The culture of

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 ...

derives from mainstream

Australian culture The culture of Australia is primarily a Western culture, originally derived from Britain but also influenced by the unique geography of Australia and the cultural input of Aboriginal, Torres Strait Islander and other Australian people. The Bri ...

and incorporates a strong history in the performing arts,

music Music is generally defined as the art of arranging sound to create some combination of form, harmony, melody, rhythm or otherwise expressive content. Exact definitions of music vary considerably around the world, though it is an aspe ...

and

sport Sport pertains to any form of competitive physical activity or game that aims to use, maintain, or improve physical ability and skills while providing enjoyment to participants and, in some cases, entertainment to spectators. Sports can, ...

Queensland Cultural Centre

The

Queensland Cultural Centre The Queensland Cultural Centre is a heritage-listed cultural centre at Grey Street, South Brisbane, City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It is part of the South Bank precinct on the Brisbane River. It was built from 1976. The major compon ...

, located at South Bank, within the suburb of

South Brisbane South Brisbane is an inner southern Suburbs and localities (Australia), suburb in the City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. In the , South Brisbane had a population of 7,196 people. Geography The suburb is on the southern bank of the Brisba ...

, is the cultural hub of Brisbane. The Queensland Cultural Centre contains the

Queensland Museum The Queensland Museum is the state museum of Queensland, dedicated to natural history, cultural heritage, science and human achievement. The museum currently operates from its headquarters and general museum in South Brisbane with specialist m ...

, the

Queensland Art Gallery The Queensland Art Gallery (QAG) is an art museum located in South Bank, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. The gallery is part of QAGOMA. It complements the Gallery of Modern Art (GOMA) building, situated only away. The Queensland Art Galler ...

, the

Queensland Gallery of Modern Art The Gallery of Modern Art (GOMA) is an art museum located within the Queensland Cultural Centre in the South Bank precinct of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. The gallery is part of QAGOMA. GOMA, which opened on 2 December 2006, is the largest ...

, the State Library of Queensland, Queensland Writers Centre, and the Queensland Performing Arts Centre.

Visual arts

In addition to the

and

, the universities based in Brisbane also contain art galleries. The

University of Queensland , mottoeng = By means of knowledge and hard work , established = , endowment = A$224.3 million , budget = A$2.1 billion , type = Public research university , chancellor = Peter Varghese , vice_chancellor = Deborah Terry , city = B ...

has a purpose built gallery on its St. Lucia campus. The

Queensland College of Art The Queensland College of Art (QCA) is a specialist arts and design college located in South Bank, Brisbane, and Southport on the Gold Coast of Queensland in Australia. Founded in 1881, the college is the oldest arts institution in Australia. ...

(a part of Griffith University), is based on the former

World Expo 88 World Expo 88, also known as Expo 88, was a specialised Expo held in Brisbane, the state capital of Queensland, Australia, during a six-month period between Saturday, 30 April 1988 and Sunday, 30 October 1988, inclusive. The theme of the Expo wa ...

site at South Bank, and the QUT Art Museum (a part of the Queensland University of Technology) is based at the QUT Gardens Point campus. Every year the Rotary Clubs of Stones Corner, Hamilton and Brisbane High-Rise host the Rotary Art Spectacular, one of Queensland’s most prestigious art exhibition. Recently, artist residency spaces House Conspiracy and Outer Space opened in West End.

Public art

Brisbane has a range of public sculptures ranging from the large impressive statue of Queen Victoria in front of the Old Executive building to a number of others. King George Square in front of the Brisbane City Hall features an impressive statue of King George V and also the Petrie Tableau. There other examples of sculpture featured in Anzac Square. ''City Roos'' sculptures made by sculptor Christopher Trotter during 1999 from scrapmetal from a broad cross-section of industries are not far from the former Law Courts Complex in George Street. The Brisbane City council has an online database of public artworks which can be searched for locations, artists and information about individual artworks. The database covers the whole Brisbane Council area.

Performing arts

Performing Arts Education

Queensland University of Technology Queensland University of Technology (QUT) is a public research university located in the urban coastal city of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. QUT is located on two campuses in the Brisbane area viz. Gardens Point and Kelvin Grove. The univ ...

and the

University of Southern Queensland The University of Southern Queensland (branded as UniSQ and formerly branded as USQ) is a medium-sized, regional university based in Toowoomba, Queensland, Australia, with three university campuses at Toowoomba, Springfield and Ipswich. It offe ...

(based in Toowoomba) offer professional acting courses. Some notable professionals who have taught performing arts in Brisbane include

Rhoda Felgate Rhoda Mary Felgate (1901 – 1990) was an Australian speech and drama teacher and theatre director. She founded the Twelfth Night Theatre in Brisbane in 1936. Life Felgate was born in Stoke Newington in 1901. Her parents were Alice Maude (born ...

