A festival of German culture spread across venues citywide, with events on film, fashion, food, business, science and tradition, and a focus on Brisbane's ties with Germany.
Taekwondo and Korean sword classes for kids and teens. Students learn attack and defence moves using the hands, feet and whole body, with an emphasis on discipline.
A guided 2.5km bushwalk at dusk through one of Brisbane's bushland reserves, learning what makes the area special. The track has hills, stairs and rough patches, so you'll need moderate fitness and a small torch.
A family treasure hunt around Brisbane raising money and awareness for Developmental Language Disorder, a lifelong condition that makes language harder to understand and use. Finishers get ice cream, a sausage sizzle and a DJ.
Short films by twin animators Timothy and Stephen Quay, who bring puppets and everyday objects to life in dark, unsettling worlds. The programme includes Street of Crocodiles and Rehearsals for Extinct Anatomies.
A monthly social club where people meet new faces over drinks at a different Brisbane bar each time. This one has share plates, cocktails and wine, with a first drink and snacks included.
Claudine and Olivia Blondeau, the sisters behind Queensland handbag label Eau Bags, talk with mentor Deanne Luke about growing a brand fast, using recycled nylon and makers in India.
The Mercury Prize-nominated singer-songwriter tours her new record, How to be Human, a personal set of songs about love, vulnerability and growth that includes the single All This Love.
A staged concert of musical theatre songs, with 12 singers and a live band. Expect old Broadway favourites, newer hits and numbers from recent London and New York shows like Death Becomes Her and Paddington.
A touring program of short action-sport films on a big screen, following top climbers, kayakers, skiers and mountain bikers through wild rides, big jumps and risky stunts.
David Lynch's debut feature follows Henry, a nervous man living alone in a tiny flat, whose life turns strange when his girlfriend falls pregnant. A bleak, dreamlike film with an unsettling soundtrack.
Queensland Symphony Orchestra plays Rimsky-Korsakov's Scheherazade, with the concertmaster on solo violin, and Grieg's Piano Concerto with pianist Piers Lane. Ella Macens' piece Release opens the evening.
Queensland Performing Arts Centre · South Brisbane
Ten mixed teams play short 5-a-side football matches for charity, in a format that welcomes club players and newcomers alike. Off the pitch there's food, market stalls, DJ sets and giveaways, and spectators are welcome.
An exhibition of clothing by Magpie Goose, an Aboriginal-owned label and social enterprise. Each piece tells a story, drawing on the work of First Nations designers and artists across Queensland and further afield.
A Sculptors Queensland exhibition of work by local sculptors, ranging across different forms, materials and ideas. Browse it any time during the gardens' usual hours.
The society's yearly display of African violets and other gesneriads. Members give demonstrations and growing advice, and you can buy plants big and small, single leaves and potting gear.
A volunteer leads a short, easy walk along a wetland track, pointing out native plants and explaining how First Nations people and early colonists used them. Kids need an adult with them.
A drop-in play space for families with young children. Kids can get messy in an art room, climb and stack big blocks, try on dress-ups, join story and song sessions or read in little nooks.
Bold vinyl graphics and timber sculptural pieces spread over the walls and ceiling of the museum's entrance in this residency by Renee Kire. Her work reworks Minimalism from a feminist angle, highlighting women the movement overlooked.
An art prize exhibition on genre painting, a favourite subject of long-time art society fellow Audrey Gibbs. Expect everyday scenes of ordinary people at home, at work and at leisure.
An experienced local guide leads a walking tour and shares what they know and love about Brisbane. Walks run through the city centre or a historic suburb, for residents and tourists.
An exhibition of this year's finalist portraits by Brisbane artists, each picturing someone from the city, from well-known faces to everyday locals. The works deal with identity, belonging and being seen.
A hands-on CPR session covering infants, children and adults, so you can keep someone going until paramedics arrive. Ambulance committee trainers also explain how a defibrillator is used.
Ambulance committee trainers teach CPR for infants, children and adults, so you can step in until paramedics get there. The session also explains how a defibrillator works.
Kids pick up a free activity sheet at reception and play I Spy through five exhibitions of local art and history, hunting for small details like flowers. Parents and carers get one too.
