Things to do with kids in Brisbane over the September school holidays
By Nick Dent
School is out for two weeks (September 14-29) and if your kids are anything like mine, keeping them away from devices is going to be a challenge.
As always, Brisbane has plenty of spectacular free playgrounds, large museums and small ones, cafes and pubs with children’s facilities, mini golf courses and zoos.
There is also a wide range of special events for kids taking place, many of them part of Brisbane Festival. Here’s our guide.
Spectrum of Happiness.
Spectrum of Happiness at Portside Wharf
When: Until Sep 21, Tue-Thu & Sun 3-9pm, Fri-Sat 3-10pm
Where: Portside Wharf, 39 Hercules St, Hamilton
How much: Free
Bangkok-based experience designers have built a colourful interactive swing set. When you get on the swings you activate the movement of an LED ball over your head and also create a collaborative music score.
Elphaba (Sheridan Adams) and Glinda (Courtney Monsma) in Wicked.Credit: Luis Enrique Ascui
Wicked
When: From Sep 12
Where: Lyric Theatre, QPAC
How much: $75-$230
Packed with bangers like Popular and Defying Gravity, this colourful and clever musical prequel to The Wizard of Oz promises an unforgettable day or night out for adults and older children.
Fancy Long Legs is a children’s show based on a picture book by crafting identity Rachel Burke.Credit: La Boite
Fancy Long Legs
When: Sep 12-22
Where: Roundhouse Theatre, Kelvin Grove
How much: $29-$49
A children’s picture book by crafting sensation Rachel Burke has been adapted into a stage show. Fancy is a spider who loves to create, but struggles to stay focused on her task of web-building. There are both daytime and early evening performances.
Runt
When: From Sep 12
Where: In cinemas
How much: Various prices
Playing the Red Dog card is this new Australian comedy starring Celeste Barber about a stray pooch whose abilities take him all the way to a prestigious UK dog show. Jai Courtney, Deborah Mailman and the legendary Jack Thompson co-star in the adaptation of Craig Silvey’s novel.
Harold and the Purple Crayon
When: From Sep 12
Where: In cinemas
How much: Various
A vintage kids’ picture book gets the slick Hollywood treatment. Zachary Levi from Shazam! Stars as a man who can make anything he draws come to life.
Donut Decorating at Indro Bakehouse.Credit: Indro Bakehouse
Donut Decorating at Indro Bakehouse
When: Sep 14-22, 10am-3pm
Where: Indooroopilly Shopping Centre, Level 1 (near Coles)
How much: Free
Book in for a 20-minute free workshop where kids will get to mix colours, spread icing, and experiment with creative decorations on their donut – then eat it too.
Snip-Snap Badge Studio
When: Sep 14-29, 10.30am-1.30pm
Where: Museum of Brisbane, Brisbane City Hall
How much: $2 for 1, $5 for 3
All ages can be inspired by the New Light: Photography Now + Then exhibition and be shown how to make pieces of wearable art. No need to book – just drop in.
DinoFest Brisbane – Age of the Tyrannosaur is an outdoor event for children aged nine and younger.Credit: DinoFest
DinoFest Brisbane – Age of the Tyrannosaur
When: Sep 14-29, 10.30am, 1pm & 3pm
Where: Kalinga Park Playground, 164 Park Avenue, Wooloowin
How much: $26.28-$28.38
Recommended for kids 9 and under, this dinotopia includes a life-size T-Rex, walking dinosaurs, a “Dino Dig” and a “feel a fossil” experience with real fossils.
No-Waste Wardrobe promises a journey of discovery and empowerment towards a more conscious approach to fashion.Credit: Courtesy Brisbane Festival
No-Waste Wardrobe at Westfield Chermside
When: Sep 16-20, 10am-2pm
Where: Westfield Chermside
How much: Free
This fashion-themed program during the first week of school holidays includes an art installation by Claudia Williams and a free upcycling workshop where kids of all ages can create a bespoke piece of art from previously loved clothes.
New Light: Young Explorers Tour
When: Tue-Thu Sep 17-19 & 24-26, 9.15am-10.15am
Where: Museum of Brisbane, Brisbane City Hall
How much: $15
Art lovers aged 6-12 years can explore the museum before it opens with a special tour of the New Light: Photography Now + Then exhibition. Kids will then get hands-on a special interactive touch trolley before trying their hand at making a creation to take home.
