Discover Brisbane's best events this May 2021!
As the days and nights cool down, with everyone dusting off hoodies and jumpers, Brisbane’s entertainment, arts and hospitality sectors are just heating up. With a huge line-up of events, from Street Art festivals, comedy, quirky immersive theatre, foodie events, there’s something for everyone to light that spirit of adventure and curiousity. Discover Brisbane’s best events this Autumn!
[Cover Photo by @britinbrisbane]
Image Supplied (by Bourdo Photography)
OPA! Celebrate the Paniyiri Greek Festival
When: Saturday 22 May - Sunday 23 May
Where: The Greek Club, South Brisbane
More Info here (FREE, but bookings a must!)
Tickets to Brisbane’s favourite cultural festival are now available! The 45th Paniyiri Greek Festival will be celebrated over the weekend of May 22 and 23 within The Greek Club precinct and online; the program a combination of real, virtual and livestreamed experiences that will deliver the essence of the famous celebration in a COVID-safe way. Featuring Greek cooking classes, a traditional taverna night, a hosted food adventure evening, a day of Greek dance and music, cultural experiences and a honeypuff pop-up!
Image by Chris Pearce (supplied)
Celebrate Australian Cocktail Month
When: Saturday 1 - Monday 31 May
Where: Across participating venues
More Info here
Prepare to immerse yourself in a celebration of cocktails from 1 – 31 May with the inaugural Australian Cocktail Month. Held across Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne and Adelaide, Australian Cocktail Month will partner with some of the best local and international alcohol brands to champion the country’s bar industry. Consumers will unlock unique bar experiences, escape the day to day and enjoy delicious cocktails with the Australian Cocktail Month ticket. The $20 ticket, which is now available online HERE, allows guests access to a special menu of cocktails created exclusively for the month. The menu will be available at participating venues, with cocktails priced at $14, and non-alcoholic options at $10.
Image by @_donnachang
When: Thursday 13 May - Sunday 30 May
Where: Various Participating venues
More info here
Celebrate the city’s best restaurants and bars this month with the Dine BNE City program. Over two unmissable weeks, the program features a series of delicious collections focused on lunch, dinner, drinks and special events. Each collection has been specially curated to bring Brisbane together to celebrate the vibrancy of The City’s food and drink culture.
Image supplied. left to right: Ali Ali – Oriole Bar Manager; Mihai Ostafi – Oriole Head Bartender; Samet Ali – Oriole Bartender
Try how London’s famous cocktail creations
When: From 19th May
Where: Living Room Bar, W Brisbane
More info here
W Brisbane is amping up the Queensland capital’s cocktail scene from May 19th in Living Room Bar with a new and next collaboration with the owners and expert mixologists behind East London’s Oriole Bar and Nightjar, known for their daring and innovative cocktail creations. The first time this world-renowned calibre of mixology will be here in Brisbane, the menu will form part of the ongoing offering at Living Room and will provide a way for us to experience cocktails from around the world right in Australia. Frequenting the World’s 50 Best Bar Awards list, these UK institutions are famed for adventurous cocktails that evoke discovery and theatre respectively. The Oriole Bar based trio will take over Living Room Bar’s cocktail offering with a coveted curated list exclusive for W Brisbane.
Image Supplied.
Check out the Green Heart Fair
When: Sunday 30 May
Where: 7th Brigade Park, Newman Road, Chermside
More Info here
If COVID has taught us anything, it’s the power of finding joy in the simple and embracing the slow. Making a sourdough starter, DIY kombucha and indulging your green thumb will all be possible at Brisbane City Council’s Green Heart Fair when it returns to Chermside on Sunday 30 May. Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner said ““The one-day event has something for everyone of all ages and green thumb abilities and returns to 7th Brigade Park after a virtual event last year due to the global coronavirus pandemic.” People are encouraged to bike, bus, or walk to the fair.
Image by @timetravelcafe
See performances that take place anywhere!
When: Thursday 6 May - Sunday 23 May
Where: Anywhere in Brisbane
More Info here
For the tenth year, Anywhere Festival turns ordinary places into extraordinary spaces, where you can discover performances in nooks and crannies of Brisbane, Ipswich, Moreton Bay, Sunshine Coast, and Noosa. One of the most exciting is the unique immersive experience offered by Time Travel Cafe. Step back in time in a speakeasy bar behind a tailor shop in the heart of the Woolloongabba’s antique precinct, where you’ll meet a curated selection of historical figures from across the millennia! It is reminiscent of the Parisian salon culture of the early 1920's but with an absurdist twist. Think "Midnight in Paris" meets "Salvador Dali".
Image Supplied.
Turn Brisbane Neighbourhoods B.A.D
When: Friday 7 May - Sunday 30 May
Where: CBD, Fortitude Valley, Northside, Southside
More info here
Brisbane’s city, fringe areas and suburbs will be activated across four jam packed weekends featuring more than 60 venues and shining a spotlight on the best of Brisbane’s Art and Design. With a focus on four distinct parts of Brisbane (the City, the Valley, Northside, Southside), BAD 2021 unpacks what makes each BAD neighbourhood unique with tours, public art events, contemporary art exhibitions performances, projections and open-studios across the fashion, photography, local artisans, furniture, street art and commercial arts sectors.
Image by @urbancocktailtrail
Join a Cocktail Trail around Brisbane
When: Saturday 29 May, 2pm - 6pm
Where: Participating Venues
Tickets: From $69
SIP N’ STROLL To celebrate the art, craftsmanship and of course, the fun, that a beautifully made cocktail has to offer. Nine of Brisbane City’s best bars have each nominated their Signature Cocktail for you to enjoy on Brisbane’s first self-guided cocktail tour.
Image by @brisbane_street_art
Make plans to see some epic Murals
When: Saturday 1 May - Sunday 16 May
Where: All over Brisbane
More Info here
The Brisbane Street Art Festival “BSA Fest”, is back in 2021 for it’s sixth year, and growing into one of the largest Street Art Festivals in Australia. This year’s festival includes a mural program featuring over 40 new works. Running alongside this is the festival’s largest ever events program, stretching over the sixteen festival days across the Brisbane landscape. Highlights include the Festival Launch at the newly established ephemeral arts venue, Superordinary, the annual Within These Walls group exhibition in collaboration with Bad Olive also at Superordinary, and the Felons Party at Howard Smith Wharves.
