The city of Brisbane, which lies a few hundred miles up the eastern coast of Australia, is both the capital of Queensland and the fastest growing city in the country. With this rise in population, Brisbane has also turned into a cultural hub that rivals both Sydney and Melbourne. One of the city’s biggest advantages in attracting visitors year-round is its perpetually serene climate; temperature rarely dips below 20 degrees celsius (68 degrees fahrenheit) or above 35 degrees Celsius (95 degrees fahrenheit). This makes Brisbane the ideal setting for some of the country’s most beloved festivals.
The Valley Fiesta
The Valley Fiesta, also referred to as “Brisbane’s Biggest Street Party,” is an annual three-day event, which as the name suggests, consists of crowds of music lovers taking over the streets. Acts from around the world descend onto Brisbane, which, with its near perfect climate, is the ideal location such a festival. This could be why US Billboard Magazine recently named Brisbane one of the “Top 5 Hotspots for Music” in the world. Another reason why this annual gathering is so popular is that many of the events are free. In addition, with Brisbane’s army of street food vendors at every turn, the festival is the perfect excuse to sample a spectrum of affordable delicies.
St. George Brisbane International Film Festival
Different from the typical outdoor gatherings, the St. George Brisbane International Film Festival is spread over a week in a series of indoor venues throughout the city. According to the official BIFF website, “Since the first festival in 1992, more than 420,000 film-goers have immersed themselves in the BIFF experience.” Like most film festivals, BIFF focuses on cutting edge independent cinema, but, because of its location, is also a great way to absorb some of the intriguing cinema specific to Queensland.
Brisbane Festival
In a town full of festivals, the crown jewel is the annual gathering named after the host town, the Brisbane Festival. While other festivals center around one specific aspect of culture, whether it be music, film or art, this fest, which consistently draws the most attendees of all the festivals in Brisbane, features a little bit of everything, with the city itself being the real focus of celebration. In addition, this annual series of events takes over the entire town, allowing for a spectacular fireworks display along the Brisbane river as the grande finale.