Festival 2018 – the free arts and culture festival hitting Brisbane for the Commonwealth Games
Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you might be aware that a little old event called the Commonwealth Games is happening really soon. If you’re a Brisbane dweller, you might be feeling a sense of FOMO creeping up on account of our southern neighbours on the Gold Coast getting all of the hosting glory. Fear not, friends – Brisbane is getting in on the action with a huge roster of events running parallel to the Games! Festival 2018 is coming to Brisbane from April 4–15 to connect Brisbane to the exciting happenings of GC2018 – all without having to leave the city.
For 12 glorious days, Festival 2018 will be held in Brisbane at the same time as the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games. Hubs in the CBD and South Bank will come alive with even more colour and activities than ever before in an arts and culture extravaganza – all for free, mind you. There’s a little bit of everything going on, from world-class musical acts and stunning theatre to awe-inspiring talks and striking visual art displays. The organisers have pulled out all of the stops to ensure everyone will want a taste of the action – over the course of Festival 2018, you can catch free gigs from Archie Roach, The Preatures, Alex the Astronaut, Stella Donnelly, Airling, Urthboy and more. There is also the chance to celebrate our First Nations people with Blak Friday and hear intimate stories from Brisbane’s refugees at The Village – pretty powerful stuff.
Simply can’t wait to get into the spirit of the Games? Well, Brisbane is getting another treat in the form of the Queen’s Baton Relay passing through the city. On March 30 and 31 (the Easter long weekend), residents and visitors will have a chance to catch a glimpse of the stunning Baton and cheer on the batonbearers as they participate in this once-in-a-generation activity. It’s not just about seeing the Baton – there will be ten hotspots from Brighton to South Bank where planned community celebrations will be taking place for the relay. There will be plenty of family-friendly fun going down at each spot like live music, giant games, performances and more – to see the specific locations and activities, head to the Brisbane City Council website.
It’s game on, Brisbane. Are you ready? Head to the Brisbane City Council website for all of the details on Festival 2018 and the Queen’s Baton Relay.
Festival 2018 is presented by The Star Gold Coast, delivered by Brisbane City Council and supported by the Queensland Government. This article was made with our good friends at Brisbane City Council.
To find out more about what’s on in Brisbane, head to our Event Guide.
