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 Brisbane Festival 2012
Various Venues
Sept 8-29
Over the next three weeks the Brisbane Festival, the biggest and best arts festival on the Brisbane calendar, takes over the city with a fantastic cavalcade of music, theatre, dance, circus, comedy, opera, cabaret, film, visual arts, family events accompanied by a stunning city light show and river fire fest. And best of all, a lot of it is free.
Highlights are too numerous to include as everything's a winner at this festival but to mention a few favourites:
Santos GLNG City of Lights:
Head to South Bank's Cultural Forecourt (and Santos GLNG Lounge) for the best seats in the house to view this 3 week nightly light spectacular involving towering structures, beaming lasers, search lights and cascading waterfalls. Designed and engineered by renowned John Rayment and artistically directed by Tony Assness. Also at River Quay look out for Tony's stunning Golden Casket Light Sphere, an amazing reflective giant 'mirror ball'.
Sunsuper Riverfire:
Better start staking out your spot along the river for this last night fireworks extravaganza, best enjoyed with a picnic or barbecue, a lathering of suncream, some camping chairs and your favourite friends or family. At South Bank Parklands organized fun kicks off at 12pm. Prime viewing spots are these parklands, Victoria Bridge, Dock St, Kangaroo Point cliffs, Captain Burke Park, Brisbane City Walk (Riverside) and Wilson's Outlook. Sept 29 7pm Free.
CM Spiegeltent:
The gorgeous travelling troubadour tent from 20th century Europe returns to set up in South Bank's Cultural Forecourt, recreating an exotic world of wood panelled booths, coloured glass, mirrors and velvet curtains from which to enjoy live indie rock and pop, jazz, folk and world music, comedy, fringe cabaret and late night revelling as well as some fab morning children's shows. The little backyard garden bar that accompanies it is open for business from 5pm nightly and during performances drinks and nibbles are available. Sunday afternoons the tent flaps open to Jazz on Sundays at 2pm. Sept 8-29.
Wunderbar:
THE late night hang-out for festival goers is conveniently set up in QPAC's Cascade Court. Something like a cross between a Munich festhaus and a warehouse party, this is the catchment for show goers and performers at QPAC and goes off shortly after the curtain falls. Sept 12-29 (Wed-Sat) 8.30-late.
Brisbane Airport International Lantern Garden:
A magically stunning arrangement of coloured multicultural lanterns will create an enchanted pathway entrance into the South bank Cultural Forecourt Sept 8-29 from 6pm Free.
Main Events:
Some of the highlights include La Soiree, an Olivier award-winning cabaret, circus and vaudeville extravaganza; Archie Roach; the world premiere of S by Circa, L'Orfeo by the Australian Brandenburg Orchestra; Bluebeard's Castle featuring Lisa Gasteen; Ton Thum – Beating the Habit by the frontman of Tom Tom Crew; Mana by Israeli's Vertigo Dance Company; Soap – the Show, a bath-filled blend of circus comedy and cabaret.
Under the Radar:
Don't miss the most interesting bit of the festival with experimental, innovative and cutting edge performances across theatre, visual arts, dance, live art and multi media by fringe artists in unconventional spaces and places: think soundwaves in laneways, rotating art in a shipping container, a 5 spectator play in a caravan and a Korean speakeasy in a West End carpark.
Children:
Catch the madcap adventures of Dr Brown Brown Brown or bop along to songstress Holly Throsby at a kids dance party, both events at the CM Spiegeltent mornings during the school holidays.
Free:
Fresh and clean from sell-out European tour, Soap, the Show is a splash-filled fusion of new circus, comedy and cabaret performed, on, in and around bathtubs, with free sneak previews to be had at: Mt Ommaney Centre (Sun 16 11am, 1pm)and Brookside Shopping Centre (Sept 15 11am, 1pm). Also check out the QUT Sessions at sunset on weekends at the Spiegeltent, with up and coming musos hitting the stage for some great free performances.
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