Pasifika Made

Pasifika Made returns to Brisbane Festival in 2026, bringing together Pacific and First Nations artists, cultural practitioners and community across a program of cultural and contemporary live performance, workshops, artist talks, knowledge sharing, live demonstrations and a cultural marketplace experience. Transforming Festival Village into a gathering place for art, culture and connection, Pasifika Made presents Pacific arts through both ancestral practice and a contemporary lens.

Across multiple stages and activation spaces, audiences can experience multi-arts live performances alongside conversations, workshops and spaces for knowledge sharing. The Island Marketplace weaves through the precinct with Pacific food, craft, design, weaving and live cultural demonstrations presented by artists, makers and community, creating an immersive experience that reflects the diversity and evolution of Pacific arts and cultural practice today.

The Village (The Village Green)

The Village is the central gathering place of Pasifika Made, where the cultures of Oceania come together through ceremony, music, dance and storytelling.

From the official opening and woven Pacific cultural ceremonies through to the festival's headline performance, the stage celebrates traditional cultural practices alongside contemporary Pacific artists, creating a shared space of celebration, connection and Pacific pride.

Opening Ceremony

Pasifika Made begins with a powerful cultural welcome honouring the Traditional Custodians of the land through a Welcome to Country, cultural protocol and ceremonial performances by Aboriginal, Torres Strait Islander and Australian South Sea Islander artists.

Oceania Rising

Experience a woven journey of ceremony, song, dance, storytelling and performance celebrating the roots of the Pacific.

From traditional cultural ceremony to contemporary music, dance, theatre and circus, Oceania Rising brings together artists and communities from across the Pacific in a powerful celebration of arts, culture and contemporary expression.

Aaradhna

A soulful, genre-blending singer-songwriter and producer, Aaradhna has become one of the defining voices in music across Aotearoa and the Pacific. Born in New Zealand to Samoan and Indian heritage, her powerful vocals and honest songwriting have earned her multiple Aotearoa Music Awards, Pacific Music Awards and a Grammy nomination for her songwriting.

Aaradhna closes Pasifika Made with a headline performance celebrating music, identity, resilience and the creative spirit of Oceania.

Jungaji

Jungaji is a proud Western Gugu Yalanji and Birri Gubba songman, musician, playwright, visual artist and cultural storyteller. A respected figure in the Australian music industry for more than three decades, he blends soul and R&B with the stories, language and traditions of his Country to create a powerful contemporary sound.

Through music, theatre and visual art, Jungaji shares his culture while championing healing, identity and the continuation of First Nations knowledge for future generations.

JSQZE

JSQZE (also known as SQZE) is an independent Pacific reggae, R&B and soul artist and producer originally from Aotearoa New Zealand and now based in Brisbane. With more than a decade in the music industry, he has collaborated with renowned Pacific artists including Spacifix, Three Houses Down and Junior Soqeta. Blending soulful vocals with contemporary Pacific sounds, JSQZE's music celebrates his roots through his music.

PLUS MORE ARTISTS TO BE ANNOUNCED.

Fale Moana (South Bank Town Hall)

Fale Moana transforms the Town Hall into an intimate cultural gathering place where Pacific knowledge sharing meets contemporary arts practice. Through curated conversations, artist talks and cultural exchange, audiences are invited to hear directly from Pacific artists, cultural practitioners and community leaders as they explore the ideas, stories and creative practices shaping the Pacific today.

Mana Stage (Boxy)

Join a series of free, interactive workshops open to the public to engage in cultural and contemporary dance, music and performance. Led by Pacific artists and cultural practitioners, the program features Cook Islands drumming and dance, Māori cultural practice, Kiribati dance, and a contemporary dance interactive workshop presented by Le Moana, a leading contemporary Pacific arts and dance company from Aotearoa New Zealand. Suitable for all ages.

Malae (The Village Green)

Experience the living traditions of the Pacific through hands-on cultural experiences in the Malae. Featuring a traditional Fijian Meke workshop with VOU and a Pacific Fai Popo (traditional coconut husking) demonstration, this welcoming outdoor space invites audiences to connect with Pacific knowledge, cultural practices and storytelling through participation and shared experience.

Maketi (Pasifika Marketplace)

Maketi brings together the creativity, craftsmanship, cuisine and cultural products of the Pacific. Discover artists, makers, designers, authors, island chefs, and cultural enterprises in a dynamic marketplace where contemporary practice, traditional knowledge and community intersect.