Come Experience the Magic of the Brisbane Festival

Come September and it’s time for Brisbane’s arts festival the most sought after arts event of the year. People travel down here from all over the world by taking flights to Brisbane simply to experience the magic of the Brisbane Festival. The arts festival’s under the radar program is what draws most of the crowds. In this program new and budding artists from all over the world compete against each other and showcase by showcasing their masterpiece projects. These masterpieces are like no other you may have ever seen before they use all forms of mediums from lights to fire, all the elements, to even dance and music.

They showcase their creativity in unique spaces that allow access to all the citizens of Brisbane to see their creations in new light. Past festival lights include firework displays from Kangaroo Point and light work display from the famous Story Bridge. This festival inaugurated in 1996 as an initiative of the Brisbane City Council and the Queensland Government to foster the arts. It was initially held biennially but in 2009 it was decided to hold only one spectacular show in September each year. Major events of the past include the 2009 Sunsuper Riverfire; Santos City of Lights display; and Theatre, Dance, Music Under the Lights.

This year the expected dates of the Brisbane Festival are believed to be between 8^th and 29^th September, 2012. This exciting event is accompanied by many local film festivals and the streets are lined with various colorful and lighted stalls that allow you to sample unique creations and observe different types of crafts. Street performers of all shapes and sizes come out to display their talent in impromptu styles. These street performers are an entertainment to watch as it is but this doesn’t mean there will not be any other type of entertainment. There will be plenty of musical concerts held all over town and famous dance troupes are invited to come and perform at different theatres and you can take your pick as to what you like.

The locals are the biggest contributors in the entertainment as the theme of the festival is “Entertainment for the people by the people”. This was the theme of the original Warana Festival of 1961 which has inspired this festival. The festival now has different weeks assigned for different activities, for example one week will focus on theatre and will be called the drama festival and include eisteddfod, also a writers week, and colonial styled balls, initially it included a beauty pageant, various sporting, religious and outdoor activities. This however has changed over the years and the concentration is solely on all forms of art. The main theme is to now showcase the risky, the dangerous, the edgy, the quirky, the sometimes offbeat and the unthinkable.

Work is drawn from all art forms including visual arts, music and performance. Their unique choice of spaces helps to deepen the conversation between all audiences and art. This helps to provide a completely new way to look at the existing spaces in Brisbane. The artists are encouraged to expose what they believe is the unspoken, underrepresented and of course the unconventional. This entire festival is basically and opportunity for all Brisbane Festival audiences to interact and completely engage with a multitude o different versions of art and art making.