Brisbane Festival and Riverfestival to unite

Premier Anna Bligh and Brisbane Lord Mayor Campbell Newman today announced Brisbane Festival and Riverfestival will combine in 2009 to become one annual festival to be staged under the name Brisbane Festival.

“The new annual Brisbane Festival will run from Saturday 12 September to Saturday 3 October 2009,” they said.

The Premier said that this would be the icing on the cake for next year’s 150^th anniversary celebrations for both the City of Brisbane and the State of Queensland.

“As the State marks this significant event our capital will have a new and exciting event,” she said.

“The State will chip in an additional $2 million a year with a further $850,000 a year to come from the Brisbane City Council.”

That will take overall joint funding to $5.29 million a year. This investment is expected to deliver a benefit to the State of more than $25 million and brings funding into line with that provided by other State Governments for major festivals.

“In 2009, the new Brisbane Festival will feature the best of both festivals,” she said.

It will include; The Spiegeltent, QBE Riverfire, extraordinary international productions and artists, the free Across Brisbane community programme, Indigenous events, RiverBBQ, under the radar theatre fringe festival, the popular Brisbane Backyards series and much more.

”Over 150 years, Brisbane has grown into Australia’s most dynamic city that is fast becoming the envy of other capitals,” Brisbane Lord Mayor Campbell Newman said.

“This event, along with new cultural attractions like GOMA, shows we’ve emerged from the cultural shadow.”

The merger of these two major events into one month long festival will make the new Brisbane Festival the largest and most diverse arts festival in Australia.

Major Brisbane Festivals CEO and Brisbane Festival 2009 Artistic Director, Lyndon Terracini said “I’m thrilled that the Premier and Lord Mayor have initiated this new event and I am looking forward to working hard to make this the biggest and best Brisbane Festival yet!”

First staged in 1996, Brisbane Festival was developed by the Queensland Government and Brisbane City Council as an initiative to foster the arts. This biennial event has developed to become one of Australia's most highly respected and acclaimed performing arts festivals.

The first Riverfestival was held in September1998. Riverfestival is a major annual community and environmental festival celebrating Brisbane’s waterways and culture by focusing on the city’s signature natural landmark, the Brisbane River.

Brisbane Festival 2009 will operate under the direction of the board of Major Brisbane Festivals Pty Ltd.

Media contacts: Premier’s Office 3224 4500

Lord Mayor’s Office 3403 4299