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Brisbane Festival is one of Australia's leading international arts festivals, and is held each September in
Brisbane Festival was first held in 1996 as a joint initiative of the
Brisbane
Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Queensland, and the third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of approximately 2.6 million. Brisbane lies at the centre of the South ...
, Australia.
Its presence dominates the city for three weeks in September and its line-up of classical and contemporary music, theatre, dance, comedy, opera, circus and major public events such as Riverfire attracts an audience of around one million people every year.
In 2019, Artistic Director David Berthold
David Berthold is one of Australia's most prominent theatre directors and cultural leaders. He has directed for most of Australia's major theatre companies, as well as in London and Berlin, and has led several key arts organisations. He was Artis ...
transformed the Festival into Australia's largest major international arts festival, presenting more works to more people than any other.
History
Brisbane Festival was first held in 1996 as a joint initiative of the Queensland Government
The Queensland Government is the democratic administrative authority of the Australian state of Queensland. The Government of Queensland, a parliamentary constitutional monarchy was formed in 1859 as prescribed in its Constitution, as amended f ...
and Brisbane City Council
Brisbane City Council (BCC) is the democratic executive local government authority for the City of Brisbane, the capital city of the state of Queensland, Australia. The largest City Council in Australia by population and area, BCC's jurisd ...
, intended to foster the arts. The festival evolved from Brisbane's Warana Festival, first held in 1961. Originally held biennially, Brisbane Festival became an annual event in 2009 when it merged with Riverfire. The festival has had five artistic directors; Tony Gould (1996–2004), Lyndon Terracini (2006–2009), Noel Staunton (2010–2014), David Berthold
David Berthold is one of Australia's most prominent theatre directors and cultural leaders. He has directed for most of Australia's major theatre companies, as well as in London and Berlin, and has led several key arts organisations. He was Artis ...
(2015–2019) and Louise Bezzina (2020–2023).
The 2016 event featured 3D street art.
The 2020 festival was estimated to have generated $14 million into the Brisbane economy. Because of the pandemic Riverfire was excluded from the event in 2020.
In 2021, the theme for the festival was Brightly Brisbane. It featured light installations in several locations.
See also
* List of festivals in Brisbane * List of festivals in Australia * RiverfestivalReferences
External links
* {{coord missing, Queensland Festivals in Brisbane Tourist attractions in Brisbane Annual events in Brisbane Recurring events established in 1996 1996 establishments in Australia Fireworks events in Oceania