The winning photos from this year's Lord Mayor's Photographic Awards, taken by people who live, work or study in Brisbane. The theme is Everyday Brisbane: local streets, river scenes, and the people and habits of city life.
A skills session for young mountain bikers who already ride singletrack often and want to get better at jumps and drops. It's pitched at confident riders and runs under the Cycling Brisbane program.
A skills session for women who already ride with confidence and want to try off-road mountain biking. Run through Cycling Brisbane, for riders 16 and over.
A self-paced scavenger hunt through the library where you solve puzzles and follow clues to find hidden spaces, history and artworks. Suits families and people of all ages and abilities.
A Quandamooka artist in residence shares the Minjerribah story of Warrajamba, a mermaid whose ending is lost. Visitors can print a mermaid or dugong with stamps she designed, and see her sculptures of reed, cotton tree and shell.
A guided trip up the heritage-listed clock tower in an old cage lift that still runs, going behind huge analogue clock faces and out to a lookout platform. Watch for the bells.
A show for kids that follows a family of holidaying aliens around the Solar System, then ends by showing the sky above Brisbane at night. It includes flashing lights, fast scenes and sudden noises.
One of the finalists in the Brisbane Portrait Prize talks about their portrait in the gallery: what inspired it, their relationship with the sitter, and the materials and techniques behind it.
A guided walk from the Wickham Terrace Windmill, ending at the river, tracing Brisbane's change from convict outpost to free town. Stories cover convicts, commandants, and how First Peoples responded to settlement.
Poetry readings across a morning, open to new and experienced writers as well as people who like to listen. Put your name down for the open mic to read something you wrote.
A volunteer guide leads a walk through the Brisbane Portrait Prize exhibition and talks you through the portraits on show. Just turn up shortly before it starts.
A gentle group dance session for queer people and allies, and you don't need any experience. It opens with a welcome circle, then you learn a simple pop routine, wind down with breathwork and stay to chat.
Games and hands-on activities for the whole family, covering robotics, coding, science, art and new tech. Kids of any age can join in with their parents and friends.
Volunteer guides lead an hour-long walk at an easy pace, pointing out plants and features of the gardens and sharing what they know and love about them.
Volunteer guides who love the place lead a gentle walk through the gardens, explaining the plants and landmarks along the way. Each walk runs for about an hour.
City Botanic Gardens - Information Kiosk · Brisbane City
Mike Nichols's comedy, written by Elaine May, stars Robin Williams and Nathan Lane as a Miami club owner and his drag-star partner who pose as a straight couple to impress their son's conservative future in-laws.
A planetarium show for kids four and up. Tycho the dog flies to Mars looking for water so his kennel spaceship can get him home, and the session ends with a virtual look at Brisbane's night sky.
A screening from the Apple TV series bringing back Jim Henson's singing Fraggles, with Gobo, Red, Wembley and friends joined by new characters and guest voices such as Cynthia Erivo and Daveed Diggs. Rated G.
A Brazilian afternoon of feijoada served banquet style with the traditional sides, and a roda de samba where over 10 musicians play samba, pagode and chorinho among the crowd.
A five-week portrait drawing course built on observing size, shape, scale and tone rather than copying photographs. Suits beginners and returning artists, with group lessons, one-on-one feedback and pencils and paper supplied.
Makers who have done an equipment induction can book time on laser cutters, 3D printers, a vinyl cutter, sewing machines and electronics benches. Staff help with software, design tips and pointing you to other makers.
Tom Hanks narrates this space journey past the planets, beyond our galaxy and out to the far edge of the known universe, returning through a black hole. It ends with a tour of Brisbane's night sky.
Kids and their grown-ups roll and squish clay into pretend food and goods, playing chef or shopkeeper. A hands-on sensory session from the First 5 Forever early-years program.
Pedro Pascal narrates this space show, made with NASA's support, which moves back through time to trace how chance meetings in space shaped our part of the galaxy. It finishes with a virtual look at the sky above Brisbane.
A panel of Queensland crime writers talks about setting murder mysteries everywhere from beaches to country towns. There's also afternoon tea, book signings and a chance to meet the authors.
