Flash-mob cheerleaders, suburban cabaret shows and burlesque drag crews – Brisbane Festival’s opening weekend will surprise and delight
Brisbane Festival returns brighter and bolder this year with an exciting 2020 program full of music, art and just a bit of naughtiness. The opening weekend will include all of this and more, illuminating our vibrant city with a laser installation, cul-de-sac concerts and burlesque-filled flashmobs. It all kicks off on Friday September 4 with a program of performances, exhibitions and experiences that will take Brisbane’s breath away.
Brisbane Festival will kick off its jam-packed opening weekend with city-wide smoking ceremony Jumoo (Smoking), which will journey through the ancient world of Australia to honour and pay respect to Brisbane’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island communities through stories and song. Afterwards, eager explorers can make their way through the city for some bird watching, with large-scale art project Messengers of Brisbane making its debut. Created by internationally renowned artist Florentijn Hofman and brought to life by Brisbane’s Urban Art Projects, these giant Gouldian finches will be perched atop iconic Brisbane locations. Another eye-catching event to put in your calendar is the much-anticipated Sunsuper Night Sky, a laser-light installation that will beam across Brisbane on Friday and Saturday nights throughout the festival. Created by Australia’s most renowned audio-visual artist, Robin Fox, this show-stopping light installation will be visible from hundreds of vantage points across Brisbane – from South Bank to Fortitude Valley, Kangaroo Point and more.
The Festival will then take the party to the ‘burbs with Street Serenades – a series of pop-up neighbourhood concerts, suburban symphonies and park gigs. Coming to a street near you, this mammoth music program will feature some of Brisbane’s best contemporary musicians, DJs, cabaret, classical and circus performers. The suburban theatrics don’t stop there, with bikeways and walking paths set to be taken over by some top-notch performing artists in a series of pop-up encounters as part of Exercise Surprises. There will be prehistoric puppets, lollipop ladies, flash-mob cheer squads and acrobats showing off their flexibility and strength – the type of weird and wonderful that only Brisbane Festival can supply. More flash-mob fanfare will pop up across Brisbane in the form of All You Need is Love – where drag artist and dancer Fez Faanana and his riotous burlesque drag crew Briefs Factory (the creative characters behind Club Briefs) will lead the Brisbane Excelsior Band in a loud celebration of love across the city – a romantic marching-band performance that you won’t want to miss!
You can dive into the full 2020 Brisbane Festival program and purchase tickets to events here.
To find out more about what’s on in Brisbane, head to our Event Guide.
