Brisbane’s Colourful Makeover
This September, Brisbane will burst into a kaleidoscope of colours as the Brisbane Festival 2025 takes over the city. Renowned Australian artists Craig Redman and Karl Maier, known as Craig & Karl, will adorn three of Brisbane’s central walking bridges with vivid inflatable installations. Their public art trail will feature sculptures, projections, and animations, marking their most ambitious project to date .
Complementing this, the Griffith University Art Museum will host an exhibition of Craig & Karl’s work, celebrating their journey from Brisbane students to international art sensations .
Celebrating First Nations Stories
A highlight of the festival is the return of Stephen Page’s outdoor performance, Baleen Moondjan. Inspired by a story from Page’s grandmother of the Ngugi/Nunukul/Moondjan people, the performance celebrates the connection between baleen whales and First Nations’ totemic systems. Staged on a barge in the Brisbane River, with audiences seated at Queens Wharf, the set features dramatic whale bone structures, making it a visual spectacle .
Local Stories on Stage
Back to Bilo is a poignant play co-presented by Queensland Theatre, telling the true story of the Nadesalingam family, Tamil Sri Lankan asylum seekers who were forcibly removed from Biloela in 2018. The play draws from extensive interviews, highlighting the community’s fight to bring the family back home .
Another unique performance, A Place in the Sultan’s Kitchen, features singer-songwriter Josh Hinton cooking his grandmother’s chicken curry live on stage, sharing stories of family and culture.
International and Local Highlights
The festival will also showcase LA Dance Project’s Gems, choreographed by Benjamin Millepied and billed as the world premiere of the complete trilogy, performed in its entirety for the first time, alongside the world premiere of Bad Nature, a collaboration between the Australasian Dance Collective and Dutch company Club Guy & Roni.
The Twelfth Night Theatre in Bowen Hills will be transformed into a Gatsby-themed cabaret club, Gatsby at the Green Light, reviving the historic venue with jazz-age charm .
Festival Overview
| Event | Dates | Location |
|---|---|---|
| Brisbane Festival 2025 | 5 to 27 September 2025 | Brisbane, QLD |
| Craig & Karl Art Installations | Throughout Festival | Citywide |
| Baleen Moondjan Performance | Festival Period | Brisbane River |
| Back to Bilo Play | 3 to 13 September 2025 | Bille Brown Theatre |
| A Place in the Sultan’s Kitchen | Festival Period | Various Venues |
| Gatsby at the Green Light | Festival Period | Twelfth Night Theatre |
Sources:
- Brisbane Festival, 2025 programme archive
- The Guardian Australia, “Brisbane to be transformed by ‘explosion of extraordinary colour’ in citywide art takeover”
- Queensland Government, “Brisbane Festival set to transform the city”
- scenestr, “Brisbane Festival 2025 Programme”
Photo: Mint0ri, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Illustrative: Kurilpa Bridge over the Brisbane River at night, one of the city’s central pedestrian bridges.