Babette Stephens Phyllis Babette Stephens AM MBE (née Fergusson) (26 April 1910 – 28 February 2001) was an Australian actress, director, artistic director, TV game show panelist and acting teacher. A leading theatrical pioneer, she also appeared in film and t ...

, Jean Trundell,

Joan Whalley Joan Agnes Whalley, OAM, (December 1927 – 27 August 2021) was an actress, teacher and artistic director of Twelfth Night Theatre in Bowen Hills, Brisbane, Australia from 1962 to 1976. Early years Whalley was born in December 1927 and went ...

, Alan Edwards, Ian Thomson and Harold Collins.

Venues

The Queensland Performing Arts Centre is also located at South Bank. It is also part of the Queensland Cultural Centre and contains Brisbane’s main theatres (Lyric Theatre, Concert Hall, Cremorne Theatre, and the Playhouse). The Australian Ballet visits Brisbane every second year and other touring companies also visit Brisbane each year. Large scale visiting musicals make up the majority of offerings at the Lyric Theatre. The

Queensland Conservatorium Queensland Conservatorium Griffith University (formerly the Queensland Conservatorium of Music) is a selective, audition based music school located in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia, and is part of Griffith University. History The Conservatori ...

and

(both of which are part of

Griffith University Griffith University is a public research university in South East Queensland on the east coast of Australia. Formally founded in 1971, Griffith opened its doors in 1975, introducing Australia's first degrees in environmental science and Asian ...

) were subsequently built within the South Bank Parklands, along with many other buildings, including the

Suncorp Piazza The South Bank Piazza is a multipurpose venue located in the South Bank Parklands in Brisbane, Australia. The Courier-Mail was the naming rights sponsor of the venue from 2013, prior to which it was known as the Suncorp Piazza and is currently ...

. Other theatres located in Brisbane include th
Tribal Theatre

Brisbane Arts Theatre Brisbane Arts Theatre refers to both an independent theatre company in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia and the building in which it resides. __TOC__ Theatre company history Brisbane Arts Theatre was founded in 1936 as Brisbane Amateur Theatr ...

Twelfth Night Theatre image:Twelfth Night Theatre.jpg, 250px, Twelfth Night Theatre The Twelfth Night Theatre is an established Australian entertainment venue located in Bowen Hills, Queensland, Bowen Hills, in Brisbane, Queensland. Many notable actors, both internati ...

, Roundhouse Theatre,

Metro Arts Theatre Metro Arts Theatre is a heritage-listed building, originally a warehouse and then a theatre complex, at 109-117 Edward Street, Brisbane City, Queensland, Australia. It was built in 1890. It has also been known as Community Arts Centre, Coron ...

, Judith Wright Arts Centre and the

Brisbane Powerhouse Brisbane Powerhouse is an arts and cultural hub located in a former power station in the Brisbane suburb of New Farm, Queensland, Australia. The venue offers an array of performing arts, visual arts, festivals, and free community events. The fir ...

. There are also several theatres located at the universities, including the QUT Gardens Theatre & the

QUT Queensland University of Technology (QUT) is a public university, public research university located in the Urban area, urban coastal city of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. QUT is located on two campuses in the Brisbane area viz. Gardens Poin ...

Creative Industries Precinct (both of which are at the

), and Geoffrey Rush Drama Studio & Schonell Theatre (both of which are at the

). Newly constructed in an old community building in Spring Hill is the Centre Stage Theatre. Outdoor venues include the

Roma Street Parkland Roma Street Parkland covers 11 hectares in the centre of the City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. The Roma Street Parkland is adjacent to Brisbane Transit Centre and the Roma Street railway station from which it takes its name (the park ...

Amphitheatre An amphitheatre (British English) or amphitheater (American English; both ) is an open-air venue used for entertainment, performances, and sports. The term derives from the ancient Greek ('), from ('), meaning "on both sides" or "around" and ...

and

Riverstage Riverstage is an outdoor entertainment venue in Brisbane, Australia. The venue occupies a 2 ha site within the City Botanic Gardens and has a capacity of 9,500. The Brisbane Festival makes regularly use of the venue. Riverstage regularly fe ...

in the

City Botanic Gardens The City Botanic Gardens (formerly the Brisbane Botanic Gardens) is a heritage-listed botanic garden on Alice Street, Brisbane City, City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It was also known as Queen's Park. It is located on Gardens Poi ...

. One of the largest new entertainment precincts
Northshore Brisbane
which hosts Brisbane's largest and most immersive events and activations. With hundreds of square metres of handstand, riverfront event space, Northshore is transforming into one of Brisbane's key entertainment and event precincts.

