Sunita Somvanshi
Riverfire 2026 falls on Saturday, September 5. The wider Brisbane Festival runs from September 4 through September 26. Queensland Police expect up to 450,000 people to be in the city, gathering along the Brisbane River to watch pyrotechnics fired from city barges, bridges, and high-rise rooftops, alongside an Australian Defence Force aerial display.
Riverfire has been Brisbane’s signature annual event since 1999, when it launched as part of a local arts initiative. The event has grown substantially over the decades and became formally integrated into the Brisbane Festival program. The 2026 edition falls on the opening weekend of the wider festival, making it the highest-attendance event on the city’s calendar for the month ahead.
Here is the change that matters most for planning.
Due to industrial action, Brisbane River ferry services will be suspended from 4am on September 5 to 4am on September 6. Brisbane City Council has explicitly told attendees to consider alternative transport. If you usually take the CityCat to South Bank or the CBD, that route is not available for the entire day.
The industrial dispute affecting ferry services is separate from the Riverfire event itself. The suspension affects the entire CityCat network — not just river services near the event zone. That means routes to New Farm, Bulimba, and other suburbs normally served by the river are also affected throughout the day, meaning those planning to arrive early for riverside positions need to plan accordingly.
The fireworks are scheduled to begin at 7pm. Entertainment at South Bank starts at 4pm.
For getting there and home, Translink has expanded bus and train capacity significantly. Free travel is available on selected bus and train services between 7:30pm and 9:30pm. That free travel does not apply to CityCat or Airtrain services — only the designated bus and train lines. Council says it is providing capacity for an additional 36,500 passenger trips within 90 minutes of Riverfire finishing. That is nearly five times the extra capacity provided during the same post-event window in 2025.
Additional services before the event include the M1, 130, 222, 333, 444, and other bus routes, with extra trains running at approximately 15-minute intervals on most lines during the post-fireworks period.
Road and bridge closures are in effect during the event. The Story Bridge and Victoria Bridge face vehicular and pedestrian closures during the firing window. The Kurilpa and Goodwill pedestrian bridges and the Kangaroo Point Bridge operate under restricted access from 5pm to 9pm, with e-mobility users barred from those crossings during that window.
For vessels, Maritime Safety Queensland enforces a total exclusion zone for private watercraft on the Town Reach — the stretch between the botanical gardens and the Story Bridge.
South Bank Parklands and Kangaroo Point Cliffs are free public viewing areas along the river. Organizers advise arriving early for access to open parks. Expect staggered exit windows of up to two hours after the display ends.
The ADF aerial display, which precedes the fireworks, features aircraft making passes over the Brisbane River. The display is visible from the full riverfront zone, not just South Bank. Those positioned at Kangaroo Point Cliffs typically have an unobstructed view across the river toward the CBD skyline, which serves as the backdrop for the pyrotechnic finale.
Check Translink’s official event page for your specific route before heading out. There will be no ferries, and the roads around the CBD will close. Planning around public transport is the practical call this Saturday.
