Mark Your Calendars: Brisbane Festival Returns In Five Weeks

LIGHTSCAPE

When: Thursday 29 August – Saturday 12 October
Where: City Botanic Gardens, Brisbane
Tickets: From $24

Lightscape, the globally renowned, multi-sensory phenomenon of light, colour and sound returns to showcase Brisbane’s City Botanic Gardens in a new light, with breathtaking installations created by acclaimed local and international artists. Reimagined for 2024, Sony Music Entertainment invites visitors to experience premiere works and artworks as they embark on a journey through light, colour and sound along the 2km self-guided trail. Walk beneath towering tree canopies illuminated in colour and marvel at larger-than-life flowers as you explore the technicolour wonderland.

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VOLCANO

When: Friday 30 August – Saturday 14 September
Where: Powerhouse Theatre, Brisbane Powerhouse
Tickets: From $95

Experience theatre you can binge-watch! The multi-award-winning international hit Volcano is a serialised live miniseries that merges experimental theatre, contemporary dance and a psychological sci-fi thriller. Embark on a voyeuristic journey through four thrilling performances as two characters reenact nostalgic scenes from their pasts, unraveling deeper layers of intrigue and uncertainty. Directed by acclaimed Luke Murphy (Ireland), Volcano challenges reality with a narrative that blurs the lines between theatre, TV and dance.

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THE ART BOAT

When: Friday 30 August – Saturday 21 September
Where: Pontoon B, Clem Jones Promenade, South Bank, Brisbane
Tickets: From $35

Step aboard The Art Boat and embark on an unforgettable voyage through the heart of Brisbane. With the ever-expanding city skyline as the backdrop, this unique experience remixes the city ambience into decadent DJ sets, soundtracking an extravaganza of burlesque, the defiance of drag and the addictive allure of circus performances. Curated by the world-renowned BRIEFS FACTORY, this event features resident artists Fez Faanana, Mark Winmill, and Brett Rosengreen, alongside a dazzling array of special guests selected from across the festival. The Brisbane River becomes your guide to the party of the year, promising an exhilarating and immersive experience.

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GURR ERA OP

When: Wednesday 11 – Saturday 14 September
Where: Underground Theatre, Brisbane Powerhouse
Tickets: From $25

GURR ERA OP (‘the face of the sea’ in Meriam Mir) is a celebratory sharing of culture and a call to action in the face of climate devastation. Led by award-winning choreographer and performer Ghenoa Gela, four mainland-born Torres Strait Islander women use dance, song and traditional storytelling to confront the devastation of climate change. Now in collaboration with ILBIJERRI Theatre Company’s Amy Sole, experience a performance that goes beyond fiction to vividly portray loss and inspire a call to action for a brighter future.

Find more information here.

LIGHTING THE DARK

When: Thursday 12 – Saturday 14 September
Where: Thomas Dixon Centre, West End, Brisbane
Tickets: From $39

A masterpiece of collaboration and community by powerhouse Queensland dance company Dancenorth Australia, Lighting the Dark is a profound celebration, traversing individual and universal truths in a dance to the very centre of what it means to be human. Witness the bold new work by Chris Dyke, a talented Adelaide dancer and choreographer living with Down Syndrome. Inspired by the iconic figures Banksy, David Bowie and Freddie Mercury, Lighting the Dark illuminates Chris’ deeply moving and life-affirming journey. Each of these legends serves as a reflection of Chris’ expansive vision and boundless potential.

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EISHAN ENSEMBLE

When: Saturday 14 September, 7pm
Where: Conservatorium Theatre, Queensland Conservatorium Griffith University, South Brisbane
Tickets: From $35

Led by acclaimed Persian-Australian tar player and composer Hamed Sadeghi, the ARIA-nominated Eishan Ensemble draws on contemporary and classical music traditions from both East and West. Sadeghi’s psychedelic virtuosity is joined by the individual talents of Michael Avgenicos on saxophone, Adem Yilmaz on percussions and Maximillian Alduca on double bass to create layered and sophisticated soundscapes. Described as ‘Persian chamber jazz’ and ‘Middle Eastern jazz fusion’, Eishan defies neat labels and is more than the sum of its parts.

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PRIVATE VIEW

When: Wednesday 18 – Saturday 21 September
Where: Powerhouse Theatre, Brisbane Powerhouse
Tickets: From $39

Private View invites audiences to become voyeurs, observing people in their domestic spaces and discovering their romantic dreams and hidden desires. Challenge societal myths and misinformation as the performance twists your preconceived attitudes about sexuality and disability as you explore the unspoken stories and secret longings from Australia’s leading creator of dance theatre, performed by dancers with and without disability. The haunting melodies of Carla Lippis, deeply intertwined with the performance, serve as the heartbeat of each scene, enhancing the emotional resonance of the dancers’ stories.

Find more information here.

ASSEMBLY VOL. 1

When: Saturday 21 September, 8pm
Where: The Princess Theatre, Woolloongabba, Brisbane
Tickets: From $35

Dive into an electrifying fusion of music and dance at Assembly Vol. 1, where Australasian Dance Collective and 4000 Studios are set to collide for an epic one-night-only event. This performance features an incredible assembly of talent including Danny Harley (The Kite String Tangle), Dominik Felsmann (Felsmann + Tiley), Louis Frere-Harvey ($0.003) and the acclaimed dance artists of ADC in the visionary Auto Cannibal, created by Stephanie Lake and Robin Fox. These monumental artists come together to deliver a late-night party filled with dance, music and good times.