School holidays in Brisbane: 18 things to do with the kids
Seventeen days off, the tail end of Brisbane Festival, and the Gold Coast an hour down the road. Here are 18 things to do with the kids around Brisbane these school holidays, from life-size dinosaurs at Skygate to a free steam train in Bracken Ridge.
The spring school holidays in Brisbane run from Saturday 19 September to Monday 5 October 2026, weekends included (Term 3 finished on Friday 18 September and Term 4 starts on Tuesday 6 October, after the King's Birthday holiday). Every pick below links to its live page on Keen, with dates, prices and the ticket link, and every one was checked against the organiser's or venue's own page on 19 September 2026. Things sell out and get rained off, so tap through before you promise anything to anyone small. For the always-current list, kids and family events in Brisbane is rebuilt from the catalogue every night, and there is a free page too.
Shows and theatre
The Big Bubble Show in Space
The West End Electric · Until Sun 27 Sep, daytime sessions (pick a date and time when you book) · From $29.90
Bubble rockets, fire bubbles and bubbles big enough to fit a whole group of people inside, live on stage at The West End Electric. It runs about an hour with no interval, which is roughly how long your coffee will last, and it's pitched at all ages. It finishes on Sunday 27 September, so this one is a first-week job.
Lord Mayor's Children's Program - TheatreDome
Brisbane City Hall · Wed 23 Sep, 10am to 11am (a second 1pm show has its own registration) · Children's program (no age range stated) Free
Brisbane Festival's free kids' show at City Hall: teams of young drama students battle through rapid-fire theatre games and comedy scenes to win over a host called the Great Overseer. It's free but you need to register, and there's a second show at 1pm with its own booking if the 10am is full. Brisbane Festival wraps up on Saturday 26 September, so get in while it's on.
Gathering: Nana Magic's Deadly Adventures
Queen Street Mall, Brisbane City · Wed 23 Sep, 12 noon to 1pm Free
A free children's show on the Queen Street Mall main stage, created by First Nations artist Uraine Roelofs, all about caring for Country, native wildlife and waterways, and each other. No bookings, all ages, one hour at lunchtime. Pair it with the free Museum of Brisbane at City Hall and you've got a whole city day sorted for next to nothing.
Museums and indoor adventures
Dinos Alive: An Immersive Experience in Brisbane
Fever Skygate, Brisbane Airport · Open now, booking into November (timed tickets) · From $29.90 (ages 3 to 12), adults $38.90, under 3 free
More than 40 life-size, moving dinosaurs out at Skygate near Brisbane Airport, plus a Budding Experts space where kids can play palaeontologist. Allow 45 to 75 minutes, under 3s are free and the venue is air-conditioned, which matters when you've been outnumbered since breakfast. The VR add-on costs extra, so decide on that before anyone small spots it.
Little Artist’s Eye Spy
Museum of Brisbane, Brisbane City · Daily, 10am to 5pm Free
Ask at the Museum of Brisbane front desk for the free Eye Spy activity sheet and the kids will hunt for details across five exhibitions while you actually get to look at some art. The museum is on level 3 of City Hall, open 10am to 5pm every day, and entry is free. These holidays MoB is also running free drop-in making sessions from 10am to 1pm.
Saboteurs: Crewmates & Imposters - Original Map
Orion Springfield Central · Daily through the holidays, sessions from 10am · $35 general admission · Ages 6 and up
A real-life, Among Us-style game at Orion Springfield Central where crewmates race to finish tasks while secret impostors pick them off. It's pitched at families and kids aged 6 and up, and for the school holidays (20 September to 4 October) a free add-on doubles your game time when you book a session. A solid reason to head out Ipswich way.
Luna, A Journey to the Moon
Fever Immersive Center in Brisbane, Fortitude Valley · Open now, sessions booking into October · From $38.50 (ages 10 to 17), adults $47.50 · Ages: 10 and up, at least 1.3m tall; 10 and 11 year olds go in with an adult
One for the tweens and teens: a 40-minute virtual reality trip through the Apollo 11 mission, from astronaut training to stepping onto the Moon. It's strictly ages 10 and up and at least 1.3 metres tall, and 10 and 11 year olds need a grown-up in there with them, so yes, you get to go to the Moon too. Allow about an hour all up for check-in and waivers.
Outdoors and animals
Trevena Glen Farm Animal Experience
Trevena Glen Farm, 1100 Winn Rd, Mount Samson · Monday to Saturday through the holidays, booked sessions (closed Sundays and some public holidays) · From $25 (under 2 free)
A real working farm at Mount Samson, north-west of Brisbane, where kids get hands-on with the residents: the farm lists horses, goats, pigs, sheep, alpacas, donkeys, guinea pigs and more. Bookings are essential, it's closed Sundays and some public holidays, and under 2s are free. It goes ahead rain or shine, so dress for the weather and leave your good shoes at home.
Wildlife Unleashed
IndigiScapes Centre, Capalaba · Mon 28 Sep, 10am to 11am (doors 9.40am) · From $11.90
An hour-long interactive wildlife show on the outdoor stage at Redlands IndigiScapes Centre in Capalaba, led by the educators from Wildlife Unleashed. It's for kids of all ages, under 14s need a parent or guardian with them, and parking is free. Doors open at 9.40am for a 10am start, which is a civilised hour by school holiday standards.
