Music
Budjerah returns to Brisbane this weekend with his first headline tour since 2022. Proud Coodjinburra man and powerhouse vocalist, Budjerah is a platinum selling multi-ARIA award winning artist, whose latest album Therapy Sessions cemented him as a leading force in the next generation of Australian music. Experience Budjerah stirring music and enigmatic lyricism at The Triffid on Friday night from 7:30 pm.
Speaking of Australian music, generation-defining act Sneaky Sound System returns to Brisbane as well this weekend. The dance-music duo, best known for their chart-topping hits like ‘UFO’, ‘Pictures’ and ‘I Love It’, will be bringing some of their electric energy to town this Friday for a show at Friday’s.
The local love continues with Australian rapper Allday touring his fiercely anticipated fifth record at The Princess Theatre on Saturday. Since bursting on the scene almost ten years ago, Allday has remained at the forefront of alt-rap music, collaborating with an array of Australian museos from Cub Sport’s Tim Nelson to Mallrat. Allday returns to Brisbane this Saturday for one night only.
BIGSOUND Festival has taken over Fortitude Valley this week and will be ringing in the weekend with one-final night of music. Kick off the weekend on Thursday night, and close out the festival, with the likes of Mac The Knife and its sweaty Sydney garage sound at Black Bear Lodge, the alt-pop musings of Matahara at Eclipse and Alex the Astronaut’s dreamy soundscapes at Black Bear Lodge – as well as a heap more throughout the night.
On Saturday, be satiated by Sweet Relief !– Brisbane’s latest festival that’s taking over Ballymore Stadium. On the line-up you’ll find international R’n’B superstar Kellis (yes, of ‘Milkshake’, ‘Sugar Honey Iced Tea’ and ‘Millionaire’ fame), as well as The Presets, Electric Fields and more. There’s still a few tickets available so get in quick and start your festival season early.
Live events and theatre
Trent Dalton’s second stage adaptation comes to QPAC this weekend with the debut of Love Stories. The same team behind the smash-hit Boy Swallows Universe have reunited to bring to life another one of Trent’s best-selling stories. Love Stories will follow the two months Trent spent gathering stories on his sky-blue 1960s Olivetti typewriter, on a prominent street corner in Brisbane’s CBD, asking passers by: ‘Can you please tell me a love story?’. This new play is bound for icon status and will be beginning its run this weekend.
Brisbane Festival welcomes another original opera this weekend with Eucalyptus – The Opera. Composed by Sir Jonathan Mills and librettist Meredith Oakes, this new opera is based on the Miles Franklin Award-winning novel Eucalyptus by Murray Bail and follows father and daughter Ellen and Holland in a re-imagining of fairy tale classics.
Blak Social’s Alethea Beetson (Kabi Kabi/Gubbi Gubbi and Wiradjuri) brings their latest show to Brisbane Powerhouse this weekend with the debut of Meet Your Maker. Set in an alternative reality, an Indigenous pop artist who goes missing just a split second before the biggest show of her career. Wrestling with every choice she’s ever made, this icon traverses deep time to meet her makers in an attempt to discover the truth.
Acclaimed director and choreographer Luke Murphy brings his latest piece of experimental dance theatre for the Netflix age to Brisbane Powerhouse. Volcano takes on the science-fiction mystery genre through a multimedia dance experience that blurs the lines between form and expectation for a voyeuristic look at time, memory and isolation.
Something wicked this way comes with QPAC’s new production, GRIMM. This brand-new show from Shake and Stir Theatre Co delves into the darkness of our favourite fairy tales with spine-tingling takes on the stories you know and love. The bold adaption reimagines the literary legends 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 begins his artist residency at Museum of Brisbane this weekend – unveiling an interactive love-letter experience. Trent’s work will return to the stage this month 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.
Food, drink and fun
Art and food collide at Brisbane Festival’s Kitchen Studio – a provocative sensory journey from local artist Elizabeth Willing. In the evenings from 7:30 pm, the exhibition will host an intimate group of diners for a sculptural restaurant experience – offering a dynamic critique on food culture and gastronomy. Prepare to be satiated with this nourishing exploration of art, comfort and culture.
For our frothy fiends, explore the best breweries and bars of Brisbane at Urban Craft Beer Crawl this Saturday. The self-guided trail takes you through the best hop spots in Fortitude Valley and Newstead such as BrewDog, Brisbane newcomer Justin Lane, Soapbox Beer and more. With eight beer vouchers to claim, it’s the perfect opportunity to drink and discover the beers of Brisbane.
Dig out those running shoes and start your stretches – The Sunday Mail Transurban Bridge to Brisbane is back this Sunday. Whether your walking, running or cheering on, this event marks one of Brisbane’s biggest events of the year witg more than 30,000 participants pounding the pavement for a good cause – raising money for Queensland charities and community organisations. Head to the website to find out more.
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.
