane, this exhibit connects audiences with the world’s oldest living culture through wearable art. Curated in collaboration with sustainable and Aboriginal-owned label Magpie Goose, the collection features First Nations creatives from across the country, with a particular focus on South East Queensland. Journey through the stories, textures and processes of different communities, whilst learning more about sustainability and fashion in Australia.
Where: Level 3, City Hall
When: Until 5 October 2026
Cost: Free
Best For: Art lovers, Cultural experiences, Free events
Live Music in Brisbane This Weekend
City Sounds
This city initiative supports emerging and local artists and also provides hours of free entertainment to anyone looking for a soulful serenade. All genres are covered with musical acts popping up across some of Brisbane’s most iconic civic spaces. This weekend, we’ve got multiple performances by Avalon Swing, Nuraini, Georgia Scarlett, Echoes of Cirque & Alisha Todd.
Where: Queen Street Mall
When: Friday 21 August to Sunday 23 August 2026
Cost: Free
Best For: Free events, Live music, Locals, Weekend plans
Need To Know: Concerts take place weekly so if you can’t make these be sure to check the schedule for next weekend’s program.
Outdoor and Active Things to Do This Weekend
Sirromet Signature Fire Pit Experience
Treat someone special to a private fire pit experience at one of the region’s finest wineries this winter. All you have to do? Show up! Sirromet have done all the hard work and will have your fire blazing when you get there, with a picnic rug (for you to take home) and a picnic hamper basket stacked with a generous antipasto spread. Your ticket also includes two glasses of mulled wine or a bottle to share, as well as two Sirromet keep cups as a momento of your experience. Now this is living!
Where: Mount Cotton
When: Saturdays and Sundays until 30 August 2026
Cost: $189 for two
Best For: Couples, Wine lovers, Foodies, Weekend plans
Free Things to Do in Brisbane This Weekend
Enjoy a Free City Tour
Brisbane is full of passionate locals and this free city service is proof. Whether you’re looking to orient yourself on a trip to the city, or are a local keen to dive a little deeper and glean some new tips, the 8 tours on offer all deliver. Opt to uncover a new suburb or get the lowdown on the city of Brisbane itself, learn about penal history or 21st century Brisbane. They even have tours available in 20 different languages!
Head here for details on available tours.
Where: Brisbane CBD
When: Ongoing
Cost: Free
Best For: Free events, Cultural experiences, Visitors, Locals
Need To Know: Choose from eight tour options covering Brisbane’s history, suburbs and modern city stories, with tours available in 20 different languages.
The Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards
Wildlife photography is amazing as is, but comedy wildlife photography? Even better. After collecting submissions from all over the world, the 60-image showcase will feature a range of winning images and finalists from across the years, as well as this year’s winner.
Where: Redcliffe Museum
When: 30 May 2026 to 16 August 2026
Cost: Free
Best For: Families, Art lovers, Cultural experiences, Free events
Coming Soon: What’s On in Brisbane This Weekend
Bigsound
One of Australia’s biggest music events, Bigsound is back for another week of industry conferences and festival gigs. This annual event, a significant networking opportunity for industry folk across the land, is the very same place that the likes of Flume and Rufus Du Sol got their starts. If you’re just looking to hear some great music, you can score music festival tickets to gigs throughout Fortitude Valley, from intimate venues to large stages. In the industry? The conference is the place to be.
Where: Fortitude Valley
When: Tuesday 1 September to Friday 4 September
Cost: From $50
Best For: Live music, Locals, Festival season
What’s On in Brisbane This Weekend: FAQs
This weekend in Brisbane is stacked with standout experiences. Southern Realm Festival transforms Boonah into a living medieval village complete with armoured combat, artisan markets and roasted pork knuckles, while Night Feast wraps up its fifth and biggest year at Brisbane Powerhouse with immersive art, live music and festival-exclusive food. Add free live performances across the Queen Street Mall through City Sounds and you’ve got a weekend worth planning around.
Night Feast at Brisbane Powerhouse is your last chance to enjoy this beloved free-entry festival before it wraps up on Sunday 23 August, with festival-exclusive bites from the likes of Wine & Dine’m Catering, Donna Chang and Ruby, My Dear on the menu. For something more intimate, the Sirromet Signature Fire Pit Experience in Mount Cotton offers a private fireside evening for two with mulled wine, antipasto and a picnic rug to take home — available on Saturdays and Sundays until 30 August.
Stories You Wear: Magpie Goose at the Museum of Brisbane is a free and deeply moving exhibition connecting visitors with First Nations wearable art, running until 5 October. For something more adventurous, Horizons of Khufu in Fortitude Valley offers an immersive VR journey through the Giza pyramids, with sessions available throughout August from $40. The Brisbane Fashion Festival also kicks off at Brisbane City Hall from Monday 24 August, featuring runway shows, a Carla Zampatti showcase and exclusive access to Queensland Ballet’s costume workshop.
City Sounds brings free live performances to Queen Street Mall across Friday to Sunday, with sets from Avalon Swing, Nuraini, Georgia Scarlett, Echoes of Cirque and Alisha Todd — no ticket required. Southern Realm Festival also features live entertainment woven through its medieval program out in Boonah, and Night Feast continues to pair live music with its immersive art and food offering at Brisbane Powerhouse through to Sunday 23 August.
Southern Realm Festival is a brilliant family outing, with costumed re-enactors, traditional craft demonstrations, armoured battles and market stalls to explore across the weekend in Boonah from $25. Night Feast at Brisbane Powerhouse is free to enter and offers a festive atmosphere with immersive art installations that will capture curious young minds. The Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards at Redcliffe Museum is also free and runs until 16 August — a fun, approachable exhibition that tends to get a big laugh out of little ones.
Night Feast at Brisbane Powerhouse is free to enter and brings together immersive art, live music and some of Brisbane’s most exciting food vendors in one vibrant riverside setting. City Sounds offers free live music performances across Queen Street Mall from Friday through Sunday, covering a range of genres and performers. Brisbane’s free city tours are also running as usual, with eight different guided options available across the CBD and surrounds — including tours in 20 different languages.
Bigsound returns to Fortitude Valley from Tuesday 1 September to Friday 4 September, bringing one of Australia’s most celebrated music industry conferences and festival programs back to Brisbane. Industry professionals can access the conference program, while music lovers can grab festival tickets to gigs across intimate and large-scale venues throughout the Valley from $50. It’s the event that helped launch careers including Flume and Rufus Du Sol.
Looking for more fun things to do in Brisbane this weekend? See what’s happening on the foodie scene with our food news, or explore what’s on around our beautiful river city.
