Byron Bay Bluesfest – April 6–10
While some people may associate Easter with chocolate egg hunts and copious amounts of hot cross buns, there’s also another reason we look forward to the bunny visiting each year – it’s also time for Byron Bay Bluesfest, baby! Next year’s line-up is brimming with homegrown and international music icons including American blues singer Bonnie Raitt, yacht-rock legends The Doobie Brothers, English singer-songwriter Elvis Costello and indie-rockers Gang of Youths. The roster is further bolstered by BECK, Counting Crows, Paolo Nutini, Big Freedia, The Angels, Ash Grunwald, 19-Twenty, The Black Sorrows, The Cat Empire, King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard, Jon Stevens, Lucina Williams, Tash Sultana and Xavier Rudd. Bluesfest will be taking over Byron Events Farm on Easter weekend from April 6–10, and will present more than 200 performances on five stages over five twelve-hour days, as well as five licensed bars, more than 100 food and market stalls, undercover food courts, beer gardens, and children’s entertainment. Secure your spot at the greatest annual Easter party and grab your tickets through the festival’s official website.

Dinosaurs of Patagonia – from Friday March 17
Sir David Attenborough once mused that “The Titanosaur (Patagotitan) is one of the most extraordinary finds in the history of palaeontology.” If that doesn’t get you excited for Queensland Museum’s next exhibition, we don’t know what will. Opening on Friday March 17, 2023, Dinosaurs of Patagonia will showcase 13 dinosaur species and fossils from South America. The crème de la crème of the exhibition is no doubt the famous Titanosaur Patagotitan, which is the world’s largest known land animal, reaching 37-m long and weighing in at a whopping 70 tonnes. Visitors to Dinosaurs of Patagonia will be able to explore the exhibition through the eyes of palaeontologists, check out 3D videos of dinosaurs and digs, and get close to some of the world’s most remarkable fossils, including a real 2.4-m Patagotitan femur. Can’t wait to sink your teeth into this dino-mite exhibition? Join the waitlist for access to tickets in early 2023 by heading to the Queensland Museum website.

Moulin Rouge! The Musical – from May 2023
Baz Luhrmann’s 2001 jukebox musical hit Moulin Rouge! is as beloved today (perhaps even more so) than it was when it was released more than two decades ago. Its cult following is so devoted that it birthed an Australian-produced musical that has taken the world by storm. In some of the most exciting news to come out of 2022, Moulin Rouge! The Musical is set to can-can into Brisbane in all its glitz, grandeur and glory. Produced by acclaimed Australian company Global Creatures, this stunning stage show features some of your favourite songs from the original movie including ‘Your Song’, ‘Elephant Love Medley’, ‘Come What May’, ‘El Tango De Roxanne’ plus additions from Adele, Katy Perry, Sia, Rihanna and Beyoncé. To grab tickets to this musical mash-up extravaganza, shimmy on over to the Moulin Rouge! The Musical website.

Hamilton – from January 27
Brisbane, you’ve waited with eager anticipation and now your patience is finally being rewarded – the Tony®, Grammy®, Olivier and Pulitzer Prize-winning musical Hamilton is finally coming to our river city. You do not want to throw away your shot to witness Lin-Manuel Miranda’s much-loved production, which has had a profound impact on culture, politics and education since it first debuted off-Broadway in 2015. Performances will kick off at QPAC’s Lyric Theatre from January 27, 2023, after wrapping up its Melbourne run at Her Majesty’s Theatre on Sunday January 15. For those not so in the know, Hamilton has taken the story of American founding father Alexander Hamilton and created a revolutionary moment in theatre. The sung-and-rapped-through musical features a score that blends hip-hop, jazz and R&B with book, music and lyrics masterminded by Broadway superstar Lin-Manuel Miranda. You’ll be able to sing along to favourites like ‘Satisfied’, ‘The Room Where It Happens’ and ‘Wait For It’. To secure your tickets and for more information, head to the QPAC website.