A space film narrated by Robert Redford about how collisions in space, from beautiful to destructive, power the way the universe grows and changes. It ends with a tour of the sky above Brisbane.
A screening of Mike Nichols' 1998 political satire, written by Elaine May, following a young adviser on the campaign of a womanising governor modelled on Bill Clinton, with John Travolta and Emma Thompson.
A monthly group that meets to talk over one chosen book. The current pick is Samantha Harvey's Orbital, so read it beforehand and come ready to share your take.
A relaxed workshop with Brisbane artist Rachel Burke where you fold, collage and draw your own small zine, filled with your own ideas, and take it home.
A school P&C fundraiser with market stalls, food trucks, stage acts, rides and games for kids, and fireworks to finish. You don't need any link to the school to come along.
Pink Floyd's album played through a surround sound system with visuals to match. The show includes strobe effects, adult themes and coarse language, so it isn't for kids.
A rooftop music night returning to Brisbane after a long break. Its regular hosts are joined by Sydney guests Blend Theory, playing soul, R&B and overlooked older tracks.
Curator Nicole Crosswell leads a Zoom talk on the Council's outdoor art show in city laneways, light boxes and banners. She covers the artists, the stories in each work and how the pieces were made for public spaces.
Singer-songwriter Lior performs songs from across his career with four string players from Camerata, the Queensland chamber orchestra, in an up-close concert styled on the old salon tradition.
An organic farmers market with fruit, veg, meat, seafood, dairy, bread and pantry goods. There's also a plant nursery, kids activities, and stalls for coffee, kombucha and breakfast.
A low-impact Pilates class outdoors by the river for any fitness level, followed by coffee and a chat with the group. Bring a mat or towel and water; bad weather cancels it.
A book club for women that walks to coffee together, talks through the book everyone has read, then walks back. Spoilers are fair game, so finish it first.
A neighbourhood market with stalls selling flowers, baked goods, condiments, homewares, kids' toys, clothing, pet treats, beauty products, garden stakes and metal signs.
Craft and art stalls, fresh coffee, croissants, pancakes and food from around the world, with live music and park space for the kids to play. It has run for 40 years as Brisbane's first craft market.
HeartKids' yearly community walk, raising money for people living with heart disease that began in childhood. Before and after the walk there's a barbecue, face painting, kids' craft, snow cones and raffles.
The Mental Awareness Foundation's yearly walk remembers people lost to suicide and raises money for mental health work. Choose a 5km or 9km route, open to families, wheelchairs and pets.
A calm play session before the children's space opens, with dimmer lights, softer music, toys and books. It suits families with disability or sensory processing differences, or anyone wanting a quieter visit.
A slow, restful session in the gardens combining gentle movement, breathwork, meditation, sound healing and reiki, finished with herbal tea. Beginners are welcome and no experience is needed.
A weekly get-together run by Brisbane's Malayalam-speaking community, with time to connect, reflect and hear encouraging messages. Everyone is welcome.
Brisbane children's writer and illustrator Meredith Downes runs a workshop for people 16 and over on building animal stories for kids, from characters and settings to plot. Writing exercises and prompts help you make a start.
Gonzo finds strange messages in his cereal and decides he must be from outer space, while a government agent is sure aliens are coming. A Muppet spoof of UFO and conspiracy stories from the 90s.
Teens aged 13 to 17 drop in to make things, from mixed-media miniatures to zines, badges and journals, with materials and snacks supplied. Nobody needs art experience, and staff supervise instead of parents.
A one-hour stroll around the gardens with a volunteer guide, who points out the plants and other highlights along the way. The pace is easy and the walk is aimed at adults.
Brisbane Excelsior Band plays brass arrangements of film themes, from Star Wars to the Indiana Jones adventures, with Howard Taylor conducting. Suits families and fans of movie music.
A small market where every seller brings their stock in a suitcase or two. Expect vintage finds, art, clothing, books, records and handmade goods, with swapping and haggling welcome.
Spielberg's science fiction classic about a stranded alien and the 10-year-old boy who, with his brother and sister, tries to get him home. A story told from a kid's point of view.