Bands in parks: Community Train Day
McPherson Park, Bracken Ridge · Sun 27 Sep, 10am to 11am on the council listing Free
Rides on a real steam train run by the Bracken Ridge Central Lions Club, a jazz band, a sausage sizzle and food and plant stalls in McPherson Park. The council lists it as free, all ages and no bookings. It doesn't say whether the train rides cost extra, so bring a few coins just in case.
Hands-on
Family Day | The many-me masterpiece
Logan Art Gallery, Logan Central · Sat 26 Sep, 2pm to 4pm · $5 · Recommended for ages 10 and up; a parent or carer stays
A two-hour family crafternoon at Logan Art Gallery: you each draw part of a secret character, unfold the page to meet your mixed-up creation, then build it together in air-dry clay. It's $5, recommended for ages 10 and up, and a parent or carer stays, so you'll be drawing too, whether you like it or not.
Wands & Potions
Bill Thomson Park, Elanora · Wed 30 Sep, 9am to 11am · $35 per child, $10 per sibling · Ages: 2 to 4 years, parent-attended
On the Gold Coast: a parent-attended nature play morning for 2 to 4 year olds in Bill Thomson Park, Elanora. Little ones make nature wands and mix fizzy, colourful potions with flowers, and you're welcome to join in. It's $35 per child ($10 per sibling), bookings are essential, and you'll need to bring a recycled jar or bottle to carry the potion home.
Festivals and big days out
Celebrate the Moon Festival in the Valley
Chinatown Mall, Fortitude Valley · Sat 26 Sep, 12 noon to 8.30pm Free
Chinatown Mall turns it on for the Moon Festival (Mid-Autumn Festival) with lion and dragon dances, lantern making workshops and interactive performances from midday into the evening. It's free, all ages and there's nothing to book. Dinner at a Valley restaurant afterwards is optional, but you know you want to.
Monster Truck Family Spectacular
Rocklea Showgrounds · Sat 26 Sep, gates 3pm, show 5pm to 7pm · Adults $50, kids 2 to 14 $35, family pass (2 adults, 2 kids) $150, under 2 free
Monster trucks jumping cars, freestyle motocross, comedy rollover cars, a Wall of Fire stunt and fireworks to finish, all at Rocklea Showgrounds. Gates open at 3pm and the show runs 5pm to 7pm, which means everyone is home and in bed at a civilised hour, in theory.
Movies Under the Stars: The Magic Faraway Tree
Pimpama River Parklands, Ormeau · Sat 26 Sep, activities from 4.30pm, film at 6.30pm · Film is rated G Free
On the Gold Coast: the council's free outdoor cinema lands at Pimpama River Parklands in Ormeau, up the northern end. Kids' activities, face painting and food trucks from 4.30pm, then The Magic Faraway Tree (rated G, 110 minutes) at 6.30pm. Pack a picnic, and check the Facebook event page if the weather looks iffy.
Dreamworld Night Market
Dreamworld, Dreamworld Parkway, Coomera · Fridays and Saturdays, 5pm to 9pm (in these holidays: 25 and 26 Sep, 2 and 3 Oct) · $2 entry, free for kids
On the Gold Coast: every Friday and Saturday night inside Dreamworld at Coomera there's street food, live music, cartoons on a big screen and a tree house for burning off energy. Entry is $2 and free for kids and Dreamworld passholders, and two rides (the Dreamworld Flyer and Deep Sea Dodgems) run for $10 a go. In these holidays it's on 25 and 26 September and 2 and 3 October, then it shuts from 9 October until November.
Nobby's Street Fiesta
2223 Gold Coast Highway, Nobby Beach · Sat 3 Oct, 4pm to 8pm Free
On the Gold Coast: a free Latin-inspired street party at Nobby Beach with live music, Latin dance lessons, Brazilian dancers, stilt walkers, fire performers, children's activities and street food. It runs 4pm to 8pm, so it works for small people with bedtimes. Dancing badly in public is included at no extra cost.
Meet Bluey and Bingo at BCF Everton Park
BCF Everton Park · Sat 3 Oct, meet and greets at 9.30am, 10.30am and 11.30am Free
Bluey and Bingo are doing three meet and greets at BCF Everton Park, at 9.30am, 10.30am and 11.30am. It's free but ticketed and tickets are limited, and BCF says to arrive early for photos and to dodge the queues. For real life.
The part where you actually go
That's the list. Finding things to do was never the hard part. The hard part is getting the other parents, the cousins or Nan to agree on a day.
That's the job Keen does. The quickest way in is Find a time: pick two or three days that could work, add an idea or two from this page, and drop one link in the group chat. Everyone answers from their browser, no app and no account needed. You see which day wins, tap once, and it's a real plan with RSVPs and a chat of its own.
And once your mates are on Keen too, it starts doing the noticing for you: everyone marks the times they're free, and when yours line up, Keen tells you, along with what's on that actually suits the crew. Which, in the holidays, mostly means whatever gets everyone out of the house.
Pick one, name a day, and send the message before someone asks for a snack.
Start closer in. See what's on for families in the next few days, pick a day, send the link.
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