Brisbane Festival will return from 30 August to 21 September this year, featuring a rich tapestry of culture, celebration, and community throughout the city.
Artistic Director Louise Bezzina's fifth program will feature world premieres, Australian exclusives, Queensland commissions, and Brisbane spotlights over 23 days.
A significant focus will be on Indigenous contributions.
Miriam Mer woman from the Eastern Islands of the Torres Strait and artist Grace Lillian Lee will collaborate with Jean Paul Gaultier on a couture piece for the Fashion Freak Show and present her solo exhibition, The Dream Weaver: Guardians of Grace, blending contemporary art, traditional weaving, and couture fashion.
The festival will include Straight from the Strait, an opera about Torres Strait Islander workers' historic railway achievement, and Gurr Era Op, celebrating Torres Strait Islander culture and addressing climate change.
Proud Quandamooka woman and Minister for Treaty, and Minister for Communities and Minister for the Arts, Leeanne Enoch, said: "This spring, Brisbane Festival will delight audiences with 23 days of unforgettable stories and arts and cultural experiences told by our incredible local artists and companies and creative talent from across the country and overseas."
"From sharing Brisbane's love stories, to delivering a significant platform for First Nations fashion and design alongside an iconic international fashion figure, to connecting audiences with diverse and inspirational creative activations that celebrate cultures and community, Brisbane Festival 2024 reinforces the state's reputation as a leading cultural tourism destination," she said.
"Featuring more than 1200 Queensland artists and 65 local arts companies, the festival provides employment and skills growth, further boosted by this Government's capacity building program of paid employment opportunities through Brisbane Festival delivery in 2024 and 2025."
Big Name, No Blankets, a rock 'n' roll tribute to Warumpi Band, will headline 14 First Nations-led productions.
On 1 September, Meeanjin Songlinez will honour local Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island communities, showcasing their talent.
Skylore – The Rainbow Serpent, a drone show developed with Nova Sky Stories and Tribal Experiences, will feature over 400 drones telling a First Nations story during the festival's closing weekend.
Additional highlights will include the Queensland premiere of Lighting the Dark by Dancenorth Australia, and the world premieres of Trent Dalton's Love Stories and Fancy Long Legs.
The festival will also feature Eucalyptus, Private View by Restless Dance Theatre, Kitchen Studio by Elizabeth Winning, and Dear Brother by Queensland Theatre Company.
Brisbane Festival Artistic Director Louise Bezzina said "Brisbane Festival believes in the transformative power of the arts to unite, inspire and empower and my fifth Festival program is a creative celebration of this power on both a global and a local scale."
"Grace Lillian Lee's collaboration with Jean Paul Gaultier for Jean Paul Gaultier's Fashion Freak Showis not only a transformative moment in her career but also provides a chance for Brisbane Festival to showcase Australia's incredible Indigenous design and arts sector to the world and lead important dialogues about culture and contribution," she said.
"Brisbane Festival remains a celebration by and for Brisbane so when we bring these global works to our city, we create opportunities to spotlight the extraordinary talents of our local artists on the world stage."
Brisbane Festival will run from 30 August to 21 September, with tickets on sale now.
