Elise. Writer & caffeine-based life form. Exploring my city and discovering its best kept secrets. Join me on my adventures!
11/12/2024
Naomi Price and a sparkling cast of Australian music theatre sweethearts unite to deliver all the hits from beloved holiday classic Love Actually, wrapped up with comedy and charm. Bursting with nativity lobsters, cinnamon sticks and endless fun, Christmas Actually is the ultimate silly-season starter.
Playing at BRISBANE POWERHOUSE from 10 - 15 December 2024
Christmas Actually 10 – 15 December 2024 Brisbane Powerhouse, New Farm Naomi Price and a sparkling cast of Australian music theatre sweethearts unite to deliver all the hits from beloved holi…
09/12/2024
Victoria Park’s Christmas Putt Putt has returned for another year. It’s a tee-riffic Christmas activity that will have you feeling merry and bright, with festive fairways decked out in bows, bells, and twinkling lights ⛳✨
You can take a swing at the Christmas course until 2 January 2025.
Christmas Putt Putt Until 2 January 2025 Victoria Park Putt Putt Course, Herston Victoria Park’s Christmas Putt Putt has returned for another year. It’s a tee-riffic Christmas activity that w…
06/12/2024
Brisbane Music Festival (BMF)’s seventh year has spanned August and October and will continue from December 13-15. All performances are at FourthWall Arts on Queen Street, Brisbane City, and the festival programme features 21 events by more than 30 creatives, including 11 world premieres and 13 Australian premieres.
Read more on the website now.
Brisbane Music Festival (BMF)’s seventh year has spanned August 10 + 23-25, October 25-27 and will continue from December 13-15. Tickets are $25 for all performances at FourthWall Arts on Que…
04/12/2024
“The festival has, over its seven seasons, become more focused exclusively on contemporary music and Australian work. I like to think of BMF being a platform for innovative and risk-taking art that doesn’t have a voice or platform elsewhere within the Brisbane scene.”
Alex Raineri is the Artistic Director and Producer of Brisbane Music Festival which is now in its seventh year and continues from December 13-15. You can read more from Alex on the website now.
Alex Raineri, photographed by Trish Dean How did the Brisbane Music Festival (BMF) begin, and how has it evolved? BMF began in 2018, this is the seventh season in 2024! It began as a way to focus a…
02/12/2024
Escape the summer heat and head to the cool rainforest of Mt Glorious this Saturday to experience sparkling chamber music by Ensemble Trivium in the newly renovated Elm House.
Mozart’s Flute Quartet in D major opens the program with elegance and charm, followed by Jean Françaix’s sparkling String Trio and concluding with Dvořák’s American Quartet, adapted for flute and strings, offering a fresh perspective on this beloved masterpiece with its rich, folk-inspired themes.
Effervescence 3pm, 7 December 2024 Elm House, Mt Glorious Escape the summer heat and head to the cool rainforest of Mt Glorious to experience an enchanting afternoon of sparkling chamber music in t…
29/11/2024
Mandy Nolan and Ellen Briggs are Women Like Us—two of Australia’s most relatable and hilarious comedians. With over 320 sold-out shows across the country, 5-star reviews from Adelaide Fringe Festival and Melbourne International Comedy Festival, this powerhouse duo brings their uproarious act to new corners of Australia in 2024.
Playing at PIP Theatre as part of Toucan Club from 5 - 7 December.
Women Like Us 5 – 7 December 2024 PIP Theatre, Milton Mandy Nolan and Ellen Briggs are Women Like Us—two of Australia’s most relatable and hilarious comedians. With over 320 sold-out shows ac…
28/11/2024
The twelfth and final day of Backstreet Brisbane's 12 days of Christmas is about giving the gift of an experience, from workshops and at-home making to tickets, season passes, and subscriptions. ✨🎄🎁
Thanks for following along, and I wish you and yours a very restful and happy holiday season!
If you’ve followed along with 12 Days of Christmas at Backstreet Brisbane – thank you! Supporting local means a lot to me and it’s great to see so many others with the same enthusiasm. The twelfth …
27/11/2024
From Australia's oldest operating distillery to a wide range of craft beers, Day 11 of my annual 12 Days of Christmas gift guides focuses on local tipples you might like to gift or bring along to your celebrations. Cheers! ✨🎄🎁
There’s always plenty of champagne and six packs in our family fridge for Christmas (and usually heaps left over for New Year’s celebrations) but here are some local tipples you might like to bring…
27/11/2024
Mitchell Fine Art proudly presents the first solo exhibition of Brisbane artist Dylan Sarra, which invites viewers to explore the deep connection between fire and First Nations culture, as experienced by the artist. This exploration of fire underscores its role in shaping identity and community, celebrating the resilience and ingenuity of First Nations people. Viewers are encouraged to reflect on our relationship with fire, heritage and the natural world.
Showing until 14 December.
Embers of Heritage 29 October – 14 December 2024 Mitchell Fine Art Gallery, Fortitude Valley Mitchell Fine Art in Fortitude Valley Brisbane proudly presents the first solo exhibition of Brisbane ar…
26/11/2024
Day 10 of my annual 12 Days of Christmas is for the foodies! Holidays are so often centred around food, and it's a great gifting choice if the people you love have enough 'stuff' in their lives - from locally made sweet treats to fresh produce, check out these local businesses for your food-loving loved ones ✨🎄🎁
Holidays are so often centred around food, and it’s a great gifting choice if the people you love have enough ‘stuff’ in their lives – from locally made sweet treats to fres…
26/11/2024
In the infinite cosmos, our world is a small but beautiful fragment and we homo sapiens are said to represent a mere 14 seconds of its condensed existence. We have achieved much in our 14 seconds, but at what cost?