Teen Zines Workshop at Museum of Brisbane shows teenagers how to make their own zines.Credit: Museum of Brisbane
Teen Zines Workshop
When: Wed Sep 18 & Wed Sep 25, 2-4pm
Where: Museum of Brisbane, Brisbane City Hall
How much: $30
Show your creative teens (aged 13 to 17) the world of pre-digital publishing with this workshop. Artist Izzie Heaton leads a tour of the New Light: Photography Now + Then exhibition then shares her valuable tips on zine-making using old photos and magazines.
Circus Fun House - The Show at Pink Flamingo Spiegeland is the company’s first show for kids.Credit: Pink Flamingo
Circus Fun House
When: Sep 19-21 & 26-28; Thu 11.30am & 3pm; Fri 11.30am & 6.30pm; Sat 11.30am
Where: Pink Flamingo Spiegeland, Hamilton
How much: $25-$78 (family tickets available)
The Pink Flamingo Brisbane will be hosting 10 Circus Fun House performances over the two weeks of the school holidays. See acrobatics, clowning and comedy, from a thrilling silk dancer to a hapless jester getting trapped inside a giant balloon. Food and drinks can be ordered to your table.
Skylore: The Rainbow Serpent
When: Sep 19-21, 7.15, 8.15 & 9.15pm
Where: Festival Garden, 186 Little Stanley Street, South Brisbane
How much: Free
Last year’s drone show was one of the unqualified successes of the Brisbane Festival and this year it’s the must-see closing weekend event. Get your best view at the Festival Garden (or Queen’s Wharf) to see 400 drones telling the First Nations creation story of the Rainbow Serpent. The show is 15 minutes long.
Proudfoot and Friends is a free Brisbane Festival show starring Lucas Proudfoot.Credit: Proudfoot Productions
Proudfoot and Friends
When: Thu Sep 19, 10am & 1pm
Where: Brisbane City Hall
How much: Free (booking required)
Lucas Proudfoot stars in a 45-minute musical comedy for ages 3-7. A Gudjinburra-Bundjalung man who plays didgeridoo and guitar, Proudfoot presents a range of colourful animated characters like Big-Gulp Pelican and Ruby the Frog.
Fink (voiced by Pedro Pascal) and Roz (Lupita N’yongo) in DreamWorks Animation’s The Wild Robot, directed by Chris Sanders. Credit: DreamWorks Animation
The Wild Robot
When: From Sep 19
Where: In cinemas
How much: Various prices
A robot washed up on a desert island struggles to survive alongside a group of local animals in this animated adventure film based on Peter Brown’s admired children’s book.
Dessert Kebabs at Indro Bakehouse
When: Sep 23-29, 10am-3pm
Where: Indooroopilly Shopping Centre, Level 1 (near Coles)
How much: Free
It’s gluten-free fun with fruits and marshmallows to cut and position along your skewer, then finish with a chocolate drizzle and sprinkles. Bookings essential.
Cirque du Soleil - Luzia is inspired by the sights, sounds and culture of Mexico.Credit: Anne Colliard
Cirque du Soleil – Luzia
When: Sep 25-Nov 10
Where: Under the Big Top, Royal Queensland Golf Club
How much: From $84 (family discounts available)
The visionaries of Cirque du Soleil take audiences on a journey through Mexican culture. Expect colourful costumes, high-flying feats, juggling, diving and more. There are matinees and late afternoon performances in addition to the 8pm ones.
Room on the Broom
When: Sep 27 & 29, 10am & 12pm; Sep 28, 10am, 12pm & 3pm
Where: QUT Gardens Theatre
How much: $24-$48
The story of a kindly witch and the animals that join her on her broom is one of the most popular books by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler. Introduce young children to live theatre with this dramatisation from the team behind The Gruffalo and The Gruffalo’s Child.
Brisbane Kidchella
When: Sat Sep 28, 3-7pm
Where: Keralgerie Park, Richmond Road, Morningside
How much: Free
This large park in Morningside is hosting a kids’ disco, markets, food trucks, face painting, a display of big trucks, and kids’ activities.
Woodworking in the Park – Mini Towns
When: Wed Sep 18, 9.30-10.30am
Where: Ken Fletcher Park, 167 King Arthur Terrace, Tennyson
How much: $6
Young people aged 4-14 can build a small wooden town complete with buildings, trees and vehicles. Get hands-on using real tools safely to build and then decorate a mini wooden cityscape.