Brisbane Festival Ignites Conversations About Arts and Culture Ahead of Olympics

Brisbane's annual arts and culture festival is in full swing, with the city's artistic director saying some of the best events are yet to come. The festival, which began on September 4 and will run until September 26, has taken over South Bank with a range of theatrical, artistic, and musical events, as well as culinary treats.

A City with Momentum

Festival artistic director Ebony Bott is interested in how a city responds to a festival at a particular moment in time. "It's a city that has momentum — it's on the move, you know?" she said.

Arts minister John-Paul Langbroek said the festival is one of the state's "premier cultural events" and showcases the unique voice of Queensland artists.

Introducing New Ideas to the Cultural Melting Pot

Ms Bott said great festivals are always "particular to the city". "It has the potential to change the way the inhabitants of that city explore their home, their hometown," she said. "It has an opportunity to elevate what is happening in the city by injecting those international and national artists into the melting pot and what conversations are being had, what people are seeing, what art forms are being explored … what those conversations are."

"And that's what a festival can offer a city and the artists that live there," she added.

Conversations Ahead of the Olympics

Ms Bott said the experiences involved with developing the festival each year would be essential to conversations about the upcoming 2032 Brisbane Olympic and Paralympic Games. Brisbane Festival's central village at South Bank was planned to pay homage to the concept of the athlete village, Ms Bott said.

"It's making sure that we are looking ahead because work takes time," she said. "If we want the city to be the stage, how are we thinking about that pipeline of work and continuing to feed that pipeline?"

Mr Langbroek said the government was proud to deliver "extraordinary artists and companies" to Brisbane and said the work was underway to keep enhancing the state's cultural industries.

"With the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games on the horizon, we are working to ensure Queensland's arts, cultural and creative industries are well positioned to deliver unique experiences that drive jobs, tourism and growth," he said.

Free Events a Strong Draw

Ms Bott said the festival is on track to hit all its targets — no mean feat in what has become a tricky industry to balance the books. "Our ticket sales have been really good, they're really solid," Ms Bott said.

"I've been so fascinated to see what [audiences] have gravitated towards," she added.

Some of the productions finding overwhelming success at this year's festival are AFLW play Strong is the New Pretty and the Choir of Man cabaret.

Ms Bott has been particularly impressed by patronage at free events at Brisbane Festival. "The number that have turned out to our free events will exceed what we projected, which I think is really, really interesting," she said.