Day of the Dead fiestas, dog festivals, vintage fashion sales and an AFL Grand Final – there is plenty on in and around Brisbane this weekend to keep you busy. Need a few ideas? We've got your back! more
Concerts are few and far between at the moment – and harder than ever to secure tickets for. That's why Australian Brandenburg Orchestra's special digital premiere of Ayres & Graces has arrived at just the right time, ready to serve up an evening of bewitching sounds straight to your living room on Sunday November 1. Featuring everything from heavenly trio sonatas to intimate chamber music, this is one musical journey you don't want to miss out on. more
Like most things this year, concerts and music festivals have had to adapt to the new normal. On the not-so-fun side of things, this has seen a few fallen soldiers in the process, with many events cancelled or postponed to a future date. After a few months of radio silence, a brand-new live music concept – Feedback Festival – is set to breathe new life into the Gold Coast music scene. It's all happening over ten firecracker nights, from Thursday December 3 until Sunday December 13. Festival fun is back, baby! more
The brilliant minds behind one of Australia’s most beloved music events, BIGSOUND, have pulled out all of the stops to line up some spectacular talent for this year's festivities. BIGSOUND's completely digital conference program is an extravaganza of homegrown music legends and pop-culture prodigies ready to share everything from their insights into the industry and their rich careers to the very strange state of the world. It's going to be bonanzas. more
Be prepared for jaw-dropping cabaret, daring circus acts and a whole lot of live-music goodness – The Tivoli is putting on a show (well, actually, quite a lot of them) as part of its brand-new live music and entertainment series Open Season. A curated series of concerts and performances taking over the iconic live-music venue, Open Season is set to reinvigorate Brisbane’s performing arts scene all summer long. From November 2020 to February 2021, eager concert-goers will be able to treat their ears and eyes to shows featuring Custard, Megan Washington, Cub Sport, Queensland Symphony Orchestra, Briefs Factory and many more! more
It’s safe to say 2020 hasn’t been a typical year, but BIGSOUND isn’t a typical event. The brilliant minds behind one of Australia’s most beloved music conferences weren’t going to let a little thing like a global pandemic get in the way of pulling together yet another groundbreaking line-up of talent – things are just going to be a little bit different (and a lot more online) for BIGSOUND’s 2020 edition. The tastemakers and talent-finders of our country’s music landscape have curated one of the most kick-ass programs ever, creating an entirely digital experience that still packs just as much of a punch as IRL events of yore. A red-hot line-up of incredible musicians, industry boffins and pop-culture icons have combined to create a program that speaks to the spirit of the conference – the ambitious, the undiscovered, the offbeat and the downright legendary. more
Concerts have been mostly absent from the calendar this year, but they are making a welcome comeback across our vibrant city – and boy, we have missed them so. If you've been itching to treat your ears to an afternoon of sweet tunes, West End lifestyle and entertainment precinct West Village is hosting Songs at Sunset, two twilight opera performances in the lush surrounds of The Common on Friday October 9 and Saturday October 10. more
In probably some of the most exciting news to be announced this year, a massive music event – Factory Summer Festival – has revealed it's heading to Brisbane with a jam-packed line-up of Australian musical talent. If everything goes to plan (we are crossing our fingers and toes), then this series of gigs will be here come December. Start planning your outfit pronto. more
Ordinarily the annual BIGSOUND event is a multi-day rager that sweeps Fortitude Valley's best arts venues with a global gathering of musicians, industry folk, brands and media beaming a spotlight on up-and-coming artists by catapulting them onto the world stage. If we've learnt anything at all from 2020 it's that these times are far from ordinary and this year – for the first time in its 18-year history – BIGSOUND is going virtual. Before you go crying into your pillow, the silver lining is that you will be able to enjoy an abundance of music alongside keynote addresses, workshops, panels and discussions from the comfort of your couch, for free! more
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. more
Sequinned outfits, sparkling dancefloors and a whole lot of Donna Summer – we think disco is well and truly worthy of a comeback. Fortitude Valley's neon-lit late-night bar and eatery Ling Ling has caught disco fever and is launching a weekly party to celebrate. Kicking off this Sunday August 30, Ling Ling's Dim Sum Disco Sundays has it all – catchy beats, a delicious dim sum spread and bottomless sips. So don your best 70s attire and assemble your crew for the ultimate Studio 54-esque Sunday session. Who said disco was dead? more
