Best Free Events at Brisbane Festival 2024

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Fri 30 Aug 2024 - Sat 21 Sep 2024

The best events in life are free

The thing that often defines a festival is its free public events. Mention a festival and often that is the first thing people think about. Brisbane Festival is no different as it is synonymous with the Riverfire Fireworks. But after a period where they reduced the number of free events, free is back on the schedule in a big way. Here are the free events to check out when attending the Brisbane Festival.



Riverfire: August 31 - 7 pm

Other cities wait until New Year's Eve for their fireworks, but Brisbane's biggest firework event is Riverfire which is starting the festival this year. There will be fireworks down the river from Victoria Bridge to the Story Bridge, with barges in the river letting off fireworks and the buildings of the city centre getting into the act.



A common question is, where is the best place to watch Riverfire from? Well, people arrive early, usually bringing a picnic, and there is entertainment from 4 pm, including the RAAF fly by. The area around Victoria Bridge is the most crowded, and some people head to the Kangaroo Point Cliffs instead. I know people who go to Captain Burke Park by the Story Bridge every year. I have found the River Quay Green in South Bank to be the least crowded area in South Bank and there is a banked green area to sit and chill out on to get a view.

Skylore — The Rainbow Serpent: September 19-21

While not as iconic as Riverfire, for a number of years, the Brisbane Festival has been doing these great light shows on the river using projected images on curtains or water or using drones to tell local Indigenous stories. These events are becoming iconic and are often special to the region, and should be on your list of things to go and see. While they do attract a crowd it is nowhere near as crowded as Riverfire and is also a great family event. The Rainbow Serpent is a chance to learn more Indigenous culture at a great family-friendly event.



Festival Garden: August 30 - September 21

The Festival Garden is the hub for the festival in South Bank. There will be free events and artwork there. But it is also a place to get food and drinks and find a comfortable place to sit.



Meeanjin Songlinez: September 1

The indigenous name for Brisbane is Meeanjin which means the place of blue water lilies. Meeanjin Songlinez is a 4 hour free performance in the Festival Garden that celebrates the rich local indigenous traditions and culture of the Brisbane area and beyond. Part concert, part performance and part storytelling, it is a great cultural opportunity for locals and visitors to Brisbane alike.



Lord Mayor's Children's Program - Proudfoot and Friends: September 19

Probably the best free kids (3 to 7) event of the festival is Proudfoot and Friends at the Brisbane City Hall . Lucas Proudfoot will be accompanied by Hopa-tee-woo Kangaroo, Boompa-tee-moo Emu, Big-Gulp Pelican and everyone’s favourite Ruby the Frog. This music event requires advanced booking for the free tickets.



Us And All Of This: September 14 & 15

The short and simple explanation of Us And All Of This is volunteers coming together to perform a dance and art performance at the forecourt of the Brisbane Powerhouse. The more complex explanation is that it challenges the idea of performance being separate from the audience, that we are separate from the environment, and the capitalist notion that divides the world between consumers and producers. It promises to be experiential rather than preachy as the performance tries to be what it believes in.



Moorooka Block Party: September 7

Celebrate multicultural Brisbane with the Block Party at Peggs Park in Moorooka . Acts include Bustamento featuring Afro Moses, Jungaji, Infusion World Music, Sahra Entertainment (Lebanese Drumming) and Sahara Dance Company (Bellydance performance & Workshop). Starting in the late afternoon, you can party and dance into the early evening.



Friday Feels at Portside Wharf: Every Friday during the festival

Portside Wharf in Hamilton will host music and performers every Friday from 4 to 7 pm of the festival with Friday Feels .



Portside Serenades: September 15

Running from 4 pm to 7 pm at Portside Wharf in Hamilton, Portside Serenades brings a bit of carnival rhythm to the festival. Featuring Brazilian drums, jazz and Dixieland sounds, it is a dance festival by the river.



Spectrum of Happiness at Portside Wharf: August 21 - September 21

Swings are the classic children's play equipment, so we all remember the fun of swinging as a child. Now is the chance for the young and young at heart to get into the swing of things at Portside Wharf as part of the Brisbane Festival. Spectrum of Happiness involves swings that control lights mounted above them and also generates sound while you swing. Swingers will be able to work together to create music and light shows.



Pasifika Made: September 21

Pacific Islanders have made their homes in Australia since the late 19th century, and today more are coming to work and live in Australia. Pasifika Made is a 4-hour concert in Wally Tate Park in Kuraby that celebrates the music, dance and culture of the Pacific Islands. There will be 2 stages of performances plus workshops for weaving, and experiencing kava or traditional Pacific island dances.



