Brisbane Festival 2025
Brisbane Festival 2025 signals a defining moment for the city — a culmination of six visionary years under Artistic Director Louise Bezzina, whose Boldly Brisbane ethos has reshaped how the city experiences art.
Guided by her vision of Brisbane as the stage, the festival filled theatres, bridges, parks, and riverways with vibrant new works.
The city-spanning Public Art Trail by Craig & Karl delighted Brisbane with its centrepiece installation on three major bridges with ANZ’s Walk This Way, while Stephen Page and Jacob Nash illuminated the river with the monumental Baleen Moondjan.
Internationally acclaimed L.A. Dance Project arrived with Benjamin Millepied’s Gems, and Twelfth Night Theatre roared to life with GATSBY at The Green Light.
Local artists remained central to the program: Preparing Ground showcased leading choreographers Marilyn Miller, Katina Olsen and Jasmine Sheppard; Shake & Stir returned with The Lovers; Australasian Dance Collective premiered Bad Nature in collaboration with Club Guy & Roni (NL) and Studio Boris Acket (NL); and William Yang was joined by Camerata – Queensland's Chamber Orchestra for his opus Milestone.
A vibrant, city-shaping program that celebrated Brisbane’s creativity and marked the close of a significant artistic era.
CABARET / CIRCUS / COMEDY
Amplified: The Exquisite Rock & Rage of Chrissy Amphlett Sheridan Harbridge, Sarah Goodes Chatter Spencer Novich (US) GATSBY at The Green Light Caper & Crow Late Night Vice Strut & Fret TINA – A Tropical Love Story Ben Graetz The Alexander Ball House of Alexander, Ella Ganza, Leki Ganza
DANCE THEATRE MUSICAL
A Place in the Sultan’s Kitchen (of How to Make the Perfect One-Pot-Chicken Curry) Joshua Hinton Back to Bilo Beloo Creative Bad Nature Australian Dance Collective, Club Guy & Roni (NL), Studio Boris Acket (NL) BATSHIT Leah Shelton Common People Dance Eistedfodd Common People Dance Project Community Choir: The Musical Cheep Trill, Emma Dean Congratulations, Get Rich! (恭喜发财, 人日快乐) Merlynn Tong Elements of Freestyle ISH Dance Collective Gems L.A. Dance Project Milestone William Yang Preparing Ground Marilyn Miller, Jasmin Sheppard, Katina Olsen The Bogong’s Song: a call to Country Bangarra Dance Theatre, Yolande Brown, Chenoa Deemal The Chronicles Stephanie Lake Company The Lovers Laura Murphy, Shake & Stir Theatre Co. The Natural Horse T. Adamson, Salad Days Collective The Platypus Francis Greenslade Unveiling Shadows Joshua Taliani
EXHIBITION
Make a Scene: Fashioning Queer Identity and Club Culture in the ‘90s. Queensland Museum Kurilpa The People’s Dancefloor Museum of Brisbane, Common People Dance Project
FESTIVAL
Festitalia Quandamooka Festival Undercover Artist Festival
INSTALLATION / IMMERSIVE
Afterglow Sony Music Entertainment
Baleen Moondjan Stephen Page
Pop Art After Dark Westfield Chermside
Public Art Trail & ANZ’s Walk This Way by Craig & Karl Craig & Karl
Riverfire by Australian Retirement Trust
Sea of Light Patch Theatre
Skylore—Nieergoo: Spirit of the Whale Tribal Experiences; Nova Sky Stories
TheatreDome Channel Nine, Lord Mayor’s Children’s Program
MUSIC
100 Guitars Topology Hannah Macklin Indo Warehouse JADE Ensemble — 響和 Kyo-Wa, Harmonic Resonance Takako Haggarty, Dheeraj Shrestha, David Williams, Anthony Garcia John Butler Manly Serenades: Briana Dinsdale, Midwest Molly, Rachael Fahim Moorooka Block Party: Mahogany Flow, Brisbane Latin Dance, Simba and the Echoes of African Music, Sing with Yani feat. The Ubuntu Wellness Choir, The Bamboos Night at the Parkland Amy Chark, Cut Copy, ICEHOUSE, Grinspoon, Lime Cordiale, James Johnston, Xavier Rudd, Second Sunday Pasifika Made: Eve Nikolao, Fred Leone, James Lewis Media, Kaiit, Kingaroy Solomon Islands Pan Pipers, Logohu Bird of Paradise Dancing Group, Mahoa, Manus Dancing Group, Mekeo Vea, PANIA, Radio for Ghosts, Revarevas, Tyla Vaeau Tatau, Ume Lalo Nama Dancing Group Sarah Blasko St Lucia Serenades: Layla Havana, Jungaji feat. Topology, Adam James & The Dreamtime Swing Tivoli in the Round C.W. Stoneking, Franck + Special Guests, Mallrat, Odd Mob, Phantastic Ferniture, The Tivoli Winston Surfshirt Wunderhorse
OPERA / CLASSICAL
Beacons Queensland Conservatorium Griffith University Camerata: Your Eternal Memories Kate Miller-Heidke, Barbara Lowing, Camerata—Queensland’s Chamber Orchestra David Bailey: Lord Mayor’s City Hall Concert Invoices: Queensland Conservatorium Griffith University, Lord Mayor’s City Hall Concert La bohemè Opera Queensland Migrating Bird Veronique Serret Shostakovich Ten Queensland Symphony Orchestra The Telephone Gian Carlo Menotti, Lord Mayor’s City Hall Concert
Q&A / WORKSHOP
26th International River Symposium The International River Foundation The Great Debate 612 ABC Radio Brisbane The WOW Show: In Search of the Hope Brigade WOW (Women of the World) Australia