Planning ahead

Brisbane events in 2027

Here are the big Brisbane events in 2027, season by season. The biggest is the Men’s Rugby World Cup in October, with 10 matches at Suncorp Stadium. Where an organiser has set the date, you’ll see it. Where they haven’t yet, you’ll see when it usually happens, and we update the page as dates come out.

Lord Mayor's Christmas Carols 2026 · Photo: Brisbane City Council

Brisbane events in summer: January and February

Brisbane International tennis: Sunday 3 to Sunday 10 January at Pat Rafter Arena, Tennyson.

Australia Day: Tuesday 26 January, a public holiday.

Lunar New Year: Saturday 6 February starts the Year of the Goat. Chinatown in Fortitude Valley usually celebrates on a weekend around then, with lion dances and night markets.

Laneway Festival: Saturday 13 February at the Brisbane Showgrounds, Bowen Hills.

Uni orientation: UQ’s O-Week runs Monday 15 to Friday 19 February, with Market Day on the Wednesday. QUT’s orientation is usually the same week.

Brisbane events in autumn: March to May

Easter: Good Friday 26 March to Easter Monday 29 March.

Anzac Day: Sunday 25 April. Dawn services run across the suburbs, and the parade goes through the city.

Brisbane Comedy Festival: usually late April to late May, at Brisbane Powerhouse and theatres around town.

Labour Day: Monday 3 May, a public holiday.

Paniyiri Greek Festival: usually a weekend in late May at Musgrave Park, South Brisbane.

Brisbane events in winter: June to August

Brisbane Open House: usually a weekend in July. Close to 100 buildings open their doors for free.

The Ekka: Saturday 7 to Sunday 15 August at the Brisbane Showgrounds, Bowen Hills. People’s Day, a public holiday in Brisbane, is Wednesday 11 August.

Brisbane events in spring: September to November

Riverfire: usually the first Saturday in September, so Saturday 4 September (the date isn’t confirmed yet). It opens Brisbane Festival with fireworks over the river.

Brisbane Festival: usually the first three weeks of September, across the city.

BIGSOUND: usually the first week of September in Fortitude Valley, with new bands playing every night.

Brisbane Pride Festival: usually late September to the end of October, with the Rally and March and Fair Day at New Farm Park.

Men’s Rugby World Cup: 10 matches at Suncorp Stadium, from England v Tonga on Saturday 2 October to the quarter-finals on Saturday 30 and Sunday 31 October. Australia plays Chile on Saturday 16 October.

King’s Birthday: Monday 4 October, a public holiday.

Jacarandas: late October into November, when the purple trees flower at New Farm Park and around the city.

Brisbane events in December

Lord Mayor’s Christmas Carols: usually the first Saturday in December at the Riverstage.

Christmas: Christmas Day falls on a Saturday, so the public holidays are Monday 27 and Tuesday 28 December.

New Year’s Eve: two fireworks shows at South Bank, an early one for families and one at midnight.

School holidays in 2027

Queensland state school holidays: 26 March to 11 April, 26 June to 11 July, and 18 September to 4 October. Summer holidays start around 11 December.

Go with people

Big events are easier with company. Once Vesica is out, you’ll tap “I’m going” on an event and chat with the others going before the day, so you can meet out the front and walk in together.

Festivals coming up in Brisbane

See everything on in Brisbane this week →

Questions people ask

When is the Ekka in 2027?

Saturday 7 to Sunday 15 August 2027 at the Brisbane Showgrounds. Brisbane’s public holiday, People’s Day, is Wednesday 11 August.

When is Riverfire in 2027?

Riverfire usually falls on the first Saturday in September, which is 4 September 2027. Brisbane Festival confirms the date closer to the time.

When is the Rugby World Cup in Brisbane in 2027?

Brisbane hosts 10 matches at Suncorp Stadium between Saturday 2 October and Sunday 31 October 2027: six pool matches, two in the round of 16 and two quarter-finals. Australia plays Chile there on Saturday 16 October.

When is Laneway in Brisbane in 2027?

Saturday 13 February 2027 at the Brisbane Showgrounds in Bowen Hills.

What are Brisbane’s public holidays in 2027?

New Year’s Day (Friday 1 January), Australia Day (Tuesday 26 January), Good Friday to Easter Monday (26 to 29 March), Labour Day (Monday 3 May), the Ekka holiday (Wednesday 11 August, Brisbane only), King’s Birthday (Monday 4 October), and Christmas (Monday 27 and Tuesday 28 December).

When are the Queensland school holidays in 2027?

26 March to 11 April, 26 June to 11 July, and 18 September to 4 October, then summer from around 11 December.

Updated Sun 15 Nov. Event listings and photos from Brisbane City Council (CC BY 4.0), refreshed every morning.