Brisbane Festival 2026 Program Announced with 6am Events
On 4 September 2026 at 6am, the Brisbane Festival will kick off under the direction of Artistic Director Ebony Bott. The Festival Village, located at South Bank Cultural Forecourt, will showcase events like Daybreaker and The Choir of Man at the Magic Mirrors Spiegeltent. Attendees can also enjoy Indigenous-led circus Living Sculptures, dance workshops with Queensland Ballet, and the engaging Giant Sing Along installation. Each evening, Bright Nights by ANZ will feature a spectacular water and light show accompanied by music from The Veronicas, along with a Welcome to Country by Shannon Ruska. The festival, which runs from 4 to 26 September, will present 700 performances and over 2000 artists, including works from Aotearoa New Zealand and highlights like Suzie Miller's Strong is the New Pretty. Riverfire is scheduled for 5 September.
Key facts
- Ebony Bott's first Brisbane Festival program as Artistic Director
- Festival Village returns to South Bank Cultural Forecourt with events from 6am
- Daybreaker alcohol-free dance and wellness program starts each day at 6am
- Bright Nights by ANZ water and light show with The Veronicas soundtrack
- Welcome to Country by Shannon Ruska before Bright Nights
- ESCAPE by DIAVOLO | Architecture in Motion from Los Angeles
- Four works from Aotearoa New Zealand including Tiri, Shel We, Betsy Balloon, Werewolf
- World premiere of Suzie Miller's Strong is the New Pretty about AFLW origins
- Australian premiere of Fijian Flying Circus by VOU
- Make, Believe, Magic: The Worlds of The Jim Henson Company at QAGOMA
- Riverfire by Australian Retirement Trust on 5 September
- 700 performances and over 2000 artists and arts workers
- Brisbane Festival 2026 runs 4–26 September
Entities
Artists
- Ebony Bott
- Shannon Ruska
- The Veronicas
- Witi Ihimaera
- Katie Wolfe
- Tupua Tigafua
- Suzie Miller
- Luke Murphy
- John-Paul Langbroek
- Adrian Schrinner
- Richard Watts
Institutions
- Brisbane Festival
- Australian Retirement Trust
- ANZ
- Queensland Ballet
- Daily tous les jours
- DIAVOLO | Architecture in Motion
- LA Dance Chronicle
- The Farm
- VOU
- Wakka Wakka
- Sprung Dance Theatre
- Queensland Art Gallery & Gallery of Modern Art
- The Jim Henson Company
- ArtsHub
- ScreenHub
- Three Triple R FM
- Melbourne Queer Film Festival
- Melbourne Fringe Festival
- Green Room Awards Association
- Sidney Myer Performing Arts Awards
Locations
- Brisbane
- Australia
- South Bank
- South Bank Cultural Forecourt
- Brisbane River
- Los Angeles
- United States
- Aotearoa New Zealand
- Gold Coast
- Montreal
- Canada
- Fiji
- New York
- Bundjalung Country