gōng xǐ fā cái – Happy Lunar New Year
BrisAsia Festival returns for month-long celebration of Asian culture
From dumpling making to lion dancers, a rooftop dance party and weekend food festival, city-wide celebrations will take over Brisbane in February for the ninth annual BrisAsia Festival.
The festival, held from the 1-28 February, would be one of the first major events to bring back vibrant art, music and markets to Brisbane in 2021.
Without a doubt, Brisbane residents have been missing the festival atmosphere and there’s no better way to ring in the Chinese New Year than with the much-loved BrisAsia festival.
BrisAsia promises more than 30 diverse events across 20 Brisbane suburbs including the popular Lunar New Year lion dance in Chinatown Mall as well as Rare Voices, a live traditional music event at SunPAC and Crescent Moon, a dance, theatre and music presentation at Seven Hills.
Festival favourites will return including the BrisAsia Bazaar night market and Holi – Festival of Colours – and we will be glad to see dozens of local singers, dancers and artists back on centre stage following a year of event cancellations.
A new look Food Festival will also deliver a weekend of culinary delights and classes, with ten much-loved Asian restaurants and their expert chefs in the spotlight.”
It is timely that the 2021 Chinese year of the Ox represents hard-work, following a difficult start to 2021 due to coronavirus challenges.
Our community has put in so much-hard work to help keep coronavirus at bay which has helped ensure we can still come together, support our local community and celebrate our city’s rich diversity of cultures.
We’ve worked to deliver these events in line with Queensland Health’s safety guidelines, with enhanced safety measures and cleaning in place across all venues and QR codes to be used to assist with contact tracing.
Many events require booking and tickets will be strictly limited so I encourage residents to get in early and secure a spot.
BrisAsia Festival 2021 will return to delivering a full program after a large portion of the 2020 BrisAsia Festival program was cancelled in the early stages of last year’s coronavirus outbreak.
For the full searchable BrisAsia Festival program and other events, visit https://www.brisbane.qld.gov.au/things-to-see-and-do/whats-on-and-events/brisasia-festival
BrisAsia Festival 2021
| Date | Event | Details | Time and Location | Cost |
| Friday 5 Feb | BrisAsia Sound | BrisAsia Sound returns once again. Enjoy the QUBE Effect 2020 finalist, Bianca Power, followed by soulful singer-songwriter Ladia. As headliner of the evening, MayLyn will charm the stage with her soulful, rhythmic music. | 5:30pm to 8:00pm
Queen Street Mall, Queen Street, Brisbane City |
Free |
| Saturday 6 Feb | K-Pop Celebration | Start your 2021 K-Pop journey right and come along to this special K-Pop pop-up shop as part of BrisAsia Festival. That K-Pop Shop will be travelling all the way from Melbourne to showcase your favourite, affordable K-Pop albums and merch. | 11:00am to 4:00pm
Elements Collective, 17 McLachlan Street, Fortitude Valley |
Free |
| Saturday 6 Feb | BrisAsia Bazaar 2021 | A destination of Asian culture inspired by food, art, and performance. Local traders will be showcasing authentic and diverse Asian experiences, with something for everyone to immerse and engage in the rich cultural diversity Brisbane has to offer. | 5:00pm to 9:00pm
Corner of Station Road and Turton Street, Sunnybank |
Free |
| Thursday 11 Feb | BrisAsia Business Workshop #1 | Join one of our BrisAsia business half day workshops and learn the tips and tricks of starting and running your own small business; from budgeting and marketing to day-to-day operations.
|
9:00am to 1:00pm
Virginia International Hotel, Sandgate Road & Zillmere Road, Boondall |
Free
Bookings required via Eventbrite.
Bookings open on 18 January 2021. |
| Saturday 13 Feb | Luna New Year | Experience Lunar New Year in the heart of Fortitude Valley and enjoy the unique flavours and vibrant culture that Chinatown has to offer. Book a table at your favourite venue and enjoy the roving entertainment, including lion dances and Japanese drumming. | 6:00pm to 9:00pm
Chinatown Mall, Duncan St, Fortitude Valley |
Free
Bookings may be required to dine at Valley precinct restaurants. |
| Thursday 18 Feb | BrisAsia Business Workshop #2
|
Join one of our BrisAsia business half day workshops and learn the tips and tricks of starting and running your own small business; from budgeting and marketing to day-to-day operations.
|
9:00am – 1:00pm
Jindalee Hotel, Sinnamon Road, Jindalee |
Free
Bookings required via Eventbrite.
Bookings open on 18 January 2021. |
| Sat 20 to Sun 21 Feb | BrisAsia Food Festival | The new look and feel BrisAsia Food Festival – a weekend of culinary delights and demonstrations across a handful of Brisbane restaurants. Book a seat and order a plate or three from the unique menus or be inspired by cooking demonstrations by local chefs at one of the participating local restaurants. | Contact participating restaurants for operating hours, BrisAsia Food Festival offers and bookings:
· 8848 Momo House, Pod 1, Brunswick Street Mall, Fortitude Valley · Chu the Phat, 111 Melbourne Street, South Brisbane · Curry ‘n’ Cask, Shop 4, 455 Brunswick Street, Fortitude Valley · Golden Palace Chinese Restaurant, Level 1, 624 Ann Street, Fortitude Valley · Fat Dumpling Bar, 2 King Street, Bowen Hills · Indian Brothers, 275 Ipswich Road, Annerley · Indian Brothers, Shop 2, Level 1, 144 Indooroopilly Road, Taringa · Kubo’s Bar and Grill, Coorparoo Square, 300 Old Cleveland Road, Coorparoo · Madame Wu, Upper Plaza Level, Riparian Plaza, 71 Eagle Street, Brisbane City · Super Bowl, 185 Wickham Street, Fortitude Valley
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| Sat 20 Feb | BrisAsia Food Festival – Fat Dumpling Bar dumpling classes | As part of the BrisAsia Food Festival, Fat Dumpling Bar will be running dumpling classes.
