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 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 again, and wishing you a happy holiday season!
Creative Experiences & New Skills
Sculptures & Sips with Dead Puppet Society
6 Annerley Road, Woolloongabba
Pop the champagne and unleash your inner creative at Dead Puppet Society’s Sculptures & Sips workshops. As well as creating and taking home an original handmade treasure (no experience needed!), these workshops are a chance to meet like-minded makers and work with DPS artisans in the Fabrication Workshop where they dream up, design, and make the puppets and props you see in their productions.
Observe the components of your creation being cut out on the laser cutter, seeing first-hand how laser-cutting technologies are used to build the puppets and props for stage productions. Under the guidance of Dead Puppet Society’s artisans, assemble your sculpture and construct the mechanism to make it move.
Tickets include all required materials and bar service for guests 18+. Gift vouchers for workshops are available, and they can do private bookings for groups of 10+.
You can book a private event with your nearest and dearest or join a public session to Paint and Sip at Cork & Chroma. Founded on the idea that everyone is creative, and being creative can benefit everyone, Cork and Chroma seeks to make the elusive creative process more accessible. Led by founders Hillary and B.J. Wall, the company is made up of a team of kind and talented artists who believe in the power of creative connection, and take joy in helping people feel comfortable to freely express themselves. The first Cork & Chroma paint and sip studio opened its doors in Brisbane in 2013 and they now operate across several studio locations in Brisbane and Sydney.
11 Byres Street, Newstead
Mas and Miek Ceramic House offer one-off workshops and longer courses. The workshops change month to month, and most workshops delve into a certain ceramic technique which are perfect for beginners (and for more advanced students wishing to push their practice further). Within these workshops, Mas and Miek will finish off your pieces for you (glaze & fire) ready for you to collect a few weeks later.
Music counts as an experience! Formerly a West End institution, JBCM stocks new music from local and international artists and their online store allows you to check out what is coming up, pre-order vinyl, and purchase some of the great stock they have in store. The bricks and mortar JBCM store closed last December, but they are open online 24/7 and pop up regularly.
Owned and operated by Burleigh Heads locals, Paint Juicy is a paint and sip studio with venue partners up and down Queensland. Paint Juicy started as a dream to create an inclusive space for the LGBTIQA+ community, and they are passionate about providing a safe space to relax in, have some wine, be surrounded by delightful individuals and paint some dazzling (or not so much) artwork. Their sessions are themed, can include entertainment such as their fabulous Drag Queen entertainers or Male Nude Life Painting, and they offer team building, birthday parties, hens parties and private paint and sip events. Gift cards are also available.
Tickets, Season Passes & Subscriptions
Queensland Museum & Science Centre
A great gift for adventurous minds young or old – annual membership entitles holders to unlimited entry to SparkLab for 12 months, discounts at the Museum shop and café, discounted tickets to selected Museum events and exhibitions, and access to the Museum research library. Members can also gain free general admission to partner museums in Sydney, Perth and Melbourne. Check their website for current and upcoming exhibitions.
Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art (QAGOMA)
For the art lover in your life, annual membership to QAGOMA grants access to advanced notice of upcoming exhibitions, after-hours viewing opportunities, and discounts on exhibition tickets, shopping and dining. Plus, a free exhibition ticket when you join or renew!
Queensland’s state theatre company has announced a 2026 season that is “All Feeling, No Filter” with their eight-play line-up, and single tickets are now available as well as their season subscription packages:
- The Great Gatsby (5 Feb – 8 Mar | Playhouse, QPAC & Empire Theatre, Toowoomba)
- Torch The Place (10 Mar – 29 Mar | Bille Brown Theatre)
- The Sapphires (28 Apr – 24 May | Bille Brown Theatre)
- Pride & Prejudice (10 Jul – 26 Jul | Playhouse, QPAC)
- Do Not Go Gentle (11 Aug – 30 Aug | Bille Brown Theatre)
- Strong Is The New Pretty (1 Sept – 19 Sept | Playhouse, QPAC)
- Small Mouth Sounds (13 Oct – 1 Nov | Bille Brown Theatre)
- Into the Woods (11 Nov – 21 Nov | Glasshouse Theatre, QPAC)
Queensland Shakespeare Ensemble
Since its inception in 2001, the Queensland Shakespeare Ensemble has gained a reputation for energetic, accessible, and unique productions, world-class training, and a commitment to community. They offer extensive training opportunities throughout the year and their Shakespeare Beyond projects including the Shakespeare Prison Project, A Night At The Theatre and Relaxed Performances; Theatre of the Oppressed; and Shakespeare’s Shorts.
In my opinion, QSE perform the best Shakespeare in Brisbane, and their focus on accessibility makes their productions a great gift for those who may be new to theatre, or Shakespeare, or both.
La Boite Theatre charges into its second century with a fiery and funny 2026 Season, driven by themes of resistance, rebirth and belonging. Alongside the mainstage season, La Boite continues to champion the future of Australian theatre through its acclaimed Assembly Artist Development Program, nurturing the next generation of storytellers.
- Antigone (5 – 21 March) A modern reimagining of Sophocles’ timeless tragedy, opening on the eve of International Women’s Day.
- Eat Slay Zombie (14 – 30 May) A darkly comic First Nations work from Alinta McGrady that transforms a zombie apocalypse into a story of friendship, resistance and found family.
