{"id":86355,"date":"2026-09-02T20:49:14","date_gmt":"2026-09-02T20:49:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/86355\/"},"modified":"2026-09-02T20:49:14","modified_gmt":"2026-09-02T20:49:14","slug":"riverfire-2026-what-time-do-the-fireworks-start-where-to-watch-and-how-to-get-home","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/86355\/","title":{"rendered":"Riverfire 2026: What time do the fireworks start, where to watch and how to get home"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Brisbane Festival is set to kick off with a bang on Saturday night with the annual river fireworks display Riverfire.<\/p>\n

Up to half a million people are expected to travel to precincts along the Brisbane River for the show, including public viewing areas at South Bank, Kangaroo Point, and Queen’s Wharf.<\/p>\n

Military flyovers, music and the beloved fireworks display will all be on offer to launch Brisbane’s cultural festival, which will run throughout the month.<\/p>\n

Those travelling on public transport have been warned that ferries and CityCats will be out of action on the night due to industrial action.<\/p>\n

What time do the aerial displays begin?<\/p>\n

The C-17A Globemaster III is scheduled to conduct a flyover at approximately 4:52pm and the F\/A-18F Super Hornet at 5:20pm.<\/p>\n

There will also be an Australian Army ground display and Royal Australian Navy Band performances.<\/p>\n

\"An<\/p>\n

The Super Hornet flying display. (ABC News: Christopher Gillette)<\/p>\n

What time are the fireworks?<\/p>\n

The fireworks show will begin at 7pm.<\/p>\n

This year’s show is set to be bigger than ever, with an additional fireworks barge positioned between the Victoria Bridge and Neville Bonner Bridge.<\/p>\n

‘An absolute rush’: Learn what it takes to fly a Super Hornet fighter jet through central Brisbane\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n

The jet will fly\u00a0just 70 metres from Brisbane’s skyscrapers at Saturday’s Riverfire event<\/p>\n

Fireworks displays are launched from six barges, five rooftops and two major bridges.<\/p>\n

The most popular viewing spot is along South Bank, but just like on New Years Eve spots can fill up early.<\/p>\n

The perimeter of South Bank will be gated, with 11 entry points. Non-permitted items include water in unsealed bottles, alcohol, tents, marquees and drones.<\/p>\n

Empty water bottles are permitted and can be filled up at the site.<\/p>\n

Free identification wristbands for children and vulnerable people will be available at wrist-banding stations.<\/p>\n

Other popular viewing spots include:<\/p>\n

Kangaroo Point CliffsCity Botanic GardensQueen’s Wharf BrisbaneCaptain Burke ParkHoward Smith WharvesMt Coot-tha LookoutHighgate Hill ParkWhere can I get accessible seating at Riverfire?<\/p>\n

There will be a dedicated accessible viewing area at Kangaroo Point Cliffs. Capacity is limited to approximately 300 people and spots are available on a first come, first served basis.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

Riverfire attracts up to half a million people to Brisbane’s riverfront. (Supplied: Brisbane Festival)<\/p>\n

What roads are closed?<\/p>\n

A number of roads around the city will be closed during Riverfire, especially in the city, South Bank and inner-city suburbs along the river.<\/p>\n

Roads to Mount Coot-tha and Mount Gravatt will be closed from the afternoon.<\/p>\n

For a full list of road closures visit the Brisbane Festival website.<\/p>\n

Toll-free travel on the Clem7 will be available on the day between 6:30pm and 8pm.<\/p>\n

How to get there?<\/p>\n

Public transport is the recommended way to travel for Riverfire.<\/p>\n

Additional city train services will be operating on most lines.<\/p>\n

Ferries and CityCats won’t be available for Riverfire attendees this year, due to protected industrial action being undertaken by ferry workers.<\/a><\/p>\n

About 27,000 people used Brisbane ferry services to travel to Riverfire last year.<\/p>\n

\"Crowds<\/p>\n

The ADF flyovers are always a popular part of Riverfire. (ABC News:\u00a0Chris Gillette)<\/p>\n

Brisbane City Council has said it will have dedicated shuttle buses operating between major shopping centres and transport hubs.<\/p>\n

A number of key bus routes will be operating at an increased frequency throughout the afternoon and evening.<\/p>\n

Visit the Translink website for up-to-date information about travelling by public transport.<\/p>\n

What bridges are closed?<\/p>\n

Victoria Bridge will be closed to vehicles and bicycles from 4pm until 10pm. Pedestrians will be able to walk across from 6pm until 10pm, except for between 6:45pm and 7:30pm during the fireworks show.<\/p>\n

The Goodwill Bridge will be closed to pedestrians and cyclists between 4pm and 8pm.<\/p>\n

The Neville Bonner Bridge will have restricted access to pedestrians from 9am and will be fully closed from 4pm until 10pm.<\/p>\n

All traffic lanes on the Story Bridge will be closed from 6:30pm until 8pm.<\/p>\n

What is the weather forecast?<\/p>\n

Hot and sunny is the current forecast for Brisbane on Saturday, with a predicted top of 32 degrees.<\/p>\n

The sun will set at 5:35pm.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Brisbane Festival is set to kick off with a bang on Saturday night with the annual river…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":86356,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[6257,99,18591,89696,143628,32658,211,212,110366,137474,109926,143627],"class_list":["post-86355","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-brisbane","tag-6257","tag-brisbane","tag-brisbane-festival","tag-fireworks","tag-how-to-get-to-the-show","tag-opening","tag-qld","tag-queensland","tag-riverfire","tag-southbank","tag-what-time","tag-what-you-need-to-know"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/86355","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=86355"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/86355\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/86356"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=86355"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=86355"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=86355"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}