This guide lists Brisbane festivals whose own official pages say they recur and give the month or season, using the pages read on 10 November 2026. Where a page gives only the most recent edition’s dates, the guide says so and names that edition. It lists no future dates, ticket prices or line-ups, because the organisers’ own pages are the place to confirm those. Festival sites that could not be loaded, or that did not state a recurrence and month in the text read, are left out.
May: Paniyiri
At 10 November 2026, Paniyiri’s FAQ page, which still words its answer in the future tense, gives the 2026 festival dates as Saturday 23 May and Sunday 24 May 2026. The festival’s home page says that in 2026 Paniyiri celebrates its 50th year and refers to what began in 1976.
The page describes Paniyiri as started in 1976 by a group of Greek Australians, and as having grown from a simple Sunday picnic in Musgrave Park into a two day and night festival. At 10 November 2026, the page says the festival attracts up to 50,000 people. The FAQ says the festival takes place at Musgrave Park and The Greek Club, on Edmondstone Street in South Brisbane. The page also says the Hellenic dancers performed for the first time in 1978 and have participated at every Paniyiri Festival since, and says creating bespoke experiences and activations for sponsors has allowed the event to evolve each year.
August: the Ekka
At 10 November 2026, the Ekka’s Dates page describes the Ekka as Queensland’s largest and most loved annual event, and says it returns. The same page presents its dates table under the column headings “Dates (August)” and “Public holiday (August)”. The Queensland Government public holidays page, last updated on 16 January 2026, says the RNA Show commences on the first Friday in August, unless the first Friday is prior to 5 August, when it commences on the second Friday of August. That page also says the Royal National Agricultural (RNA) Show Day (Brisbane only) is held on the Wednesday during the RNA Show period. How that Brisbane show holiday fits into the wider holiday rules is covered in How Queensland Public Holidays Work.
The Ekka’s home page says the Ekka is run by the RNA and staged at the Brisbane Showgrounds, and has been uniting city and country since 1876. It says that in 2026 the Ekka celebrated a milestone of 150 years. At 10 November 2026 the Ekka’s home page says it attracts and unites more than 400,000 people each year. The Ekka history page says Bowen Park was chosen in January 1876 as the site for the first ever Royal Queensland Show.
At 10 November 2026 the Ekka history page also records interruptions. It says the 2020 show was cancelled in the best interest of public health due to the global coronavirus pandemic, and carries a heading saying the Ekka was cancelled for a second year in a row in 2021.
September: Brisbane Festival and Riverfire
At 10 November 2026, the Brisbane Festival home page headline reads “Brisbane Festival returns” beside a date range in September. The festival’s About page says its story starts with The Warana Festival, which first lit up the city in 1961. It adds that in 1996 the Queensland Government and Brisbane City Council relaunched Warana as Brisbane Festival, a biennial arts festival. The Brisbane Festival pages read do not state in one place how often it is held, and this guide does not reconcile the About page’s “biennial” wording with the festival’s “returns” announcements. The About page also says Riverfire was the showstopper of Riverfestival, a fireworks spectacular that quickly became a Brisbane icon, and that in 2009 the two festivals came together.
The festival’s FAQ page, read on 10 November 2026, says Riverfire returns on a Saturday in September, igniting Brisbane Festival. The home page carries a “Save the date” notice that Riverfire returns on a Saturday in September. The exact day is left to the festival’s own pages.
October: Brisbane Writers Festival
At 10 November 2026, the Brisbane Writers Festival home page shows the 2026 festival as 8 – 11 October 2026, so the 2026 edition ran in October. The About page describes BWF as Australia’s oldest continuous writers’ festival, and says that each year BWF welcomes thousands of readers and writers to Brisbane.
The About page says the program includes author panels, speeches, performances and more, including schools and YA programs for younger readers. The site menu has an “Out-of-Season Events” entry, and the home page has an “Upcoming Out-of-Season Events” heading.
A festival that is paused
At 10 November 2026, the Brisbane International Film Festival’s page says the festival will be paused in 2026 to allow Screen Queensland time to lay the foundations for a new operating model. The same page says Screen Queensland looks forward to welcoming audiences back to BIFF in 2027. It also says that for more than 30 years BIFF has celebrated and championed film, culture and community. The page read does not state a month, so BIFF is not placed in the month-by-month list above.
Using the list
A month noted here is the month an organiser’s page states for a named edition, or for the festival generally. See also Things to Do in Brisbane This Weekend: How to Find Out and Brisbane Weather by Season.
Frequently asked questions
Which month is the Ekka held in?
At 10 November 2026, the Ekka’s Dates page presents its dates table under the headings “Dates (August)” and “Public holiday (August)”. The Queensland Government public holidays page, last updated 16 January 2026, says the RNA Show commences on the first Friday in August unless that Friday is prior to 5 August.
When was Paniyiri held in 2026?
At 10 November 2026, Paniyiri’s FAQ page gives the 2026 festival dates as Saturday 23 May and Sunday 24 May 2026.
Is Riverfire part of Brisbane Festival?
At 10 November 2026, Brisbane Festival’s FAQ page says Riverfire returns on a Saturday in September, igniting Brisbane Festival.
Is the Brisbane International Film Festival running in 2026?
At 10 November 2026, BIFF’s page says the festival will be paused in 2026 and that Screen Queensland looks forward to welcoming audiences back in 2027.