Historical venues

Brisbane has a long history of demolishing performing arts venues and theatres. Festival Hall, a music and entertainment venue was demolished in 2003. Before the Queensland Performing Arts Centre was built, major performing arts theatres included the 2,000 seat Her Majesty's Theatre in Queen Street, which was designed in 1885 by Andreas Stombuco and opened in 1888, was demolished in 1986. It was replaced by the Hilton Hotel without a theatre. Artists such as Laurence Olivier, Vivien Leigh,

Robert Helpmann Sir Robert Murray Helpmann CBE ( Helpman, 9 April 1909 – 28 September 1986) was an Australian ballet dancer, actor, director, and choreographer. After early work in Australia he moved to Britain in 1932, where he joined the Vic-Wells Ballet ( ...

and Dame

Nellie Melba Dame Nellie Melba (born Helen Porter Mitchell; 19 May 186123 February 1931) was an Australian operatic dramatic coloratura soprano (three octaves). She became one of the most famous singers of the late Victorian era and the early 20th centur ...

performed there. The

Suncorp Theatre The State Government Insurance Office Theatre (also known as the SGIO Theatre or Suncorp Theatre), was a 600-seat proscenium theatre built within the SGIO office building at 179 Turbot Street, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. History The Que ...

(originally called the SGIO Theatre), a purpose built drama theatre for the Queensland Theatre Company, was also demolished in 2007. The interior of the 2,000 seat Regent Theatre in Queen Street was demolished and replaced by four multiplex cinemas. After campaigning, led by Veronica Kelly from the University of Queensland English Department (UQ was a major stakeholder as the medical school inherited shares in the building as part of the Mayne estate), the original foyer was retained and remnants from the original 1929 auditorium were used in one of the downstairs multiplex cinemas renamed the "Regent Showcase" cinema. These cinemas have since been demolished in 2012 for a 40 floor high rise office block development. Small, multi purpose conference spaces were proposed for weekend only use as cinemas, however the office tower development has failed and as of 2014, the land still remains vacant.

Performing arts groups

Brisbane has a small number of professional performing arts companies. These include:

Queensland Theatre Company Queensland Theatre, formerly the Queensland Theatre Company and Royal Queensland Theatre Company, is a professional theatre company based in Brisbane, Australia. It regularly performs in its own Bille Browne Theatre and the Queensland Performi ...

, The Queensland Orchestra, Grin and Tonic Theatre Company, Operatif!, LaBoite Theatre Company,

Opera Queensland Opera Queensland is an opera company based in Brisbane, Queensland. The company was founded with funding from the Queensland State Government in 1981 under the name ''Lyric Opera of Queensland'' after the Queensland Opera Company was closed in ...

, Queensland Ballet and Australasian Dance Collective. The Queensland Pops Orchestra make a positive contribution. Most cultural organisations in Brisbane run on an amateur or university basis. There are also many community choirs theatres and bands including the Sandgate Theatre Inc, King Street Players, Mousetrap Theatre, Imogen Children's Chorale, Queensland Philharmonic Chorale, the Brisbane Chorale, the Queensland Festival Chorus, Exaudi Australis, the Queensland University Musical Society (QUMS), the Queensland Choir.

Queensland Conservatorium Griffith University Queensland Conservatorium Griffith University (formerly the Queensland Conservatorium of Music) is a selective, audition based music school located in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia, and is part of Griffith University. History The Conservatori ...

, Queensland University Musical Society (QUMS), CIP, Queensland Musical Society,

Brisbane Philharmonic Orchestra The Brisbane Philharmonic Orchestra (BPO) is a community orchestra based in Brisbane, Australia, which performs a wide variety of orchestral works. The BPO performs several concerts each year at venues including the Brisbane City Hall, and the ...

, Queensland Wind and Brass, St Lucia Orchestra, Brisbane Symphonic Band, South East Queensland Symphonic Winds, Brisbane Municipal Concert Band,

, Brisbane Apollo Choir, Brisbane Excelsior Brass Band,

Queensland Youth Orchestras Queensland Youth Orchestras (QYO) is one of the state's organisations for orchestral training and performance and is based at the Old Museum building in Gregory Terrace, Bowen Hills, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. Under the artistic leadership ...

, Brisbane Regional Youth Orchestra,

Queensland Wind Orchestra The Queensland Wind Orchestra is a wind ensemble based in Brisbane, Australia. Established in 2004, it performs a series of public performances each year in and around Brisbane. The group works with a variety of professional conductors and soloists ...

