Great food with a side of visual and performing arts – that sounds like a tasty treat. And it will be at this year’s Night Feast at Brisbane Powerhouse, July 29 to August 23.
Now in its fifth season, the acclaimed festival will transform the Brisbane Powerhouse precinct into an immersive after-dark playground of flavour, art and music, where guests can wander between large-scale installations, live DJ sets and more than 20 of Brisbane’s most exciting dining destinations.
Designed to celebrate the magic of cooler nights, this year’s program promises festival-exclusive dishes, boundary-pushing menus and cosy open-air dining experiences made for winter indulgence.
Excited to be leading her first winter Night Feast program as CEO and artistic director at Brisbane Powerhouse, Louise Bezzina has beefed up the arts component so it will be much more than a side dish. It will be the “heart and soul” of Night Feast.
“After all, it’s happening in an arts precinct,” Bezzina says. “And we want to honour the restaurants who are creating works of art by bringing their signature dishes to the event.”
The former artistic director of Brisbane Festival has inherited a few major festivals in her newish role, and Bezzina is adding her own flourishes. Activating the precinct and attracting new audiences is her aim and, last weekend, the first Ubuntu Social day-long world music festival was launched, attracting thousands of visitors, many of them new to the precinct.
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She is “cooking up” another festival idea at the moment but when it comes to Night Feast, well, that is one they prepared earlier. But Bezzina is happy to embellish it and turn it into more of an arts event, too.
“Night Feast is about creating a living, breathing world where food, art and music collide in unexpected ways,” Bezzina says. ‘’For 2026, we have brought together an extraordinary program of chefs, artists and performers to transform Brisbane Powerhouse into an immersive winter experience, one that invites audiences to explore, discover and awaken their appetites like never before.”
New to this year’s program is Better Off Red, an indulgent one-day-only long lunch experience set to ignite the senses on August 16, presented by Consolidated Properties Group. In collaboration with Brisbane eateries Bosco and Blackbird, the all-inclusive daytime feast will transform the Brisbane Powerhouse riverside lawn into a theatrical celebration of bold flavours, immersive performance and sensory storytelling in celebration of all things crimson.
Curated by some of Australia’s most exciting culinary talent – including Bosco’s chef Mimmo Miceli and Blackbird Brisbane executive chef Jake Nicholson – guests can expect a shared-table experience layered with flame-led dishes, premium cuts carved with flourish and considered wine pairings from d’Arenberg Wines in McLaren Vale.
Beyond the plate, Better Off Red will deliver a front-row seat to a series of live performances throughout the afternoon, featuring acclaimed opera singers Katie Stenzel and Jason Barry-Smith, contemporary harp from award-winning performer ELSKA and a striking showing of Paper Face by Gold Coast based contemporary dance company The Farm, performed by artistic directors Gavin Webber and Grayson Millwood.
A hero of this year’s artist program is Sydney-based studio Amigo & Amigo with Ignite, a towering interactive installation inspired by the communal bonfire. Through a series of participatory seesaws, audiences activate light and sound, causing a shared flame to grow and evolve into a playful celebration of connection, curiosity and collective energy.
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Adding further layers of depth, colour and movement to the Night Feast experience is the festival’s sonic and performance program. DJ Hol Sol (of QUIVR) and Aidan Beiers (owner of Black Bear Lodge) will present the La Scala Listening Lounge – an intimate, sunken space designed for deep listening, built around vintage Klipsch speakers and curated vinyl sets that invite audiences into warm, analogue soundscapes.
Also, Nixi Killick brings Joy Generator to the festival – a radiant sculptural installation exploring joy as a connective force (supported by Tim Fairfax and Gina Fairfax).
The Stephanie Lake Company will present VISTA, a major new contemporary dance work that examines perception, rhythm and perspective through a dynamic choreographic experience that shifts how audiences move through and interpret space.
“This is a ticketed event in the Powerhouse Theatre as part of Night Feast,” says Bezzina. “Stephanie Lake is an amazing artist, and I had a lot of her work in Brisbane Festival.”
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Steak Bites: Seared tenderloin, chimichurri
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Japanese restaurant Nonda will be at Night Feast.
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Hoy Pinoy’s Salpicao Na Baka – charcoal roasted beef, soy, garlic, butter and rice.
Contemporary artist Jonny Niesche will round out the arts program through his showcase of Total Vibration, a major new site-specific installation transforming the Stores Studio into a vibrating landscape of reflection, light and sound. Featuring two massive flexible mirrors – one horizontal, one vertical – facing off across the space, rippling, trembling and shimmering in response to an atmospheric soundtrack by Niesche’s longtime collaborator, British electronic musician and composer Mark Pritchard.
Finally, there’s Three Food Memories, based on the popular Australian interview podcast created and hosted by entrepreneur and caterer Savva Savas. This will be a special live edition in the Powerhouse Theatre, hosted by Savas. Blending storytelling with tasting experiences, the live podcast invites special guests to unpack the memories, cultures and personal moments shaped by food, with audiences able to sample bites inspired by the conversation as it unfolds.
Moving Night Feast to mid-winter is a conscious decision.
“There will be fires and the ability to toast marshmallows,” Bezzina says. “I hope people get their coats on and come along.”
Night Feast will be at Brisbane Powerhouse, July 29 to August 23.
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