Fifty million reasons to be in Brisbane this September

It’s that time of year when Brisbane evolves into one giant arts festival, attracting an international audience keen to see what all the fuss is about. More than $2.8m of philanthropic support is contributing to the rollout of this year’s Brisbane Festival. That’s $500,000 more than last year’s record-breaking investment.

This tells me that some big names across the city strongly believe in this event and its importance on Brisbane’s calendar. The numbers continue to paint an impressive picture: the gross economic benefit to the city exceeded $50m in 2024, with 2025 tracking to deliver more of the same given the festival’s increasing scale.

Held from 5 to 27 September 2025, this will be Brisbane’s most expansive edition yet, featuring 106 productions and 1,069 performances, including 21 world premieres. Grand in size and deep in connection, nearly half the program is free and therefore wonderfully accessible.

It all kicks off with Riverfire by Australian Retirement Trust, the one night of the year you’ll want to own an inner-city property with a CBD view (or at least have mates who do). In 2025, the city itself will become part of the show, as artist duo Craig & Karl transform three of Brisbane’s cross-river bridges into bold, bright installations – a vivid celebration of creativity and colour lighting up our city. Also returning are crowd-pleasers like Skylore, the awe-inspiring drone show; Brisbane Serenades, the free music program that brings the party to the suburbs; and Afterglow, a vibrant new twist on the Festival’s much-loved light shows in the City Botanic Gardens.

While you and I enjoy what’s on offer, there’s a tremendous amount of work that goes on behind the scenes to pull off this annual city-wide celebration. This year marks the sixth and final Brisbane Festival for Artistic Director Louise Bezzina. What a remarkable job Louise, alongside CEO Charlie Cush, has done in bringing our city to life through accessible art. Together, they have succeeded in their ambition to redefine what it means to be Boldly Brisbane, and in doing so, have brilliantly launched the city onto the global stage.

For all you need to know about this year’s Brisbane Festival, click here.

I hope you enjoy the read.

Matt Lancashire