Brisbane Festival, various locations: Brisbane Festival is back from September 4–26 with an exciting 2020 program full of music, art and all-round fun. This year’s Brisbane Festival will showcase a whopping 490 performances across 91 events that the kids are guaranteed to love including giant art installations for the future bird-watchers (Messengers of Brisbane), street concerts that’ll get them dancing (Street Serenades), circus antics that are sure to surprise (Leviathan) and a huge laser light show (Sunsuper Night Sky). This is just the tip of the iceberg, you can check out the full 2020 Brisbane Festival program and purchase tickets to events here.

KombiAlley Drive-Thru Dessert Festival, Hamilton: Get ready for a well-deserved sugar-high – Eat Street Northshore is reopening its doors for a very special event these school holidays – the KombiAlley Drive-Thru Dessert Festival. From Friday September 18 to Sunday October 4, the KombiAlley Drive-Thru will be serving up delicious desserts every Friday and Saturday from 3:00–9:00 pm, and each Sunday from 12:00–8:00 pm. All of your favourite Eat Street desserts will be making an appearance including Jake & Elle’s cannoli, doughnut fries, cronuts, loaded milk shakes and ice-cream. There will also be DJ beats as well as Eat Street’s own radio channel to keep you grooving in the drive-through.

Kids Collective, South Bank: Thursdays are taken care of thanks to Kids Collective at South Bank Parklands. The delightful workshops, which are suitable for tots up to five years, are set to entertain little ones with a range of educational and interactive activities – think musical play, storytelling and even baby yoga. These free workshops run in 30–45 minute sessions, taking place at 9:00 am, 10:00 am, 11:00 am and 12:00 pm, and you can pre-register here.

Vertec Adventure, Kangaroo Point: On Friday September 25, kids aged 12–17 can scale the Kangaroo Point Cliffs in this free Brisbane City Council Chillout event. Supervised by instructors from Vertec Adventure, climbers will be rewarded with panoramic views of the Brisbane River and the city skyline at the top of the cliffs after a short rock-climb to the top. There’s two sessions available – 8:00 am and 10:00 am – and bookings are essential. Head to the Vertec Adventure website or phone 0403 293 533 for more information.

Yoga for Young People, multiple locations: Mini yogis can breathe, stretch and relax at Yoga for Young People with instructors from Yoga and Wellness for All at this Brisbane City Council Chillout event on September 23, 25 and 30 and October 2. Suitable for young people aged ten to 17, the classes offer a safe, supported space for youngsters to practise yoga. To book, email or phone 0402 901 358 for more information.

It’s Rocket Science, Everton Park: Budding scientists can test their skills shooting a water rocket 60 m into the air at this Council Chillout event  – how cool is that? This event is hosted by Rocket Science, specialists in STEM programs that enhance children’s understanding of flight, rocketry and space technology. Sessions are $5 per person and are suitable for ages ten to 17. Sessions are happening on Monday September 21 and Friday September 25 and October 1–2 at 9:30 am or 10:30 am. To book visit the It’s Rocket Science website or phone 0401 217 052 for more information.

Paddle Queensland’s kayak adventures, multiple locations: Hop on board for fun on the Brisbane River with Paddle Queensland’s kayak adventures. Youngsters aged ten to 17 are welcome to bring a group of friends or make new ones over three hours of water games and fun. The cost is $5 per person and games are held at multiple locations. Sessions are on Monday September 21 at 11: 30am, Tuesday September 22 at 12:00 pm, and Saturday October 3 at 9:00 am. To book visit the Paddle Queensland website or phone 0414 960 728 for more information.

Mini Olympic Games, Wynnum: Kids aged six to 15 can go for gold at Mini Olympic Games, a free event hosted by Life Be in It Funworks at Wynnum Wading Pool Park in Wynnum on Monday September 21 at 2:00 pm.The program includes boffa hockey, earth ball relay, sock wrestling, tug of war, gumboot toss and super sumo – yep, the game with the sumo suits! To book, email or phone 0403 221 676.

Disney+ Open Air Cinema, Hamilton: Say hello to Disney+ Drive-In, where the magic of all of your favourite films comes to life on the big screen at the Northshore Riverfront Event Space in Hamilton. From Thursday September 17 to Sunday October 18, you can watch your favourite characters from Walt Disney Pictures, Pixar, Star Wars, Marvel and more, all from the comfort of your car at this drive-in pop-up. You can even stock up on sweet treats and cinema snacks from the on-site kiosk or bring your own from home. Eager for a family outing to the drive-in cinema? Peep the full film roster and purchase your tickets here.

Il Gancio, Toombul: These school holidays, Italian restaurant Il Gancio is letting your little ones put on a chef’s hat to cook up a storm! Parents can tuck into a bowl of pasta and sip wine while the kids get their hands messy with a DIY pizza kit with all of the ingredients and toppings included. After they’ve perfected their dough flip, the Il Gancio’s chefs will put the pizzas in the oven and deliver it to your table along with a soft drink! Email to make a booking.

NIDA, South Bank: These school holidays, kids can take advantage of face-to-face creative classes and learn the craft of acting with NIDA’s professional performance training. From Saturday September 26, NIDA Open will be running its popular short courses in face-to-face classes in Brisbane, with introductory to advanced classes for different age groups in acting for stage, screen, TV presenting, costume design and audition preparation. For more information on NIDA Open spring courses, visit the NIDA website.

Timezone, multiple locations: Live life in the fast lane with a healthy dose of friendly family competition with school holiday special deals at Timezone. From Wednesday September 16 to Tuesday October 13, score $75 game play credit when you load $50 or get $110 game play credit when you load $70. Now, that’s a whole lot of rounds on the dodgem cars!