28 Fun Things to Do In Brisbane at Night

Sharing is caring!

Looking for fun things to do in Brisbane at night?

Here are the 28 best night activities in Brisbane from written by Brisbane locals in the know.

• Looking for a romantic activity? See our list of Date Ideas Brisbane
• Feel like going on a fun trip? See fun weekend getaways from Brisbane.
• See more: Romantic Restaurants in Brisbane
• See more: Brisbane itinerary
• See more: best coffee in Brisbane

Need Brisbane Car Rental to see the nightlife of Brisvegas? We have secured a further 5% discount code with Bargain Car Rentals for our readers off their lowest rates!

What to do in Brisbane at Night?

Howard Smith Wharves to have a beer

Set near Brisbane’s New Farm Cliffs and the beautiful Story Bridge, Howard Smith Wharves is an immerging waterfront dining and precinct which has a number of restaurant and bars worth visiting when you’re in Brisbane.

You can dine in any one of its world class restaurants and enjoy a drink while gazing at the river that is visible from almost every dining eatery.

Felons Brewing Co, the Stanley Restaurant, Mr Percival’s, Greca, Yoko Dining, Ciao Papi, Fiume at The Fantuzzo, Polpetta and Betty’s Burger are all places whose food and drinks are worth trying so mark it up on your bucket list.

Movie under the stars at Roma Street Parkland

The Moonlight Cinema in Roma Street Parkland is a good place to go if you want to experience watching movies under the stars instead of a closed room.

It’s an interesting experience and you can take advantage of the other things the park offers. Be sure to pack a picnic with you to enjoy during your screen time while you sit on the grass atop blankets and watch your favourite movies.

You can also buy food from the food trucks at the park. The best time to visit is from December to march when the weather is just right. One of the best free things to do in Brisbane.

Fun things to do in Brisbane at night

Yatala Drive In

One of the best activities to do at night near Brisbane is to visit the Yatala Drive In.

It is the go-to place in Brisbane when you’re craving a movie. When you get there, you can just join the many other cars parked in front of the screen and watch the latest blockbusters from the comfort of your car.

The Drive In also has an American diner from the 1950s with human size statues of both Marilyn and Elvis.

Things to do Brisbane Friday Night – Go to a Brisbane Broncos Game

A locals favourite thing to do on a Friday Night is head to a Brisbane Broncos NRL game. When the Broncos are playing at home, they play at Suncorp Stadium.

A Broncos game is a big thing in Brisbane and tickets start at $30 and getting there is really easy if you’ve got a ticket and are travelling via Queensland Rail City Network (Air train not included) or Brisbane City Council Buses.

Just show your ticket to bus and rail staff and you’ll get free transport to the game.

See a performance at QPAC

Located in Brisbane’s popular South Bank region, QPAC is a place worth visiting if you hold an appreciation for the performing Arts.

QPAC has performers and companies from a range of genres like musicians, ballet dancers, musical theatre productions, orchestras, comedians, thought leaders, actors, singers and even magicians.

Throughout the year, various festivals, important events and world premiers take place in the QPAC’s walls. It’s a place worth visiting if you’re into Arts of any sorts or just want to watch a live performance.

Have dinner at one of Brisbane’s best restaurants

Brisbane has many restaurants where you can get the dinner of your dreams or just food to satisfy your hunger.

• Dan Arnold – is a restaurant where the local food is made using French techniques. The food is superb and customers love the Carte Blanche and other dishes and like their services and cocktails. It’s run by a pair of husband and wife and they make sure that the customers are enjoying their visit.
• Rouge Bistro – The Rouge Bistro is fine dining restaurant with modern décor and a contemporary European menu. The wine is paired with the food ordered and it’s paired perfectly to appeal and the food tastes great. Plus, they have a fairly good number of beverages to choose from.
• Wooden Horse Restaurant – Another restaurant for dinner is the Wooden Horse Restaurant, a place that has the best steak in Brisbane. Their pawns, oysters and battered scallops are loved by many while the pizza is a local favourite. Their cocktails are another story altogether so be sure to order them.

Or go out for Dessert

Another fun activity to do in Brisbane at night is to go out for dessert in one of the many desert bars around the city.

