Take a breath Brisbane, your festival is over for another year, with more than five million engaging in the September extravaganza either in person … or online.
Brisbane Festival Board Chair Anna Reynolds said the 2025 event, which drew to a close on Saturday (September 27), achieved many milestones.
Ms Reynolds said the Festival’s digital reach excelled, with reels, co-created with Tourism and Events Queensland and Brisbane Economic Development Agency, attracting over 5 million views, showcasing the city’s arts, culture and lifestyle to a global audience.
She said the festival’s hero productions not only attracted massive audiences, but inspired unprecedented civic pride.
“Walk This Way by Craig and Karl proved so popular, 93 percent of respondents to Lady Brisbane’s informal survey wanted it to become a permanent feature of the city.”
Ms Reynolds attributed the success of this year’s festivals to outgoing Artistic Director Louise Bezzina.
She said Ms Bezzina, who now takes up the role of CEO and Artistic Director at the Brisbane Powerhouse, expanded the annual event into Australia’s largest international arts festival.
“Louise accomplished something extraordinary. Under her leadership, attendance figures have soared and international recognition of the festival has cemented Brisbane’s reputation as a thriving destination for arts.”
Ms Reynolds said Ms Bezzina’s audacious vision – “be bold, be brave, be Brisbane” – had transformed the city into a stage in an effort to build civic momentum ahead of the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
Ms Bezzina said her aim was to reimagine Brisbane as a living, breathing performance space.
“That ambition was beautifully realised by the artists and creative, production and technical teams we engaged,” she said.
“Over 23 glorious days, we witnessed art spill into every corner of our city – from traditional theatres to parks, bridges, and laneways – creating a citywide spectacle of art, light, and human connection that energised Brisbane like never before.”