St. Lucia Serenades: September 14

Enjoy a Saturday afternoon of live music out in the open at the University of Queensland beside the lakes. Artists for the St. Lucia Serenades include Deline Briscoe, Kristal West and Jaguar Jonze. Don't forget you can grab lunch from a range of venues at the University and enjoy walking the grounds before and after the concert. There are also art galleries and museums you can visit on campus to round out your visit.



Voices of Victoria Park: September 8

From late afternoon to early evening on Sunday the 8th, Victoria Park will host a range of artists for a concert of voices. Voices of Victoria Park features, choirs, quartets, sopranos, brass bands and soul singers. This is a concert for lovers of the human voice.



No-Waste Wardrobe at Westfield Chermside: August 30

On Friday, August 30 head to Westfield Chermside where there will be the No-Waste Wardrobe featuring upcycled art installations and fashion designs, workshops for kids to create their own upcycled creations and live music. Running from 9 to 5, this is something a bit different but very creative at the festival.



Lord Mayor's City Hall Concerts: September 3, 10 & 17

Brisbane City Hall features free concerts on Tuesdays and during the Brisbane Festival, the concerts will continue and be part of the festival. Concerts are varied and take place in the beautiful main hall of the Brisbane City Hall.



ChronoHARP: August 30 - September 21

The ChronoHARP installation in South Brisbane is an interactive artwork where people's movements are transformed into colourful animations in the visual harp. Take your friends and play the harp together or just be part of the crowd making visual music together.



Flow: September 14 - 16

The Flow art installation in Fortitude Valley lets visitors explore their own reflections and play with animations and sound to explore the emotional landscape. The experience is only open from 6 to 9 pm and for 3 nights.



The Dream Weaver: Guardians of Grace: August 30 - September 21

Grace Lillian Lee works with multiple cultural traditions to develop fashion and art pieces that convey a personal meaning. The Dream Weaver exhibition will be on at the Brisbane Powerhouse in New Farm for the duration of the festival.



Write Your Heart Out: August 30 - September 29

The Brisbane Museum in City Hall will host Write Your Heart Out . This interactive exhibition will invite people to share their love stories. These can be tales of joy or heartbreak, as is the nature of love.



Duty of Care: August 30 - September 21

This Duty of Care exhibition explores the concept of "care" in its many different forms, both positive and negative. It is great when there are works on display during a festival that can be confronting and genuinely thought-provoking, even if they make us uncomfortable. The exhibition is advertised as being at the Institute of Modern Art in Fortitude Valley from June 29 to September 22 and at the Griffith University Art Museum in South Bank from August 25 to November 9. So you might want to check out the individual venue sites closer to the time to work out exactly where and when it is on.



Big Sculpture: September 2 - October 6

Cairns Indigenous Art Fair has a touring exhibition called Big Sculpture , and it will be appearing at the Brisbane Powerhouse in New Farm during the Brisbane Festival and continuing on until October. A key part of this exhibition is the large-scale commissioned artworks telling diverse Indigenous stories and capturing a range of perspectives.



SeamTogether: August 30 - September 21

Society is built by collecting together stories from many sources and metaphorically sewing them together. In SeamTogether , Polly and Esther sew both metaphorically and physically as part of their interactive performance piece where you have the chance to see what they have created and be part of the creation of something new.



Neighbourhood Centres Workshops: July - September

Brisbane Festival is committed to community involvement and engagement. To achieve this they will have a number of free Neighbourhood Centres Workshops at various locations across Brisbane. Many started before the start of the festival proper. Some highlights include
Many of the workshops are on for more than one day and in more than one location, so look at the festival program for more details.



Be Iconic: September 1

The Brisbane Festival invites you to Be Iconic for a fashion parade with a difference. You can register to be part of the parade with your own fashion and style. This is your chance to bring your look to a new audience. You can also sign up for workshops to help create the look that you want. Remember, fashion doesn't come from the big fashion houses but from the street and the people, and Be Iconic takes the street and puts it directly on the catwalk. If you just want to watch you also need to register for the free tickets.



Overall

There are enough free events, installations and activities to allow anyone to enjoy the Brisbane Festival in 2024, and with 50 cent public transport fares, the festival has never been so accessible or family-friendly. Don't forget to check out the paid events as well, with a wide range of events and prices with many one-off experiences that can only be experienced during the festival.

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