Melt Festival, the biggest celebration of Queer arts and culture in Brisbane, returns with 100+ events across 70+ venues from 21 October – 8 November 2026.
Melt Festival has today unveiled its biggest-ever program, transforming Brisbane into one of Australia’s most vibrant destinations for Queer arts and culture with over 100 events across more than 70 venues.
Produced by Brisbane Powerhouse, Melt returns with a city-wide program spanning landmark public art, world premieres, headline concerts, spectacular river celebrations and powerful new Queer storytelling.
Louise Bezzina, Brisbane Powerhouse CEO and Artistic Director said:
“Melt has always been about bringing people together through unforgettable shared experiences, and this year’s program does that on a scale we’ve never seen before. From international public art legend – Florentijn Hofman’s giant pink duck floating down the Brisbane River for our biggest-ever River Pride Parade, to a major new commission from Brisbane’s own Circa, the city will come alive in ways you simply won’t experience at any other time of year.
Whether you’re part of the LGBTQIA+ community, an ally, a family discovering the festival for the first time or visiting Brisbane, Melt is an invitation to come together, celebrate and experience the city at its brightest.”
Chair for Community and the Arts Councillor Vicki Howard said Melt Festival’s biggest-ever program would create more to see and do across the city.
“When a five-storey pink duck takes up residence on the Brisbane River, you know the city is in for something special. Melt celebrates LGBTQIA+ artists, stories and communities through a major program of arts and cultural events.
With so many wonderful events across so many venues, the festival will attract visitors, support local businesses and bring crowds to our popular lifestyle precincts from Fortitude Valley to Fish Lane. We are proud to support a festival that strengthens Brisbane’s reputation as an inclusive, welcoming city and Australia’s lifestyle capital.”
Minister for the Arts John-Paul Langbroek added:
“Queensland’s cultural events are a powerful draw card for visitors, giving people more reasons to come to Brisbane, stay longer and experience more of what the city has to offer. Melt Festival supports local businesses, adding to the energy of Brisbane’s restaurants, bars, entertainment precincts and visitor economy.
The Crisafulli Government is proud to support events that grow visitation, strengthen local communities and showcase Queensland as a world-class destination for arts, culture and major events.”
Melt kicks off with its biggest and most ambitious opening weekend yet, transforming Brisbane’s streets, river and public spaces into a celebration of visibility, creativity and community. For the first time, Brisbane Pride’s Rally and March and Fair Day will align with River Pride Parade on Saturday 24 October, bringing together Brisbane’s largest celebrations in a single day that stretches from Fortitude Valley to New Farm and along the Brisbane River/Maiwar.
As day turns to dusk, River Pride Parade returns in a new twilight time slot, with a colourful flotilla of boats and watercraft cruising from West End to Brisbane Powerhouse as thousands gather along the river to celebrate. Expanded riverside activations, dedicated viewing precincts and themed party boats promise an unforgettable afternoon that spills into the evening.
A fleet of official party boats – including WET ON DECK, Come To Daddy, Splash Out and FUEL – bring even more colour, music and celebration to the river. The celebration continues at Brisbane Powerhouse, where Melt’s Opening Party with free entry keeps the energy going with DJs, live performances and festivities into the night.
A central visual across the program is Florentijn Hofman‘s 15-metre, five-storey-high Rubber Duck. Reimagined in Melt’s signature hot pink, the monumental artwork will first appear on the Brisbane River/Maiwar near the CBD ahead of the festival, before joining the River Pride Parade as one of its flagship floats.
It will then later take up residence near Brisbane Powerhouse for the duration of Melt. Having captivated audiences in Amsterdam, Hong Kong, Osaka, São Paulo and Pittsburgh, it’s set to become one of the defining images of Melt 2026.
Another standout addition to the 2026 program is the inaugural Mr First Nation. Building on the success of Miss First Nation in 2025, producer Ben Graetz‘s new competition celebrates Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander drag king performers and Blak excellence, with two heats leading to a glittering grand final on the festival’s opening weekend.
Melt is also inviting Brisbane locals to become part of the festival through Onesie World, a major participatory artwork by artist and fashion researcher Adele Varcoe and celebrated Queer First Nations artist Dylan Mooney. More than an artwork to experience, Onesie World is a chance for the community to come together, get involved and help create a shared moment of queer joy and connection.
