Welcome to Paradise: your guide to Melt Festival in Brisbane

When: 22 October - 9 November 2025

Where: Brisbane Powerhouse and 70+ venues across Meanjin (Brisbane)

Tickets: Here

Brisbane is showing its Pride with three electrifying weeks of colour, creativity, and inclusivity at the Melt Festival—one of the best LGBTQIA+ events on the city’s calendar.

Produced by Brisbane Powerhouse, Melt Festival is a celebration of Queer arts and culture. An open-access festival – or fringe festival – anyone can register to present a performance, event or exhibition if they can tee up a venue. Melt is packed with hundreds of incredible performances and experiences across all genres of the arts.

Get ready for wild nights, unforgettable performances, moving artistry, and a true spirit of community, authenticity and acceptance.

There’s also Brisbane’s biggest boat parade and 10,000 naked bodies. But more on that below.

Grab your sequins and your besties. It’s time to celebrate.

What’s on at Melt Festival this year?

Brace yourselves: Melt Festival’s 2025 program is coming soon. The festival's previous program featured more than 120 events and 220 individual performances at over 70 venues, from Brisbane City to Hamilton, Ipswich, Logan, and the Bayside.

Inclusion is at the heart of Melt, and the festival offers so many ways to show your pride. To not only be part of the audience but be a part of the celebrations – including two of Melt’s most anticipated events.  

2024 highlights

Spencer Tunick

Last year's event saw thousands of people get their kit off for art’s sake and to be a part of Brisbane’s largest-ever naked art installation.

New York-based contemporary artist, Spencer Tunick is a master of creating large-scale artworks featuring the human body. During Melt he put the call out for thousands of volunteers to celebrate diversity, equity and inclusion by posing nude on Story Bridge at sunrise – an iconic moment for the city. 

River Pride Parade

The first-ever River Pride Parade, led by the Courtney Act, was the grand finale for Melt in Brisbane City. Think of it as a Mardi Gras parade – but on the water – as a colourful flotilla of boats make the journey from William Jolly Bridge to Brisbane Powerhouse.

The best bit? You can register your own boat to be part of the parade or sign up to join an existing boat to meet new friends and have a blast.

Want to show your Pride on dry land? You can also celebrate at one of the official viewing locations at South Bank Lagoon, Howard Smith Wharves or New Farm Park. Or, bring a basket of goodies to Pride Picnic, held at River Quay Green – with music and entertainment for the whole family

What else can I experience during Melt Festival Brisbane?

Spanning from fun and fabulous entertainment to soul-stirring performances that will tug at your heartstrings - you won't want to miss this one. 

Love drag? Last year's event saw a Kath & Kim-themed drag parody play ‘Fountain Lakes in Lockdown’, to Drag Shakespeare, The Real Housewives of Drag Brunch at Cloudland, a drag King workshop, and a Tina Turner-inspired performance by First Nations drag performer Miss Ellaneous (Ben Graetz).

The event also stepped into the glittering world of Hans Disco Spektakulär! featuring Berlin’s beloved cabaret superstar, Hans, who became a household name thanks to America’s Got Talent. And we stayed up late at The Pink Flamingo for sultry cabaret, La Teaze (the venue also offers family-friendly circus performances during Melt).

Melt’s comedy line-up will have you in stitches, with improv nights, musical comedies, and a gay twist on a classic Aussie game show ‘Thank God You’re Queer’.  The brilliant Zoe Coombs Marr gets personal with a set at Brisbane Powerhouse, while award-winning AJ Lamarque shares his beginner’s guide to gay cruising at Paddington’s Good Chat comedy club.

Internationally-acclaimed Bidjara artist Christian Thompson AO will unveil a large-scale outdoor exhibition at Brisbane Powerhouse, while screen queens should wander to nearby Dendy Powerhouse's outdoor cinema to watch one of Melt’s many screenings, like Paris is Burning and Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert.

Join a panel discussions, support queer artists and makers at The Lanes Fortitude Valley pop-up market, make your way to the annual Bay Pride festival, or get spooky at one of Melt’s many Halloween themed events – the Broadway themed Halloween Ball at The Tivoli is one of the best.

Dance the night away at Fortitude Valley’s laneway bar Quivr, the Colada Pool Party at The Valley Pool, and dozens of other DJ events around town. Live music also gets a spin, with bands like Confidence Man and Teen Jesus and the Jean Teasers taking the stage at venues across the city. But be sure to head out of town for A Day on the Green at Sirromet Wines, closing out Melt Festival on 10 November with some of the biggest icons in pop: Sophie Ellis Bextor, Take That, Ricki-Lee and Dacy.

Looking for more ways to share your sparkle during Melt? Sign up for cabaret game shows, a drag aerobics class, creative workshops, and social sports – or lace up your sneakers for the Bay Pride Diversity Walk at Wynnum.

With so much on, we recommend deep-diving into Melt’s program to fill your calendar.

How to get tickets for Melt   

Tickets for each Melt Festival Brisbane event are sold separately, and can be purchased here.

Visiting from out of town? Head to Melt’s website to register for your FREE Paradise Pass and get exclusive offers and discounts at restaurants, cafes and bars across the city.

Where to dine and drink during Melt

With events held all over the city, there’s endless places to kick off your Melt festival experience – and kick-on into the wee hours afterwards.

If you’re headed to festival hub Brisbane Powerhouse in New Farm, choose to dine upstairs at Italian sensation Bar Alto, settle in for casual far and cocktails at water-level at Mary Mae’s, or add a thrilling element to dinner at Vertigo – a restaurant experience perched 17-metres above ground.

Otherwise, let us introduce you to:

• Brisbane’s best rooftop bars
• The newest restaurants foodies will love
• The very best places to eat in Brisbane
• Bars to stir up some fun

West End is a very inclusive hub for the queer community, particularly at haunts like The Burrow, BOSC, The Bearded Lady and The End. Across the river, Fortitude Valley offers fun around every corner and pulses well into the night. The Wickham is an essential stop, as is Sportsman Hotel in nearby Spring Hill – the unassuming pub has been serving the LGBTQIA+ community for over 30 years. Up late? The Beat – Brisbane’s best gay nightclub – is your go-to.  

Where to stay in Brisbane during Melt Festival

Travelling to Brisbane for Melt? Take your pick of incredible hotels across the city – whether your taste is riverside views at Crystalbrook Vincent, the quiet retreat of Spicers Balfour, having a rooftop pool and bar at your fingertips at Hotel X, or impeccably designed inner-city oasis The Calile, you’ll find it here.

Melt will also release travel packages ahead of the festival – you can join the waitlist for announcements on their website.

Things to do while you’re in Brisbane

Melt Festival is just the beginning of the beauty to discover in Brisbane – a city that sparkles throughout spring.

If you’re planning your visit, start with this LGBTQIA+ guide to Brisbane.

A few essentials? Shop and savour local flavours in West End, or head to James Street if designer pieces are more your style. And while Melt events will be dominating your schedule, be sure to check out what shows are on offer at Queensland Performing Arts Centre – or wander through the latest exhibition at QAGOMA.

Café hop through New Farm to discover the best coffee and brunch menus. Or, hop over to one of Brisbane’s nearby islands: Minjerribah (North Stradbroke Island) offers great coastal walks and endless beaches for sun-seekers, while Mulgumpin (Moreton Island) packs in adventure with snorkelling, sand boarding, quad biking and more. Both can be visited as a day trip or mini-escape for much needed post-MELT recovery.

Sticking around Queensland a little longer? Explore our LGBTQIA+ travel guides to get more inspo – then put these fabulous Brisbane events on your radar.