It’s a wrap for Ebony Bott’s first Brisbane Festival
Brisbane Festival’s artistic director Ebony Bott is thrilled to have delivered her first festival – and it has been a doozy.
Brisbane Festival has officially drawn to a close following 23 days of performance, public art and community celebration, marking a triumphant debut for artistic director Ebony Bott.
Built around a vision of deep accessibility and citywide engagement, Bott’s inaugural program drew an audience of more than 1.7 million across ticketed and free public activations. Reflecting on her first festival at the helm, Bott expressed deep gratitude for the city’s enthusiastic response.
“There are things you imagine when you’re building a festival, and then there’s what happens when you hand it over to a city,” she says. “That has been the great joy of these past three and a half week.
“I have loved watching Brisbane take ownership of this festival. People have turned up early, stayed late, brought their kids, their friends, their parents and grandparents. They’ve sung together, danced together, watched the sun come up together and stood shoulder to shoulder at night for Bright Nights by ANZ.
“There has been a generosity and an openness in the way Brisbane has responded that has been incredibly moving to witness. South Bank has been a huge part of that. We wanted our Village to feel like somewhere you could simply arrive and find yourself part of something, and that is exactly what happened.”
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Bott’s premiere season was anchored by South Bank’s Festival Village, which transformed the riverside precinct into a thriving, all-day community hub and attracted more than 535,000 visitors.
Operating from early morning through to late-night, the Village saw most people taking in two or more events. Festivalgoers embraced an expansive line-up of more than 90 free workshops, talks and interactive experiences,ranging from puppetry with Dead Puppet Society and circus skills with Flipside Circus, to morning yoga, sound healing and open-air rehearsals with Queensland Conservatorium students.
The Village also featured the nightly Bright Nights by ANZ light display, the popular interactive installation Giant Sing Along and the return of the Magic Mirrors Spiegeltent. Extending far beyond the inner-city, the festival reached deep into the suburbs through community-focused programming like Brisbane Serenades, Moorooka Block Party and Common People Dance Eisteddfod.
“Across the city, we have had extraordinary Queensland artists alongside some of the finest talent from Australia and around the world, with audiences willing to be challenged, surprised, moved and entertained by them,” Bott says. “For my first Brisbane Festival, I couldn’t have asked for more. I’m immensely proud of what we’ve made, but more than anything I’m leaving these weeks with an even greater sense of what is possible here.”
The program was defined by artistic strength and diversity, featuring world premieres such as Suzie Miller’s AFLW drama Strong is the New Pretty, internationally acclaimed works like L.A. company Diavolo’s ESCAPE and major musical events including Tibetan musician Tenzin Choegyal’s meditative collaboration with Philip Glass, Be the Sky, and Calvin Bowman’s The Complete Bach Catalogue For Organ at QPAC.
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Bott acknowledged that the success of such a sweeping program was made possible by the dedicated team and partners working behind the scenes.
“This festival is made by an extraordinary team of people who have given so much of themselves to it,” she says. “Watching them deliver it with such care, stamina and belief, has been one of the great privileges of these past few weeks.”
With the 2026 celebration wrapped, Brisbane Festival turns its eyes toward the future, continuing its role as a platform for creative bravery, inclusive participation and community connection as the city looks toward Brisbane 2032.
Brisbane Festival 2026 saw…
An audience of more than 1.7 million across ticketed and free public events.
More than 535,000 visitors to Festival Village at South Bank,
Net box-office increased by 46 per cent for ticketed events supported by Brisbane Festival, compared with 2025.
More than 550,000 spectators for Riverfire, with people gathered along the riverfront, bridges and rooftops for the opening weekend spectacular.
More than 70 per cent of events were free.
Almost 2000 artists were featured across the program, including more than 1300 Queensland artists alongside premier national and international talent.
More than 750 performances during the festival, staged across theatres, neighbourhood parks and dedicated festival hubs.
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