Free community sewing workshops will run from 5 to 23 October at Brisbane Powerhouse and the State Library of Queensland, inviting participants to help make 1000 onesies featuring Mooney’s iconic print. No sewing experience is needed.
On River Pride Parade day, 24 October, the onesies will be released back into the community, free to claim on a first-in-first dressed basis, transforming the Brisbane River into a vibrant collective celebration as thousands come together wearing a piece of the artwork they helped create.
Beyond opening weekend, one of the festival’s defining artistic experiences is the world premiere of Show Me Love, a new Brisbane Powerhouse commission from the city’s globally recognised contemporary circus company, Circa.
Created exclusively for Melt, this immersive production invites audiences to move through the hidden spaces and winding corridors of Brisbane Powerhouse, following Circa’s acrobats and guest artists as they explore the tension between instinct and control, vulnerability and strength, before culminating in a spectacular finale inspired by club culture.
Across music, live performance and comedy, Melt welcomes internationally acclaimed artists alongside Australian favourites and exciting new voices.
Arriving with a bang following his explosive rise to stardom in 2026, Queensland singer-songwriter Jude York will bring Euphoric dance floor-ready pop delicacies with emotional vulnerability to his hometown. Māori soul singer from New Zealand, TEEKS, will debut new music including his single My Boy.
Joining them will be Grammy-nominated, multiple ARIA Award-winning Courtney Barnett who’ll bring her Creature of Habit tour to Brisbane as part of the festival with pop icon Melanie C, showcasing an electrifying live show that celebrates her ninth studio album Sweat.
Back by popular demand, Melting Pot returns to Brisbane Powerhouse in collaboration with QUIVR as Melt’s vibrant weekly hub to amplify local queer voices and stories throughout the festival.
Celebrating the best of local queer creativity, Melting Pot will host a dynamic mix of emerging and established artists spanning art, fashion, music, theatre and more, creating a place for audiences and artists to gather, connect and celebrate between performances.
A festival favourite also returning to the program is Queer PowerPoint transforming the humble slideshow into an evening of hilarious passion projects, niche obsessions and gloriously queer deep dives.
In its new venue at Brisbane Powerhouse, this cult-hit experimental performance series sees queer presenters reclaim the corporate presentation format, using PowerPoint to explore everything from hot takes and hidden fascinations to wild speculation and outright fabrication, opening the door to a night of surprising stories, big ideas and queer imagination.
Visual art, theatre and new performance continue to shape the festival across Brisbane with The Huxleys presenting Bloodlines – a sparkling séance for queer art’s silenced legends.
Curated by Jacob Boehme, the work channels artists lost to HIV/AIDS back into dazzling, defiant life through photography, video, costume and live performance, celebrating the creativity, resilience and enduring influence of those whose voices continue to inspire queer culture today.
Elsewhere, new works continue to champion bold ideas and original voices. Wild Abandon, created by Sean Dowling, Merlynn Tong and Ian Lawson is a powerful new theatre work exploring queer intimacy, desire and self-acceptance through intersecting stories set within a single hotel.
The Butterfly Who Flew Into The Rave by award-winning choreographer Oli Mathiesen, condenses the chaos and catharsis of a three-day rave into a high-energy theatrical experience. Award-winning writer Cassie Workman’s Aberdeen reimagines the life of Kurt Cobain through a dark, surreal blend of biography, time travel and the supernatural. The Trans Theatre Symposium brings together artists and audiences to explore the future of trans storytelling on stage.
Beyond the stage, Queer the Town will once again transform Brisbane into a celebration of Queer culture, creativity and community across the city. Participating venues across Fish Lane, Fortitude Valley, Howard Smith Wharves and Queen’s Wharf will become part of the Melt experience, encouraging audiences to explore Brisbane’s restaurants, bars and entertainment precincts between performances.
From discovering unexpected pop-up moments and hidden performances to sharing a meal before a show or celebrating late into the night, Queer the Town invites audiences to experience the city in a whole new way.
Melt Festival runs in Brisbane 21 October – 8 November 2026. Tickets are on sale now!
Website: https://www.melt.org.au/
Socials: https://www.instagram.com/melt.fest/
Photo credits: Rubber Duck by Florentijn Hofman.
Melt is supported by the Queensland Government, through Tourism and Events Queensland and Brisbane City Council, through Brisbane Economic Development Agency.
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