Alive in the Sunshine: A Mt Coot-tha Festival
About this Event
Alive in the Sunshine: a Mt Coot-tha Festival is a celebration of Brisbane and the people who make it a wonderful place to live.
The event will be at the Mount Coot-tha Botanic Gardens on September 5, 2026, from 12:00 PM to 5:00 PM (AEST).
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Spring in Brisbane is about getting a taste of the good life.
So we’re putting on a FREE festival so everyone can bask in Brisbane at its best!
Bring your friends and family. Catch some amazing local bands, grab a drink at the Bus Bar, bop at the Silent Disco, and be inspired by talks at the Speakers Lawn.
Or just soak up the good vibes in the gardens – sampling market stalls and delicious food trucks, or take a guided tour of the gardens.
Parents, bring your kids! We’ll have a whole kids entertainment section, so you can take a moment and chill on the grass while your kids get their faces painted, do gymnastics, or see a live nature show.
A taste of the good life. In an era of smartphone dependence, AI slop, overseas wars, cost of living pressures. Well, we all need it more and more.
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FULL PROGRAM ANNOUNCED!
See below for full program at a glance. Or click here to view it.
Main Stage
Headliners The Steele Syndicate (funk, ska, indie), supported by MOON BOOTS (disco, pop, and indie electronic) and 8 Ball Aitken & Taya Chani (swamp blues, rock, alt-country), will rock the Main Stage where you can enjoy a drink from the licensed Bus Bar and fresh food from ChiChi's Ice Cream, Little Mamak Malaysian, Outback Spirit Iced Tea, Turkish Tucker and Yum Yum East.
The Amphitheatre
If you want action, head for the Amphitheatre, where you’ll find all the family fun including free facepainting, gymnastics with Western Districts Youth Club and cricket games with Valley District Cricket Club’s All Abilities Cricket Program.
On the Amphitheatre stage, enjoy interactive performances from award-winning First Nations children’s songwriter Waveney Yasso, Rivercity Steel Band, a dance workshop with Bring a Plate Dance and a live nature show with Geckoes Wildlife.
There’s also delicious food and drinks from Kenmore Guides’ Sausage Sizzle and the Qld Turkish Women’s Association’s Tea and Coffee Tent, Evelyn’s Street Food and Coolest Cones.
Talks Under the Fig Tree
If a yarn under a fig tree is your idea of a good time, you’ll love our future-focussed program of panel discussions, featuring Matt Grudnoff (The Australia Institute), Emerald Moon (Serious Danger), Margaret Cook (author of ‘River with a City Problem’), Ameya Jauriga (Keeping Brisbane Alive), Vanessa Bermingham (Omni Academies), Penny Allman-Payne (Greens Senator for Queensland), Brett Leavy (Virtual Songlines) and others.
Art Lawn
Get inspired and creative at the Art Lawn, where you can meet local artists and see their work, and make art with Tash from the Bad Art Group.
Workshop Lawn
A diverse program of hands-on activities, featuring family-friendly rocket-making with children’s author Eileen O’Hely, protest puppetmaking with Create to Resist, and gas tax campaigning with Matt Grudnoff.
Plus local artisan and community group stalls, a silent disco, guided tours of the gardens, shows at the Planetarium, and more!
Where is it happening?
Event Location & Nearby Stays:
AUD 0.00
