Newsflash! This weekend is not a long weekend. We know that it might pain some of you, having had quite a run of them lately. However, when it comes to what’s on in Brisbane for kids and families, there is still plenty happening. (You just don’t have as long to pack it all in.)ere is still plenty happening. (You just don’t have as long to pack it all in.)
Say hi to your mum for us
You can make mum feel extra special this weekend with some mouth-watering Mother’s Day events
If you’re celebrating Mother’s Day and want the special woman in your life to feel your love, there are plenty of places you can take her in and around Brisbane. Our picks include:
- Riverlink Chocolate Festival, from Thursday, May 5 to Sunday, May 8
- The Pullenvale Hall’s Mother’s Day Twilight Market on Friday, May 6
- Portside Wharf’s Mother’s Day Market on Saturday, May 7
- Mother’s Day on the Lawn at Sirromet Wines on Sunday, May 8
Interactive exhibitions for curious minds
Having recently opened at the Pine Rivers Heritage Museum at Old Petrie Town, the Minibeasts exhibition is sure to excite. Learn about the hidden world of creepy crawlies with this hands-on display. Kids will especially love a myriad fun activities including examining and classifying specimens, creating patterns using natural materials, posing in front of the butterfly wing mural and observing insects at work.
Check out the Museum of Brisbane’s newest exhibition, Making Place: 100 Views of Brisbane. Museum-goers can treat their peepers to more than 100 artworks depicting some of Brisbane’s most iconic scenes. The dazzling exhibition features works from renowned artists including Vida Lahey, Judy Watson and Margaret Olley, and an atmospheric soundscape by Artist in Residence Lawrence English, leaving you with a much-needed dose of culture.
Take an eye-opening tour of art around Brisbane City
You may think you know Brisbane well, but Museum of Brisbane’s captivating walking tours will will reignite your curiosity for our beloved river city! Art lovers can get their fix with Museum of Brisbane’s Public Art Walking Tour, showcasing the art, history, and culture of Brisbane’s public sphere. This exciting tour invites you to traverse through the city’s plethora of public art and examine the dynamic additions to Brisbane’s squares, lanes, foyers and streetscapes. Featuring work both from the early 1900s, to modern installations and laneway art, this 90-minute tour will showcase Brisbane from a brand-new perspective as you explore the artist’s response to a place, concept and time that can give us a sense of, or question, who and where we are. Tours run on select Fridays and Saturdays.
Marvel at street art around the city with a dazzling showcase
Brisbane Street Art Festival (BSAF) will welcome a plethora of acclaimed local, national and international street artists from around the globe this May. The free public art event has 50 commissioned artworks across iconic inner-city Brisbane locations. The city will be awash with colour with artworks by artists from countries including USA, Spain, Russia, Hong Kong, Thailand, and Indonesia alongside homegrown talents such as Sofles, Rachael Sarra, and Tori-Jay Mordey.
Celebrate local literary talent at the Brisbane Writer’s Festival
Grab your pens and start jotting down a list, as the 60th anniversary Brisbane Writers Festival is finally here with more than 200 events taking place across the city over six huge days from May 3–8. As Brisbane’s seminal literary event, the festival is full of engaging storytelling and celebrations of the written word. Created with a little help (and a dose of magic) from guest curators Ellen van Neerven, Benjamin Law, Anne-Marie Te Whiu, Michaela Kolowski and Rhianna Patrick, this year’s event combines BWF fan-favourite programs with a handful of sparkling new initiatives. To peep the entire program and to score tickets, head to the BWF website.
Have fun at these outstanding shows and performances
The Brisbane run of Disney’s latest hit musical, Frozen The Musical! is in its final weeks. The tale of sisterhood and true love is being performed at QPAC’s Lyric Theatre until Sunday, May 8.
Also this weekend is PAW Patrol Live! presented by Paramount+. Based on the hit animated television series of the same name, PAW Patrol‘s ‘The Great Pirate Adventure’ is an action-packed, high-energy musical adventure. It’s on at the Brisbane Entertainment Centre on Saturday, May 7 and Sunday, May 8.
Putt amongst all of your favourite sugary snacks at a candy land-themed mini-golf course
Victoria Park has transformed its putt putt course into a sweet-tooth’s wonderland. Say hello to Candyland Putt Putt, a mini-golf course that’s set to give you one heck of a sugar rush. Popping up from April 1 until May 8, this golf course will feature a host of delectable delights including classic holes like Fairy-floss Fairway, as well as brand-new holes like Ice-cream Court, Candy Shoppe, Sugar Shack on Sugar Slopes and Bunny Hop. The best part of this candy-laced adventure? The putt putt course is fully licensed. You can order drinks and snacks as you play via the QR codes located at each hole. Online bookings are essential.
Grab yourself some fresh produce
Grab your mask and your shopping bags and head to one of the many markets around Brisbane for some fresh fruit and vege. You’ll find amazing produce, plants, food and wares at Brisbane’s Saturday Fresh Market, Rocklea; Riverside Markets, Brisbane CBD and City Botanic Gardens; Kelvin Grove Village Market, Kelvin Grove; Jan Powers Farmers Market, New Farm; Davies Park Market, West End; Carseldine Farmers & Artisan Markets, Carseldine; and the Redcliffe Farmers & Artisan Markets, Redcliffe.
Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, events may be postponed or cancelled at the last minute. We do our best to ensure our events are up to date, but be sure to check the organiser’s own event page for the most current updates.
You can find more at our comprehensive What’s On page for all the kid and family fun around Brisbane, the Gold Coast and Sunshine Coast.
Servicing Brisbane, Gold Coast, Sunshine Coast and beyond, Kids on the Coast is an online guide for parents with kids events, attractions & things to do with kids, schools and education, school holiday guides, health & wellbeing for families, parenting and lifestyle news located on Gold Coast, Sunshine Coast & Brisbane, QLD.
