Live events
The Tivoli has got the jitterbug this weekend, toasting to The Life and Music of George Michael. The tribute event will celebrate the pop icon’s legacy in a concert-style show of his chart-topping hits. Discover the story behind the star at this soul-stirring performance on Friday and Saturday nights.
Don your best grey suit and make your way to Powerhouse Brisbane to experience the deadpan chaos of Ray O’Leary. His new show Your Laughter Is Just Making Me Stronger will be enthralling audiences on Friday night with its straight-faced strain of Kiwi comedy. Ray comes to Brisbane after the rising star has sold out shows across the country.
One of the decade’s most provocative and captivating comics Hannah Gadsby brings their new show to QPAC this weekend. Hannah was catapulted to fame following the success of their Netflix special Nanette in 2018. In this new show Woof! Hannah offers audiences a fresh perspective on everything irrelevant and existential.
Festivals
This Sunday, the finest farmers and makers of the Scenic Rim will be opening their doors for the last time this year for the Scenic Rim Farm Gate Trail. Grab your esky, fill your tank and escape to the country to shop paddock-picked produce, overflowing larders and locally made wines. Plus, you can also cuddle baby lambs and snap alpaca selfies for this special event where the Scenic Rim showcases the very best of life out south.
For some fantastic fare and bustling market vibes closer to home, Brisbane’s hottest street will once again transform this weekend for the annual James St Food + Wine Trail. This weekend-long celebration will see exclusive street food creations from some of the city’s finest culinary institutions (think: Bianca, Gelato Messina, sAme sAme) as well as special dining events. You’ll also find a new addition to James Street’s ongoing art series, with a major new installation by artist Zac Langdon-Pole on show only on the Sunday at the intersection of James, Robertson and Doggett Streets.
Theatre
Queensland Theatre welcomes its latest production this weekend with the national premiere of POTUS, Or Behind Every Great Dumbass Are Seven Women Trying To Keep Him Alive. This fervently topical and femme-fuelled new play offers an enticing satire of American politics. Centred around a fictitious President of the United States’ (POTUS) and the team of seven powerhouse women who must resolve his missteps, POTUS is a playful yet poignant look at modern politics.
Opera Queensland and Circa join forces for a reimagined adaptation of the ancient tale of star-crossed lovers Dido, Queen of Carthage, and Aeneas, the shipwrecked Trojan prince. Dido and Aeneas bring together operatic melodies with mind-bending circus acts for a truly mesmerising experience for a spectacle show at QPAC. This fresh retelling is set to recharge opera with captivating new additions.
Rock out this weekend with TINA – The Tina Turner Musical, the Broadway show dedicated to the Queen of Rock ‘n’ Roll that just opened at QPAC. Experience the iconic career of the legendary songstress with simply the best of the songstress’ music. Celebrate the tour de force that was Tina and experience her inspiring rise to fame, renowned career and lasting legacy.
Exhibitions
The World Press Photo Exhibition returns to Brisbane Powerhouse for its 2024 iteration. This world-renowned event showcases the best achievements in photojournalism and documentary photography over the last year. With a fascinating line-up of subjects and a diverse range of photographers, this exhibition invites you to find new perspectives on the news cycle from the last year with heart-wrenching and heartwarming stories.
Hoda Afshar: A Curve is a Broken Line has finally headed north following its critically acclaimed run in Sydney for a new showing at UQ Art Museum. The fiercely anticipated new exhibition continues Hoda’s career-long dialogue on identity, marginality and displacement through photography and video. Queensland audiences finally have the chance to experience the works of one of Australia’s leading names in photo-media.
The fiercely anticipated new blockbuster exhibition from QAGOMA Iris Van Herpen: Sculpting the Senses continues this weekend. 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.
Across the river, Brisbane Quarter is hosting SHAPE OF WATER – a new exhibition to compliment QAGOMA’s Iris Van Herpen: Sculpting the Senses. Experience the majestic works of Lydia Pearson – renowned Australian fashion designer and Lecturer Fashion at QUT’s School of Design – as well as eight final year QUT Bachelor of Design students in dialogue with Iris’ genre-bending garments. If all this artistry has you working up an appetite, Brisbane Quarter’s elite restaurants are offering themed beverages and bites, drawn from the essence of the exhibition as well.
Markets
Shake out your tote bag and 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.
Second Life Markets returns to Brisbane this weekend, offering thrift fans a curated collection of local sellers, giving their pre-loved fashion pieces a chance at a second life. Hosted at Hamilton’s Superordinary, this mega market will be stacked with coveted second-hand goodies, premium vintage and small local businesses.
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.