Fairy Tales – December 2, 2023 to April 28, 2024
Many of us spent countless nights of our youth being read fairytales to help lull us to sleep, so it’s only natural that we have a fascination for magical-filled fictional stories. QAGOMA’s new exhibition, Fairy Tales, will explore our collective love for romantic fables and captivating yarns by showcasing the way visual storytellers draw on fairytale narratives to entrance, delight and disconcert audiences. The spellbinding showcase will highlight the archetypal figures we know so well — wicked witches, stalwart princes and princesses, and magical animals – through paintings, sculptures, drawings, installations, films, fashion and much more. You’ll be mesmerised by artworks and installations from leading international and Australian artists including Yayoi Kusama, Jana Sterbak, Kiki Smith, Patricia Piccinni, Abdul Abdullah, Ron Mueck and Charles Blackman. Whether you fell head over heels for Cinderella, wished you could drink tea with the Mad Hatter in Alice in Wonderland or you hope to be kissed by a charming prince like in Snow White, you’ll love this enchanting exhibition. For more information head to the GOMA website.

ΩHM – February to March
We’ve been craving a seriously fresh festival experience, and Brisbane Powerhouse’s ΩHM (pronounced OHM) looks like it’s going to be able to sate our hunger. Curated by Room40 founder Lawrence English and Brisbane Powerhouse arts program director Brad Spolding, ΩHM will showcase a selection of ear-catching installations, innovative new works and much-loved homegrown and international musos. A whole heap of trail-blazing artists are set to take the stage including synth-pop gems Future Islands, iconic feminist musician Peaches, festival favourites Monolake and Electric Indigo and New Zealand rock band The Chills. The roster is further bolstered by must-see acts such as Kae Tempest, Nakhane and black midi. The festival becomes even more strange and spellbinding from there – light, laser and sound will come together when audio-visual artist Robin Fox, composer Yann Novak and sound artist mHz (Mo H. Zareei) unite for one truly spectacular show. Those looking to enter a new sensory realm can do so at film-screening-meets-concert Hear My Eyes: Pan’s Labyrinth x Sleep D, which brings together sonic masters Sleep D and the magical world of Guillermo del Toro’s 2006 masterpiece, Pan’s Labyrinth. Hop over to the Brisbane Powerhouse website to grab your tickets.

Pop Masters: Art from the Mugrabi Collection, New York – from February 18
The time has come, fellow art lovers – HOTA Gallery’s first-ever international blockbuster exhibition is almost upon us! Pop Masters: Art from the Mugrabi Collection, New York is bringing works never before seen in Australia by iconic artists like Andy Warhol, Keith Haring and Jean-Michel Basquiat to the Gold Coast. This eye-catching collection showcases the work of the three generation-defining pop-art legends alongside artists that have been inspired by their legacy over the past six decades. In addition to iconic works from the pop-art trifecta, other artists set to be featured in the exhibition include Katherine Bernhardt, Kwesi Botchway, George Condo, Damien Hirst, Kaws, Barbara Kruger, Joel Mesler, Richard Prince, Tom Sachs, Julian Schnabel, Mickalene Thomas and Tom Wesselmann. Direct from New York, exclusive to HOTA and only showing for 15 weeks from Saturday February 18 to Sunday June 4, don’t miss the opportunity to discover a story of pop art and experience this incredible collection of works up close. To nab some tickets, head to the HOTA website.

Night Feast – March 1–26 and October 4–29
Night Feast, Brisbane Powerhouse’s new twice-annual night market, will be taking place across multiple dates in March and October 2023. The flavour-packed happening will feature more than 20 gourmet food stalls with flavoursome fare from some of Brisbane’s top restaurants set to tantalise taste buds. We’re not talking about your ordinary food-truck gathering either, as Night Feast is something completely different. There’s set to be an open fire-pit for roasting, a dedicated dessert bar, whistle-wetting cocktails and an award-winning wine list, all designed for communal feasting. Guest chefs will join in the culinary celebration too, including hatted headliner Martin Boetz of Longrain fame. Market-goers will be able to stroll inside a Bladerunner-inspired village designed by Bruce McKinven (of Dark Mofo fame), which alongside a sizzling selection of gourmet food stalls, will also be lined with immersive installations, roaming performances, DJ sets and live music from visual and performance artists. Night Feast will take place in 2023 from March 1–26 and again in October from the 4–29, and will be open Wednesday to Sunday from 4:30–9:30 pm. Keep an eye out as Night Feast stallholders will be announced in February 2023.