The price includes all materials, tools (which can be taken home), instruction fees and a complimentary sparkling wine for adults and juice for children. Dumplings will be cooked and eaten when the class is finished.
|
10:30am to 1:30pm
Fat Dumpling Bar, 2 King Street, Bowen Hills |
$69 per adult. Children are free. One adult can assist up to two children at a time.
Bookings can be made on 07 3216 1261. |
| Sat20 and Sun21 Feb | BrisAsia Food Festival – 8848 Momo House momo making classes | As part of BrisAsia Food Festival, 8848 Momo House is running momo making classes. | Saturday 20 February
Session 1 – 3:00pm to 4:00pm Session 2 – 6:00pm to 7:00pm
Sunday 21 February Session 1 – 3:00pm to 4:00pm Session 2 – 6:00pm to 7:00pm
8848 Momo House, Pod 1, Brunswick Street Mall, Fortitude Valley |
$20 per person
Phone 8848 Momo House on 0433 948 848 to make a booking.
Maximum capacity: 15 people per session.
|
| Sat 20 Feb | BrisAsia Summer Party | What better way to send off summer than at BrisAsia Summer Party! For all K-pop, J-pop and pop culture lovers out there, this event will be packed to the brim with non-stop entertainment, a huge line-up of talented performers and dance crews. Watch Suncorp Piazza light up as we celebrate Asian pop-culture like never before! | 3:00pm to 8:00pm
South Bank Parklands, Corner Ernest Street, Stanley Street and Grey Street, South Brisbane |
Free
Bookings required via Eventbrite. |
| Sat 20 Feb | Rare Voices | Rare Voices gathers Brisbane’s best for a stunning concert celebrating singing traditions from across the Asia region. Featuring internationally acclaimed Carnatic singer Charulatha Mani, Chinese folk singer Zi Wang alongside renowned local artists and instrumentalists, the concert will include intimate traditional songs and pulsating world rhythms, culminating in a hypnotic collective improvisation. | 7:30pm to 9:00pm
SunPAC, 470 McCullough Street, Macgregor |
Free
Bookings required via SunPAC. |
| Thurs 25 Feb | BrisAsia Business Workshop #3 | Join one of our BrisAsia business half day workshops and learn the tips and tricks of starting and running your own small business; from budgeting and marketing to day-to-day operations. | 9:00am – 1:00pm
Glen Hotel, 24 Gaskell Street, Eight Mile Plains |
Free
Bookings required via Eventbrite. Bookings open on 18 January 2021. |
| Fri 26 Feb | CreativeMornings Brisbane | Immerse yourself in a mecca for creative expression as CreativeMornings Brisbane gives the stage to Ruby Yeh, Taiwanese Australian ceramic maker. Under the theme ‘divergent’, Ruby will discuss her work, ideas and collaboration during COVID-19 with local dancer- Anita Perng and Singaporean musician, Namira Rasman. | 7:30am to 9:00am
Elements Collective, 17 McLachlan Street, Fortitude Valley |
Free
Bookings required via Eventbrite. |
| Fri 26 Feb | Cyber Night | Join this massive celebration of E-sports and witness the two teams, UQU and QUT, going head-to-head in the ultimate revenge battle. Cheer on your team as you find out who will be crowned the 2021 champion. Event live streamed on Twitch. Presented in partnership with MSY Technology, supported by UQU eSports. | 5:00pm to 9:00pm
Elements Collective, 17 McLachlan Street, Fortitude Valley |
Free |
| Sat 27 Feb | Brisbanee Holi – Festival of Colours | Originating in India many centuries ago, Holi is a widely anticipated annual event across the globe, with many forms of celebrations taking place to share in the joy and happiness of colour, dance and music.
‘Let’s colour everyone equal’ is the slogan for the event, considered as one of the most inclusive in Brisbane. |
12:00- 6:00pm
Rocks Riverside Park, 5 Counihan Road, Seventeen Mile Rocks |
$10 (plus $1.64 admin fee)
Tickets will be released for this event on Monday 18 January 2021. |
| Sat 27 Feb | BrisAsia Live – Crescent Moon | A culturally diverse collective of artists explore new worlds through live Butoh dance, theatre and music residency across Brisbane. Led by renowned film actress Ling Cooper Tang and Butoh specialist Megan Janet White, the residency will culminate in the presentation of a new multimode performance work, Crescent Moon. | 7:30pm – 9:00pm
Seven Hills Hub, 28 Tallowwood Street, Seven Hills |
Free
Bookings required via Eventbrite. |
ENDS