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Brisbane Festival’s 2023 Program Features Drone Shows, Giant Peonies And Shark Dives

By Ranyhyn Laine
17th Aug 2023

 

Always a stunning celebration of our river city, Brisbane Festival is scheduled to return in September  with performances, installations and unmissable parties happening all over the city.

The fun even starts before September does, with Lightscape hitting the Brisbane City Botanic Gardens on Thursday 31 August. This stunning botanical light show has travelled the world, and is finally heading our way, bringing its immersive two-kilometre trail of light, sound and colour to Brisbane. It’s an unmissable experience and you can snap up tickets here

Kicking off the official month of festivities though, will be the captivating Jarrah smoking ceremony at South Bank on Friday 2 September to pay respect to Brisbane’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island communities. The first weekend will also see the Queensland Premiere of Nieergoo: Spirit Of The Whale, spectacular three-dimensional multicolour drone show that will highlight the Neville Bonner Bridge and Queens’ Wharf. Over 400 drones will tell a 65,000 year old dreamtime story through stunning visuals on Friday 1 and Saturday 2 September, with the best views from South Bank. 

Of course it wouldn’t be Brisbane Festival without Riverfire, which will light up our skies on Saturday 2 September. And throughout the festival, the Australian Retirement Trust Festival Garden in South Bank will be the place to be, with pop-up bars, food stalls and free performances. While you’re there, check out Hiromi Hotel by Hiromi Tango, a garden of giant, rainbow-coloured peony flowers. 

With over 1000 performances on the calendar we can hardly tell you about all of them, but a few we’ll be snapping up tickets for include Eternity, a new show from Circa’s talented circus artists that will take place in the jaw-dropping surrounds of St John’s Cathedral; The Party, Strut & Fret’s latest production featuring flawless acrobatics and a hefty dose of debauchery; and Erth’s Shark Dive, a choose your own audio adventure created by world-renowned puppeteers where you’ll come face-to-face with a Great White. 

Brisbane Festival 2023 will run 1–23 September, with tickets for paid events on sale now.

Can’t wait? Check out more of Brisbane’s packed events calendar here.

Image credit: Supplied

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