, Centenary Theatre Group, Villanova Players, Ignatians Musical Society, Queensland Musical Theatre, Savoyards Musical Comedy Society and Springboard Theatre Company. The Brisbane Musical Theatre Competition, which was founded in 1997, showcases and promotes local talent.

Media

Brisbane has several local arts news and review organisations. Some of the major platforms include Theatre Haus, Bravo Brisbane, Absolute Theatre and Blue Curtains.

Legacy of World Expo '88

Brisbane also held

at South Bank, from April to October 1988, on land adjacent to the Queensland Performing Arts Centre. The Expo site was converted into the

South Bank Parklands The South Bank Parklands are located at South Bank within the suburb of South Brisbane in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. The parkland, on the transformed site of Brisbane's World Expo 88, was officially opened to the public on 20 June 1992. ...

following World Expo 88.

Annual events

The Royal Queensland Exhibition (known locally as the Ekka), an agricultural exhibition held each August at the

Brisbane Showgrounds Brisbane Showgrounds (formerly known as the Brisbane Exhibition Ground) is located at 600 Gregory Terrace, Bowen Hills, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia and was established in 1875. It hosts more than 250 events each year, with the largest bein ...

Bowen Hills Bowen Hills is an inner north-eastern suburb in the City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. In the Bowen Hills had a population of 3,226 people. Geography Bowen Hills is by road from the Brisbane CBD. Mayne is a neighbourhood within the s ...

is the longest-running major annual event held in Brisbane, during which there is a public holiday for each local government area across Brisbane so as to enable widespread public attendance. The

Brisbane Festival Brisbane Festival is one of Australia's leading international arts festivals, and is held each September in Brisbane, Australia. Its presence dominates the city for three weeks in September and its line-up of classical and contemporary music, ...

, which includes one of the nation's largest annual fireworks displays called 'Riverfire', and which is held each September at

, the CBD and surrounding areas is the second of Brisbane's major annual events, with the 'Riverfire' fireworks displays attended by hundreds of thousands of residents annually. The Brisbane International Film Festival (BIFF) is held in July/August each year in a variety of venues around Brisbane. BIFF features new films and retrospectives by domestic and international filmmakers along with seminars and awards. The Buddha Birth Day festival at South Bank parklands attracts over 200,000 visitors each year, and is the largest event of its type in Australia. There also many smaller community events such as the Paniyiri festival (a Greek cultural festival held over two days in May), the Brisbane Medieval Fayre and Tournament (held each June), the

Bridge to Brisbane Bridge to Brisbane is an annual long-distance fun run over a distance of or held in Brisbane, Australia in August. The first race occurred in 1997 with fewer than 5000 entrants and each year the event raises funds for charity. 2007 saw 24,3 ...

charity fun run the Caxton Street Seafood and Wine Festival. Major events are often held at the 171,000 square metre

Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre (BCEC) is a convention centre in Brisbane, Australia. It is located in South Brisbane and occupies most of the block formed by Grey Street, Melbourne Street, Merivale Street, and Glenelg Street. The centr ...

Cuisine

Brisbane is home to over 6,000 restaurants and dining establishments, with

outdoor dining Outdoor dining, also known as al fresco dining or dining alfresco, is eating outside. In temperate climates, al fresco dining is especially popular in the summer months when temperatures and weather are most favorable. It is a style of dining th ...

featuring prominently. The most popular cuisines by number of dining establishments are

Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...

Chinese Chinese can refer to: * Something related to China * Chinese people, people of Chinese nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity **''Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic concept of the Chinese nation ** List of ethnic groups in China, people of ...

, Modern Australian,

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

, American,

Indian Indian or Indians may refer to: Peoples South Asia * Indian people, people of Indian nationality, or people who have an Indian ancestor ** Non-resident Indian, a citizen of India who has temporarily emigrated to another country * South Asia ...

, and

Vietnamese Vietnamese may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Vietnam, a country in Southeast Asia ** A citizen of Vietnam. See Demographics of Vietnam. * Vietnamese people, or Kinh people, a Southeast Asian ethnic group native to Vietnam ** Overse ...

Moreton Bay bug ''Thenus orientalis'' is a species of slipper lobster from the Indian and Pacific oceans. ''T. orientalis'' is known by a number of common names. The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization prefers the name flathead lobster, while t ...

s, less commonly known as flathead lobsters, are an ingredient named for the Brisbane region and which feature commonly in the city's cuisine, along with

macadamia nuts ''Macadamia'' is a genus of four species of trees in the flowering plant family Proteaceae. They are indigenous to Australia, native to northeastern New South Wales and central and southeastern Queensland specifically. Two species of the genus ...

, also native to the region.

Notable Brisbane people

* * List of Brisbane people

References

{{Brisbane Brisbane Tourist attractions in Brisbane