Live music
Those ears of yours are in for a treat this weekend. Ed Sheeran’s stadium tour of Australia and New Zealand lands in Brisbane this weekend, with three shows (Friday, Saturday and Sunday) at Suncorp Stadium. Keen to spend the night with Ed? Get your tickets through the Ticketek website while you can. Fellow English iconSting is also in town this weekend, playing at A Day on the Green at Sirromet Wines this Sunday, with support from reckless rocker James Reyne – grab last-minute tickets here. American alternative-punk-rockers Unwritten Law are bringing their ‘Hum’ tour to Annerley’s The Back Room on Saturday night, while Australian rock icons Icehouseare celebrating 40 years since the release of unofficial Australian anthem, ‘Great Southern Land’, with a one-off show at Riverstage Brisbane on Saturday. There’s a huge line-up at Fortitude Music Hall, kicking off with Canadian hardcore five-piece Alexisonfire on Friday night, before hip-hopper Yung Gravy creates a ruckus at his sold-out show on Saturday. That same stage will be graced by the aggressive punk-fusion of Turnstile on Sunday night – you can still nab tickets to that here.Pioneering Brisbane brewery Green Beach has turned ten and they want to celebrate with you over a couple of beers and a killer line-up of local Brisbane artists at The Tivolion Saturday night – head along to catch Beddy Rays, Cheap Date, HAM and DJ Cutloose. There will be food trucks and pop-up bars, and if you get in before 6:00 pm, there’s a cold Green Beacon on the house! Fans of Soccer Mommy can witness her indie-rock brilliance at The Triffid on Saturday night (get tickets over here). Experimental electronic duo, Boy Harsher, will fill The Princess Theatre with their textured beats on Saturday. What a weekend!Out-of-the-box activities
After a stellar three weeks, BrisAsia Festival is going out with a bang – on Friday night head to Southside by Night for a family-friendly night of street eats, DJs and hot cars to gawk at. On Saturday night, the festival presents BrisAsia Beats: Metropolis, a celebration of live music, dance and art at Wooloongabba, before it heads to Big Fork Theatre with Pasiones: An Improvised Telenovela – madcap fusion of comedy, drama, culture and language featuring hilarious improv comedians from across cultures. There’s also a transcendent evening of vocal artistry happening on Saturday with the BrisAsia’sRare Voicesevent, featuring some of Brisbane’s best Asian singers.Further north, there will be plenty happening in Noosa with the Noosa Summer Swim Festivalreturning for a weekend of sun, surf and stellar swimming, for those keen to don the cap, Speedos and anti-fog goggles. Back closer to home – after a big summer series, the MoonlightCinema in Roma Street Parkland will serve up on-screen hits and hot popcorn for the last time this weekend! It all comes to an end on Sunday night, so if you’re keen to catch a flick under the stars, make it happen this weekend before it’s gone for good (well, until next time). Those feeling extra adventurous can hit up Brisbane’s most ‘grammable experience – Imaginaria. The stunning immersive play experience combines audio-visual art, inflatable architecture, light installations and futuristic gamification suitable for all ages. Feeling hot hot hot? The Nautilus Beach Club is open for the summer to both guests and the general public, and it’s the perfect place to cool down with a cocktail in hand. For just $29, guests can enjoy the pool for up to seven hours and you’ll even get a welcome spritz on arrival. It’s only here until early March, so be quick if you’re keen to sip and dip.
Theatre and live shows
After a stellar season remixing five hundred years of historical heartbreak, the queens of high-octane SIX The Musical will finish their reign at QPAC’s Playhouse Theatre this weekend – if you haven’t been, this is your last chance! Similarly, if you’re yet to seeHamilton, shoot your shot this weekend and head to QPAC to witness Lin-Manuel Miranda’s much-loved musical, which has had a profound impact on culture, politics and education since its Broadway debut in 2015. A contender for becoming one of the city’s most talked about cultural experiences, Brisbane Powerhouse’s provocative festival ΩHM kicks off this weekend with an immersive program of music and art, showcasing adventurous and profoundly personal approaches to sound, music and performance. Legendary New Zealand rock band The Chills take the theatre stage on Wednesday night (February 15), before feminist icon and pop provocateur Peaches brings a bold, sexually progressive, boundary-pushing performance on Friday night.
Exhibitions
Keen for a trip down the M1? HOTA Gallery’s first-ever international blockbuster exhibition, Pop Masters: Art from the Mugrabi Collection, New York, kicks off this weekend, inviting you into the world of iconic artists Andy Warhol, Keith Haring and Jean-Michel Basquiat, with a collection of works never before seen in Australia. The world-exclusive exhibition pairs these three superstars alongside artists inspired by their legacy, painting a unique picture of Pop Art across the past 60 years to present Australia. To grab your tickets to this enchanting exhibition, head to the HOTA website. One of our favourite ways to spend our free time is strolling through an art gallery, and there’s no better place to do this than at QAGOMA. The gallery’s summer blockbuster exhibition, Air, is showcasing immersive and large-scale works by leading international and Australian artists exploring the cultural, ecological and political dimensions of air. Courage and Beautyis also gracing the gallery and this spellbinding showcase celebrates the vision and generosity of Queensland art collector and philanthropist James C. Sourris AM.Giving us the perfect excuse to wander around the city is Brisbane City Council’s Outdoor Gallery exhibition, play/ground. Art enthusiasts are set to be wowed by a series of breathtaking artworks in light boxes, banners, vitrines, and evening projections across destinations including Howard Smith Wharves, Ann Street and Fish Lane. MoB is once again inviting art lovers to escape the world outside and enter a new, far more colourful one inside its fun-filled exhibition Play Moves. Sticking around until April 16, this fantastical display is bringing together a bounty of local and national artists for a boundary-breaking art experience like no other. Exhibition-goers can stroll through six large-scale installations where every action you take makes the art around you come alive.
Markets and foodie fun
Love a marg? Don’t we all. This Friday kicks off Margarita Week at Howard Smith Wharves – in honour of international Margarita Day on February 22, HSW is hosting an extra-long week of marg celebrations (until Sunday February 26) with its venues serving up inventive interpretations of the salty-rimmed specialty over ten summer days. If you’re eager to stroll through some stalls and stock up on some fresh fruit and veg over the weekend, be sure check out these markets happening – Saturday Fresh Market,Riverside Markets,Kelvin Grove Village Market,Jan Powers Farmers Markets,Davies Park Market,Carseldine Markets, Nundah Farmers Markets and the Redcliffe Markets. For delicious dinnertime eats, Eat Street Northshore is on for your snacking pleasure on Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights or a hint of mystery, head toWestoria on Friday – a unique night market bringing a sense of wonder, excitement and sense-enlivening magic to West End. Hot margarita summer has arrived at The Boundary with the arrival of the Patrón Pop-Up. Head up to The Boundary rooftop and be transported to the beaches of Tulum, complete with margarita trees, bottomless nachos, tacos and all the good vibes you could ask for.