- Second Coming (6 – 22 August) A world-premiere sci-fi eco-thriller from Kathryn Marquet and Playlab, set on Mars and pulsing with questions about power, ethics and the environment.
- Koreaboo (2 – 19 September) A deeply personal, funny and moving Queensland premiere from actor-turned-playwright Michelle Lim Davidson, exploring identity, belonging and the search for family.
Packages, single tickets, and gift vouchers are available via their website.
Queensland Symphony Orchestra invites audiences to Feel Every Note of its 2026 season, unveiling a program that spans epic symphonic concerts to intimate recitals.
From the opening solo trumpet of Mahler’s emotive Symphony No.5 to the fading final chorale of Tchaikovsky’s Manfred Symphony, QSO’s 2026 season is filled with highlights, including a showcase of video game soundtracks, repertoire curated by QSO fans, world-leading soloists and conductors, gala performances and live-scored presentations of blockbuster films.
Subscription packages and single tickets are now on sale.
In Opera Queensland’s 2026 season of fairytales and wonder, La Cenerentola (Cinderella) will return (the 2025 seaso was cut short by Cyclone Alfred).
Brisbane Bel Canto Festival also returns, to celebrate the art of beautiful singing with a series of concerts and performances including Petite Messe Solennelle, Birth of Bel Canto and Red Dirt Hymns.
Opera on the grandest scale arrives with Rusalka, a shimmering tale of love and transformation inspired by Hans Christian Andersen’s The Little Mermaid. This will be Opera Queensland’s first production in the new QPAC Glasshouse Theatre, and the year will also finish at the Glasshouse with a bold new production of Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine’s Tony Award‑winning musical Into the Woods, directed by Patrick Nolan and presented in collaboration with Queensland Theatre and Queensland Symphony Orchestra.
Five intimate Studio Series recitals will feature world-class artists, two exciting regional tours travel the state, and the Festival of Outback Opera returns to Winton and Longreach, headlined by acclaimed tenor Filipe Manu.
Subscriptions and single tickets are now available.
Brisbane-based contemporary dance collective ADC has so far announced their next iteration of THREE for 2026, featuring two world premieres and an immersive Queensland-first from acclaimed Australian choreographers Amber McCartney, Joel Bray and Harrison Ritchie-Jones.
In our first curated season under the artistic direction of Ivan Gil-Ortega, in 2026 Queensland’s state ballet company will celebrate the art form’s power to connect – across generations, disciplines, and cultures. This will include a new Derek Deane The Nutcracker, after more than a decade of Ben Stevenson’s choreography at Christmas time, as well as annual events such as Bespoke and the Academy Gala, and the following mainstage works:
- Messa da Requiem | 27 March – 4 April
- Elastic Hearts featuring the music of Sia | 30 April – 2 May
- Strings A Triple Bill | 22 – 30 May
- Hamlet | 19 June – 18 July
- Red Riding Hood and the Wolf My First Ballet | 26 June – 4 July
- Academy of Queensland Ballet Gala | 6 – 8 August
- Soirée in collaboration with Philip Bacon Galleries and Camerata | 24 – 26 September
Season packages and single tickets are now available.
Savoyards Musical Theatre Company
Polished and professional community theatre company Savoyards are based out of Wynnum and have been running for over 60 years. They will perform Sister Act in winter, and The Pirates of Penzance in spring, at Iona Performing Arts Centre.
Camerata – Queensland’s Chamber Orchestra
Camerata – Queensland’s Chamber Orchestra has announced a 2026 season including five mainstage concerts and a number of intimate recitals.
Performing without a conductor, Camerata proudly takes full ownership over their music-making in the spirit of chamber music, resulting in engaging, passionate, and exciting performances. Known for innovative and adventurous programming, Camerata is one of Australia’s leading ensembles and thrives on collaborations with artists across a range of artforms.
Packages are on sale for both Brisbane (QPAC) and Toowoomba (Empire Theatre).
Based in Milton, PIP Theatre is a venue and performing arts company that champions Purpose in Performance (PIP) as a catalyst to foster creativity, make an impact, and broaden horizons. Their 2026 season includes more than fifteen shows in their Main Theatre, plus more in the Studio Theatre.
One of Australia’s pre-eminent classical music ensembles and a long-time company in residence at QPAC, SXS is composed of leading soloists from across Australia and in 2026 will welcome Brisbane-based flautist and three-time Grammy winner Timothy Munro to the Artistic Directorship. Retiring Co-Artistic Directors Ashley Smith (clarinet) and Margaret Blades (violin), who guided the company through a transformative period, will perform alongside Munro throughout the 2026 Concert Hall standard-mode season.
SXS’s 2026 program reflects the ensemble’s long-standing commitment to spotlighting exceptional musicians from Queensland, championing the state’s distinctive artistic voices and cultural narratives. The season opens in March with Hush, the first of three concerts curated by Munro. SXS will be joined by top classical guitarist Karin Schaupp to play music by Marais and Albéniz, Schubert and Fauré.”
In June, SXS is joined by Anna Grinberg and Liam Viney, who tour internationally as the Grinberg-
Viney duo, for a uniquely Australian Carnival of the Animals. The season will close in October with Sacred and Profane, collaborating with local circus stars, past members of Circa, “whose movements will match the ethereal world of solo Bach. These quiet moments sit beside the playful brilliance of Poulenc, Stravinsky and Shostakovich, and the sheer joy and wild virtuosity of Jennifer Higdon’s Zaka.”
Tickets and subscription packages are now available.
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