The weather is warming up, flowers are blossoming across our vibrant city and fun times are on their way – spring is just around the corner, folks! Welcome the new season with good company and great vibes at Blooms & Tunes, an afternoon of music and picnic goodness held in Brisbane’s inner-city tropical haven, Roma Street Parkland. more
With its reputation as Brisbane's creative, art and cultural hub with a flair for dramatics, we always knew the reopening of Brisbane Powerhouse would be something to look forward to. Ushering in the return of the contemporary art haven and its hugely popular creative calendar is Lights On – a curated series of intimate shows that feature new works from uber-talented Brisbane-based artists emerging from lockdown. more
The all-mighty pandemic might have stomped out our plans of moving and grooving along to live tunes at our favourite musical festivals this year, but it can't dampen our spirits entirely. Keeping the dream alive is Splendour in the Grass, which has just announced some key players set to headline next year's magical music-filled shindig at North Byron Parklands from Friday July 23 to Sunday July 25, 2021. more
As the song goes, everybody needs good neighbours – especially when it comes to pulling together a street party! Brisbane Festival is officially back for 2020 and to kick things off, it's on the hunt for the city's coolest cul-de-sacs, courts, places and/or dead-ends to host one heck of a party. You can bet there will be dancing in the street come September as your quiet suburban pocket is transformed into a pop-up concert venue as part of the festival's 2020 program. more
Before the pandemic, on any given Friday or Saturday night, The Zoo in Fortitude Valley would be heaving with 500-or-so sweaty bodies who are all there for one reason – the love of live music. That all changed when the venue was forced to cancel all upcoming gigs leaving the future of The Zoo but also live music in Brisbane in a kind of uncertain limbo. Thankfully, as restrictions continue to ease across the state, concerts are back on the cards (in a limited capacity at least) with The Zoo unveiling a string of intimate shows aptly named the Anti-Social series. more
If you ask us, one of the best things to come out of the last few months is the enormous amount of gigs that have been live streamed to our lounge rooms. We've tuned into mini festivals, band reunions and couch concerts galore – and the roster of talent has been nothing short of spectacular. So we can enjoy a little bit more of this virtual-gig bliss, Brisbane-based brewing company Green Beacon has partnered with Rolling Stone for a special all-Australian edition of the iconic magazine's In My Room series, and they've recruited a few musically gifted artists along for the ride. To quote Penny Lane in Almost Famous, "It's all happening". more
With social distancing measures to remain in place for the foreseeable future, the way we party will look a lot different from here on out. Bush doofs, festivals and clubbing nights may be off the cards for now, however, that doesn't mean some good ol' fashion fun has been removed from the equation. Enter The Parking Lot Social, a new drive-in party series from the team behind the world’s largest jumping castle, The Big Bounce. With live tunes, food trucks, stand-up comedy and car karaoke all part of this huge program of immersive and interactive entertainment, it's safe to say you're in for one wild ride (or park, rather). more
After the cancellation of pretty much every live gig pencilled in for early- to mid-2020, we were starting to lose hope that live music was on the cards at all for this year. Thankfully, for both keen concert-goers and the local music industry, restrictions are gradually lifting and live gigs are making a slow but sure comeback. Setting the wheels in motion is iconic Newstead venue The Triffid, which has just announced Cabin Fever Festival – a month-long celebration of homegrown Queensland talent in The Triffid Garden. Kicking off on Friday July 10, Cabin Fever Festival will feature a huge roster of talent including the likes of Aussie artists Bernard Fanning, Dami Im, Troy Cassar-Daley and many more. more
Around this time, music lovers across the country begin to plan outlandish outfits and assemble their vans, campers and tents to make the annual pilgrimage to North Byron Parklands for Splendour in the Grass, but things look a little different this year. In this crazy post-COVID landscape in which we now reside, music festivals as we know them (i.e. mass gatherings of people) are off the table for the foreseeable future. While this situation hurts the collective heart of music lovers everywhere, there is a glimmer of good news to get us through the cold winter – a drive-in music festival by the name of Airwaves is happening at Nambour Showgrounds in July. more