This long weekend’s social calendar is booked and busy. Experience art in motion on Friday afternoon, shop ‘til you drop with an exclusive bedazzling pop-up on Saturday before heading to a broadway musical on Sunday afternoon – this itinerary has something for everyone.
If you need a weekend to get out of the house and explore Brisbane and beyond, here are our top recommendations.
Mt Coot-Tha Comes Alive at Botanic By Night: Nightglow
Set amid the Gardens’ iconic natural trails, the Botanic By Night: NightGlow outdoor art trail presents Queensland’s wildlife in a new light, with a magical, lantern-lit art experience in collaboration with First Nations artists. Take an atmospheric evening stroll among eleven colourful, illuminated sculptures of Australian animals lining the 800-metre route, including a delicious selection of food trucks along the way. Local tickets are priced at $25 per adult and $12.50 per child.
What: Botanic By Night: Nightglow
When: 25 September – 10 October, 6:30-9pm
Where: Brisbane Botanic Gardens, Mt Coot-Tha
Drink and Dine at the Customs House AIX Rosé Launch Lunch
The iconic domes at Customs House are getting a spring revival in partnership with AIX Rosé, who are taking over the riverside venue with a decadent high tea. While the AIX Rosé Garden will be open to the public between the 4th of October and the 20th of December, this weekend marks the grand opening – An all-inclusive launch lunch, complete with a two-course meal and two hours of free-flowing AIX Rosé. Tickets are available at $150 per person, so make sure to get your tickets before they’re sold out.
What: AIX Rosé Launch Lunch
When: Saturday 3 October, 12-2pm
Where: Patina Customs House
Custom Bedazzling at eeyo x Lidos Boutique pop-up
West End’s Lidos Boutique and local label eeyo have teamed up for a one-weekend-only pop-up collaboration. Head to Lidos and shop their exclusive collab collection, help yourself to some free press-on nails from their Sally Hansen Nail Bar, sip on Mellow drinks and, the main event, customise any piece at their bedazzling bar. This is one spunky event to spice up your long weekend. We’ve already visited because, let’s be real, life is better bedazzled.
From Broadway to Brisbane, Anastasia the Musical hits the stage
Inspired by the film adaptation of the story we all know and love, Anastasia the Musical is bringing heartwarming nostalgia, dazzling costumes, and bewitching musical numbers to QPAC. The talented cast brings the tale of the Romanov family to life in a fictional retelling of young Anya’s journey to find her family and uncover her past. The show runs from the 16th of September to the 25th of October, with tickets starting at $79.90.
What: Anastasia The Musical
When: 16 September – 25 October
Where: Lyric Theatre, QPAC
Spring has Sprung at Cafe Disco
Celebrate the first long weekend of spring with DJs, oysters, and wine – What could possibly be better than that? Cafe Disco’s Spring Block Party is serving up delicious eats accompanied by disco beats this Sunday from 3-9pm. Their ever-evolving menu takes inspiration from Pan-Asian meals, with bold and memorable flavours paired perfectly with wines and a rotating list of cocktails. No reservations are required – just turn up with your girls and party on.
What: Spring Block Party
When: Sunday 4 October, 3-9pm
Where: Cafe Disco, 69 Hardgrave Road, West End
Sundown Music Festival
Born and built in Brisbane, Sundown Music Festival is back to bring the best Australian and international house, hiphop, and R&B artists to the stage. With artists such as Lavern and Tom Enzy who previously took the spotlight at Tomorrowland, this dual-stage experience offers a Boiler Room industrial space for you to get down to the best music Brisbane has to offer. With a diverse selection of gourmet food trucks and premium bars on site, Sundown Music Festival is about to become your new favourite long-weekend tradition. Tickets are available at $89, so make sure to get yours now before they’re all snapped up. Held right on your doorstep at Superordinary in Hamilton, gates will open on Saturday at 4pm, and the final act finishes up at 11pm.
What: Sundown Music Festival
When: Saturday 3 October, 4-11pm
Where: Superordinary, 175 MacArthur Ave, Hamilton
Peachay the Label Pop Up Shop
Peachay the Label is bringing their first ever pop-up shop to Brisbane this weekend. Designed with women’s curves in mind, these jeans are smaller around the waist with room for a bit of extra booty, hips, and thighs. Peachay is an online store only, so if you want to find a pair of jeans that fit just right, come along to their pop-up shop to try on the perfect fit for you. The jeans are try-on only, but they’re offering 15% off all pop-up orders to be shipped from their warehouse on Monday. This special chance to find the perfect pair of gap-free jeans with a sneaky discount runs from 10am-2pm this Saturday and Sunday at The Station in Fortitude Valley.
What: Peachay the Label Pop Up Shop
When: Saturday 3 October – Sunday 4 October, 10am-2pm
Where: The Station, 16 School St, Fortitude Valley
Brisbane Illustration Fair
Kick off spooky season right and support some local artists, Brisbane Illustration Fair has come to town. With plenty of artworks, zines, and prints from artists across Australia, this fair brings together two days of creativity and illustration. You’ll find plenty of illustrators all with different art styles, from cozy to creepy – including the launch of the BIF Art Zine: Issue 4, Haunted Portraits. Entry will only cost you $2, and kids under 12 get in for free. If you’re craving an artsy weekend, head to John Reid Pavilion at the Brisbane Showgrounds from 10am-4pm.
What: Brisbane Illustration Fair
When:Saturday 3 October- Sunday 4th October, 10am-4pm
Where: John Reid Pavilion, Brisbane Showgrounds, Bowen Hills
Celebrate Oktoberfest with Brisbane German Club
Raise your Steins and don your finest Dirndl, Oktoberfest is back to celebrate the best of German culture at Brisbane German Club. Prepare for dancing, games, and Australia’s widest selection of German beer on tap – this is world-famous Bavarian hospitality right here in Brisbane. If you’re worried about the dress code, have no fear – there will even be a Schnucki Dirndl and Lederhosen pop-up store, so you can get kitted out in the finest traditional attire. Tickets start from as little as $40 and include a 2026 commemorative half-stein – this is a celebration you do not want to miss out on.
What: Oktoberfest
When: Friday 2 – Sunday 4 October
Where: Brisbane German Club, 416 Vulture St, Kangaroo Point
Gallery of Modern Art (GOMA) will transform into an enchanting realm where your disbelief will be willingly suspended, as Make, Believe, Magic: The Worlds of The Jim Henson Company arrives in Brisbane. Marking 70 years of boundary-pushing creativity from the studio that taught so many generations to think outside the box, this is an invitation to trace the architecture of imagination created by Jim Henson. A Brisbane exclusive, the exhibition is opening this weekend as part of Brisbane Festival.
What: Make, Believe, Magic: The Worlds of The Jim Henson Company
When: Now until 18 April 2027
Where: Gallery of Modern Art (GOMA)
A stacked weekend of music, markets, and art at Echo & Bounce
Woolloongabba’s fave multi-purpose community hub, Echo & Bounce, always puts on a show on the weekend. From live music and late-night antics to good food, local artists, and their signature makers market, there’s always plenty happening. Whether you’re stopping by for a bite, settling in for some tunes, or seeing where the night takes you, there’s always something going on. Honestly, if you’re stuck for plans this weekend, Echo & Bounce is the place to be.
What: Echo & Bounce’s weekend events and gigs
When: All weekend; check out the full program here
Where: Echo & Bounce, 596 Stanley St, Woolloongabba