A collision of physical and visual languages, The Next 14 Seconds by Phluxus2 Dance Collective draws from the disciplines of dance, theatre, visual and sound design to explore a rich tapestry inspired by human evolution.
Playing at QPAC's Cremorne Theatre from 28-29 November.
Image by Jade Ellis Photography, Arabella Walker and Sean Dowling Design The Next 14 Seconds 28 – 29 November 2024 Cremorne Theatre, QPAC, South Bank Quicker than an intake of breath our univ…
25/11/2024
Day 9 of my annual 12 Days of Christmas is a gift guide full of goodies for the children in your family, whether they be two-legged, four-legged, or otherwise! ✨🎄🎁
Gifts and goodies for the children in your family, whether they be two-legged, four-legged, or otherwise! Works at Play A small family business based in Brisbane, Works at Play was started by Early…
25/11/2024
Adults-only Christmas comedy A Very Naughty Christmas returns this silly season to Brisbane, Melbourne, and the Gold Coast.
Created in 2017 by Australian theatre maestros Alex Woodward and Daniel Venz, A Very Naughty Christmas is a night of festive fun packed with stand-up, skits, parodied songs, dancing, singing, burlesque and a whole bunch of silliness, for over 18s only.
Playing at La Boite Theatre from 21 November - 18 December.
A Very Naughty Christmas 21 November – 18 December 2024 La Boite Theatre, Kelvin Grove A Very Naughty Christmas, an adults-only Christmas comedy, returns this silly season to Brisbane, Melbou…
24/11/2024
If you're looking for a gift for the crafty people in your life, Day 8 of my annual 12 Days of Christmas has you covered! Whether they are painters, sewists, quilters, card-makers, or anything in between, you'll be able to find something at these locally-owned businesses ✨🎄🎁
We were fortunate growing up to have a mum who spent a lot of time crafting with us – from the scrapbooking craze that saw our photo boxes looking a little serial-killer-y as we cut out faces…
23/11/2024
On Day 7 of my annual 12 Days of Christmas, celebrate an evergreen Aussie Christmas with living gifts that will keep on giving for years to come - check out my gift guide for the green thumbs and plant mums in your life 🌿🌱🌳🪴
Celebrate an evergreen Aussie Christmas with living gifts that will keep on giving for years to come, for the green thumbs and plant mums in your life. All the Green Things Level 1 of Indooroopilly…
22/11/2024
Day 6 of my annual 12 Days of Christmas gift guides is about buying for the caffiends (🙋♀️) and leaf lovers 🍵☕ Whether you are looking for a gift for a cuppa-lover or just need a boost to finish your Christmas shopping, there are plenty of lovely local options to enjoy ✨🎄🎁
When I was growing up, the kettle was always boiling, especially in the holiday season – people dropped in for a cup of tea, friends came over for playdates, and I assume mum and dad drank their fa…
21/11/2024
Day 5 of my annual 12 Days of Christmas gift guides is full of ideas for the bookworms and word lovers in your life 📚 Whether you’re looking for new releases, new copies of old favourites, or even comic books, Brisbane has an awesome range of independent stockists and sellers who are really knowledgeable and can provide great recommendations if you’re looking for the perfect gift ✨🎄🎁
PS: for secondhand bookshop suggestions, check out Day 1: Buying Secondhand!
Ever since we were born, I think, my siblings and I have received a book for every occasion: birthdays, Easter, and Christmas. The written (and printed) word is one of the most important things in …
21/11/2024
Strut & Fret are thrilled to bring their cheeky circus cabaret, to Brisbane’s bespoke new theatre and bar The West End Electric.
Director Scott Maidment said: “For those who haven’t seen it, Blanc de Blanc Encore is a new sort of circus that takes the audience into a heady, bubble-filled, overflowing, crazy party, inspired by champagne. We can’t wait for audiences from across the sunshine state to experience Blanc at our all-new West End theatre.”
Playing from 21 November 🥂
Image credit: Prudence Upton Blanc de Blanc Encore From 21 November (previews from 14 November) The West End Electric, West End Strut & Fret are thrilled to bring their cheeky circus cabaret, B…
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I’m not sure where I heard that (I think the idea came from a TED talk event at the State Library) but, grounded in the romantic idea of being a tourist in your own city, I started Backstreet Brisbane in 2014 as the guide I wish I’d had. Coming from a hometown of less than one thousand, the sheer vastness and unknown of the city overwhelmed me initially and I stuck mainly to Queen Street until new friends took me outside my comfort zone to see and experience new things – wonderful bars and cafes tucked down alleys, parks and green spaces I might never have found, live music venues I would have been afraid to enter alone.
Whether you are in town for a few days or have lived here all your life, there is always something new and surprising to discover. The story of our city is constantly changing, and we are a part of it (which is why I also started Backstreet Brisbaners, a verbatim interview series with Brisbane’s brilliant community).
Backstreet Brisbane is now in its fifth year, and it has grown and evolved as I have, from cheap-as-chips student days to something resembling adulthood. Backstreet Brisbane has come to cover a broader range of lifestyle and events in our city – food and drink, things to see and do – and has developed a focus on performing arts, which is one of my great loves. If you’d like the best of Brisbane delivered to your inbox each month, you can sign up for the Backstreet Brisbane Bulletin here.
If you’ve read this far, thank you – I’ll continue to get to know Brisbane a little better, and these things are always more exciting with friends. I look forward to sharing these ongoing adventures with you.
