Glow-in-the-dark gardens, flavourful food-truck fare and DJs at dusk – all of the must-do events happening at Botanica: Contemporary Art Outside
This month, Brisbane will be soaked in a rainbow of colour thanks to Botanica: Contemporary Art Outside, which is coming to the City Botanic Gardens from May 20–29, 5:00–10:00 pm. As the sun sets over the city skyline, this open-air exhibition will light up the park with a plethora of colourful projections and immersive installations. Upping the ante will be a range of twilight tours, after-dark entertainment including live beats and food trucks, and a kid-friendly art trail. Here’s our pick of Botanica’s must-do happenings …
Botanica Live Nights: Weekends in May are about to get a whole lot more exciting with the arrival of Botanica Live Nights, the offspring of Botanica: Contemporary Art Outside. Happening every Friday, Saturday and Sunday evening throughout the festival, Botanica Live Nights will allow event-goers to spend more time exploring the artworks and discovering the beauty of the gardens. These jam-packed nights will see food trucks slinging salivation-inducing eats, a pop-up bar serving up whistle-wetting tipples and DJs providing a catchy soundtrack.
Afterdark Art Walks: To help you delve a little deeper into Botanica and to discover more about each artwork and artist, there will be guided after-dark tours of the exhibition. On Friday, Saturday and Sunday evenings, visitors also have the opportunity to meet some of the Botanica artists, who will share more about their inspiration and why they created their work. Talk about a VIP experience! Bookings are essential for this activity, so we suggest nabbing a spot now.
Children’s Discovery Trail: Got the kids in tow? Follow the self-guided Children’s Discovery Trail with creative activities to discover more about the Botanica artworks and artists. You can get closer to the exciting and enchanting artworks and create your own family-friendly adventure.
Neon Night Garden: For those who love a bit of glow-in-the-dark fun, look no further than Neon Night Garden, a large-scale participatory artwork that invites keen green thumbs to contribute to a luminous garden growing in the City Botanic Gardens. You can drop in any time to learn a few fibre arts techniques and to add to the glowing garden.
The Holocence: Taking Botanica to the city streets is The Holocence, an artwork experience that’s set to hit digital screens around Brisbane’s CBD. The artwork delves into the relationship between nature and humanity in an illustrative underwater photographic and video display.
Keen to put these fun-filled activities in your diary? Visit the Brisbane City Council website for further information on this starlit showcase.
This article was written in partnership with our friends at Brisbane City Council.
To find out more about what’s on in Brisbane, head to our Event Guide.
