Matinees That Won’t Ruin Your Sleep Schedule

Luxe & Exclusive

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These great events have matinee performances that let you get home in time for your beauty sleep.

Love a good show but hate a late night? Prefer daydrinking? Miss your cat? These incredible Brisbane Festival events all offer matinee performances — perfect for early birds, beauty sleep lovers, or anyone who likes to be home before the streetlights come on.

Whether you’re chasing an afternoon of glam, drama, laughter, or high-octane thrills, this round-up of daytime shows lets you get your culture fix and your eight hours. Be entertained, be home early, be smug about it.

GATSBY

2 - 28 Sep

Selling FastDanceCircusCabaretMost Hyped

Enjoy a boutique club-inspired experience, without the late-night regret at matinee showings of GATSBY at the Green Light. It's a vaudeville-inspired show featuring flying acrobatics, breathtaking bar tricks, time-twisting theming, and more, all in one incredibly choreographed spectacular.

4 - 7 Sep

DanceMost Hyped

A landmark Australian exclusive and world premiere, L.A. Dance Project's bold contemporary ballet forms a dazzling triptych of distinct works. Gems by Benjamin Millepied (Black Swan) is the jewel of Brisbane Festival 2025.

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16 - 20 Sep

TheatreMost Hyped

In this sweeping family epic, Joshua Hinton transports the audience from Iran to India, Sri Lanka to South Africa, and from his family's iconic Brisbane restaurant to his home in Wollongong. A charming, funny, and moving journey of culture and belonging framed around the Paddington Indian restaurant – Sultan's Kitchen.

19 - 21 Sep

Selling FastCabaretMost Hyped

A live wire journey through the music of the Divinyls’ Chrissie Amphlett, the rebel queen of Australian Rock. This electrifying new cabaret takes audiences on a kaleidoscopic tour into the heart of an artist ahead of her time.

3 Sep - 16 May

Theatre

Back to Bilo is the profoundly moving new play from celebrated local company Belloo Creative made with — and from — the heart of regional Queensland. This is the remarkable true account of one family’s ordeal in the nightmare limbo of immigration detention.

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10 - 13 Sep

TheatreMost Hyped

Psycho-siren Leah Shelton returns with her acclaimed dark comedy BATSHIT, directed by Ursula Martinez. This one-woman tour de force is inspired by Leah’s grandmother, who was incarcerated in 1960s Australia for seeking independence. It's wildly theatrical, darkly comic, deeply intimate, and “dangerously mad”.

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4 - 20 Sep

ComedyTheatre

A fresh Asian-Australian story exploring transformation, legacy, and hope. Penned and performed by the unparalleled Merlynn Tong. With humour and heart, the show asks whether we are all bound to our fate, or if we can escape the shadows of our past to forge our own future.

24 - 27 Sep

Selling FastDanceMost Hyped

An international sensation and adrenaline-fuelled explosion of extreme urban sports, dance, music, and theatre is coming to Brisbane Festival! Experience movement like never before as BMX, parkour, skating, and more are choreographed into stunning modern dance. You’ll be on the edge of your seat as these international ‘trick-stars’ take over the stage!

14 Sep

Music

Spend an afternoon with renowned violinist Véronique Serret. One of Australia’s most celebrated musicians, Serret, uses her voice for the first time on her ARIA-nominated album, singing songs as offerings to the natural world. Special guest William Barton joins this intimate experience, bringing the haunting sounds of the yidaki/didgeridoo.

13 Sep - 5 Oct

TheatreMusical

Featuring an electrifyingly original pop score and a boldly reimagined script by Laura Murphy, The Lovers is a fresh, in-your-face remix of Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream — bursting with heart, humour, and more than a touch of magic. Enjoy a matinee session and get home in time to let the faeries sign you to sleep!

4 - 13 Sep

OperaMusic

Enjoy an afternoon of opera at this performance of one of the world’s most beloved and famous operas. With a great love story comes a beautiful score, and Puccini’s powerful yet delicate music tugs at the heartstrings. Featuring some of the most well-known arias and duets ever written, this opera is a treasure trove of musical highlights.

South Bank Corporation

South Bank is Brisbane’s iconic riverside destination and one of Queensland’s most-visited precincts, welcoming more than 16 million visitors each year. Set across 42 hectares, South Bank offers an inner-city oasis that boasts major events, exceptional dining and cultural experiences. As Queensland’s cultural heart, South Bank proudly supports Brisbane Festival and plays host to many of the festival’s major events that bring the community together.