It’s just not paint that makes Brisbane a colourful city. They’re pretty good at using light as well – particularly during the Brisbane Festival which starts their summer season.
Activity is concentrated at South Bank – the 1988 world’s fair site that, like Vancouver’s in 1986, marked the beginning of a new attitude and period of growth in this river city.
.
Indeed, given the combination of cultural facility, park, amenity (love that pool and beach), housing, retail and restaurants, it’s better in many ways than the North Shore of False Creek today. And at night, its riverbank version of our seawall makes a splendid site from which to watch the highlight of the festival: a laser and fireworks show that takes advantage of the downtown towers on the opposite bank:
.
More intimately, the theme of “City of Light” acknowledges its Asian neighbours:
.
Not to mention the other installations that make a walk through the several kilometres of South Bank a constant visual surprise:

