Parents and children aged 3 and up use a simple iPad app to turn drawings or photos into talking characters, building language skills while having a laugh together.
A guided walk through Queensland's main war memorial and its interactive exhibition, with guides telling the stories of Australians who served in war and peacetime. Tours can be adjusted for any age or interest.
SEQ Symphonic Winds play film and TV themes, including The Mandalorian and the Pirates films, plus classic jazz. Afternoon tea or wine and cheese is an optional extra.
A planetarium show where astronomers guide you from the night sky over Brisbane out to distant parts of the universe on the dome. Suited to ages 8 and up, and children need an adult with them.
Jim Henson sits down with his puppetry hero, Russian artist Sergei Obraztsov, to talk about his craft. Includes clips of Obraztsov's detailed rod puppets and a solo performance from the man himself.
An outdoor dance party with a headline set from a Peruvian DJ and producer playing Tech House and House. Six Brisbane DJs play in support from the afternoon through to night.
Blues and roots singer and guitarist Ash Grunwald teams up with a gospel choir, a first for him, pairing his vocals and blues guitar with the choir's rich harmonies.
A huge chalk-on-blackboard family tree tracing Archie Moore's Kamilaroi and Bigambul kin across 65,000 years, set around a still pool remembering First Nations deaths in custody. It won the Golden Lion in Venice.
Children learn about First Nations designer Shannon Brett, whose label LORE makes clothes for the runway, then use coloured pencils and card to design a model and outfits in patterns that mean something to them.
An exhibition of paintings, video and sculpture about city life, from towering skylines and cramped flats to dreary offices, long commutes and the small odd moments people notice on the street.
Speed dating for singles in this age bracket: you fill in a short profile, then an app pairs you for six to eight brief dates. Two drinks are included, and mutual matches can message each other afterwards.
A gentle yoga class for older people that helps you stay active as you age. It covers stretching, breathing, strength and balance, with poses done seated or standing.
A gallery display about native animals in First Nations culture: as food, as totems, in creation stories that tie people to land, and in relationships with Country.
Paintings and other works from the gallery's collection about recording a life and the passing of time, from forceful brushwork to slow, repetitive making. Some honour people who have died; others look out to the vast age of the universe.
Recent Irish features, documentaries and short films, from comedies and thrillers to portraits of politicians and musicians, with a focus on Irish-Australian ties. Expect filmmaker Q&As and an opening night party.
A survey of 20 years of Justene Williams's video, sound, sculpture and installation work, with many new pieces. Built from everyday materials, the art looks at beauty pressures, consumerism, life online and rituals around death.
A big exhibition on 70 years of Jim Henson's puppet makers, from the Muppets and Sesame Street to Labyrinth and The Dark Crystal. Hundreds of puppets, animatronic creatures, costumes, props and sketches, plus a full Fraggle Rock film set.
Work by Brisbane artists who live with disability, shown outdoors in accessible public spaces around the city. The exhibition grows out of inclusive arts practice and pushes for a more inclusive city.
Thousands of objects gathered from over 30 Brisbane collections, both public and private, from textiles and tin toys to tiny architectural models and sea treasures. It's about collecting itself and the local people behind it.
A small display of work by a Brisbane artist inspired by rainforests, bushwalks and coastal hikes. It's part of a community art wall featuring local art on environmental themes.
Artworks by older Brisbane artists from an over-50s art class, including Terry Hadnutt's Slim Dusty portrait, which won Grand Champion at the Ekka. The works are for sale.
A small exhibition of the gallery team's favourite finds from collection storage, many unseen for decades. Expect odd, playful and cute works turned up while photographing the collection for online viewing.
Fifteen early Picasso etchings and drypoints of travelling circus folk, the acrobats, jugglers and clowns he sketched after moving to Paris. They mark the start of his long run of printmaking.
Ensemble Q's chamber music series in a university auditorium whose huge windows look out over a lake. The programs run from Mendelssohn and Mozart to Brahms and the Schubert Octet.
An exhibition of German Expressionist prints and other paper works from the early 1900s, when artists used bold woodcuts to respond to political and social upheaval and push for change.