• Flour & Chocolate Patisserie – is considered the best dessert place is Brisbane with its chocolate drizzled croissants, eclairs, cakes and sweet pastries. It’s the top choice to do for something sweet to eat and it has a nice atmosphere and great service but the food is a bit overpriced.
• Gelato Messina South Brisbane is the go-to ice-cream parlour in Brisbane with its sweet and delicious ice-cream flavours like coconut and lychee, Tiramisu and pear and rhubarb. The place is crowded but the ice-cream is worth the wait and you will love the many flavours on display there.
• Le Bon Choix is a bakery in Brisbane that is quite popular with the locals. You can have breakfast there with options like almond croissants, or doughnuts along with hot chocolate.

Explore Brisbane’s laneways

Laneways – narrow roadways – can incite fear and excitement in the hearts of adventurers. If you’re one you’ll be happy to know Brisbane has some worth visiting laneways as well, all with stories of their own.

In Brisbane, its laneways aren’t places where any horrors occur but it’s a place where you can witness Brisbane’s true culture at its finest.

Some of the best laneways filled with bars and restaurants to explore in Brisbane at night include:

• Fish Lane, South Bank
• Albert Lane, Brisbane City
• Winn Lane, The Valley

Visit the bar Cloudland

Elegant, sophisticated and lovely, this bar in the middle of the thriving Fortitude Valley is going to for a nice drink along with dinner for two or family.

The entire Cloudland is divided into an Italian restaurant, two bars – both of which are worth going to for a drink -, private booths and fascinating functions rooms.

Cloudland’s Crystal Palais, the paradise for crafted drinks had the best cocktails and other drinks in the entire place but it’s only open from Thursday to Sunday from 5:00pm till late.

Highly recommended to try the Sangria jug – it is delicious!

Go for a night lights walk at Kangaroo Point Cliffs

Be like a local and go for a night stroll along the Kangaroo Point Cliffs.

The Kangaroo Point Cliffs are an iconic attraction with a rich history. What makes the walk really magical is that the rhyolite rocks light up at night, giving the area a charming and otherworldly feel.

A walk amid the night light of the cliffs is romantic and worth seeing so mark it up on your bucket list. Besides walking, rock climbing is a popular sport over there and the Captain Burke Park is the best spot in the city for a night BBQ or picnic.

Things to do in Brisbane Saturday Night – Go clubbing at Fortitude Valley

If you know Brisbane well you will know Fortitude Valley otherwise known as “The Valley” is the best place for night clubbing in Brisbane. One of the best things to do alone for singles in Brisbane.

Fortitude Valley has a number of bars and clubs that you should visit if you’re in a partying mood compete with music, dancing and a whole lot of fun.

Some clubs to drop by while in the Valley are Cloudland (it’s has more to offer than just its bars), Empire Hotel, Press Club, The Wickham and Prohibition Brisbane among others.

The nightlife in Fortitude Valley brings the city alive and you should drop by the clubs for their disco rhythms, live bands, fun and heritage.

Visit the Brisbane Jazz Club

If you follow the Brisbane River upstream from the Story Bridge, you’ll find the riverside venue of the Brisbane Jazz Club.

The place is storied and its open from Thursday to Sunday at night and the club also organises a brunch every month on the last Sunday of that month.

You can even have dinner there and the chefs from the Story Bridge Hotel will cook and serve you a delightful meal. You can enjoy dinner at your table or the deck that overlooks the water in the club. Either way, it will an affair to remember and smile about.

Go bowling at Strike

Strike Wintergarden is the leading bowling alley to turn to when you’re feeling the urge to bowl your heart away.

To go there, you just have to visit the Wintergarden Complex that is located in Brisbane’s Queen Street Mall.

Strike has 12 bowling lanes where you can try your luck with this interesting sport, a astounding laser tag arena, private karaoke rooms where you can sing your hearts out, escape rooms and pool tables. You can make fun and memorable memories at the club either alone or with loved ones.

Go for a night story bridge climb

One of Brisbane’s most interesting features, the Story Bridge is the one place from where you can see the entire city in its true form.

You will be able to see the Glass House Mountains in the North, Scenic Rim Mountains towards the South and fascinating views of the capital of Queensland.

But climbing the Story Bridge is not for the faint of heart and you need to be able to stand heights so if you’re a height phobic, it’s not a good idea to try this one. The climb is really safe and a seasoned guide will walk you through the process and go along with you on the climb.

Check out the sparkling lights from Mt Coot-Tha view

Mt Coot-Tha is part of the Taylor Range and is the one of the best places in the city to go to if you want an all-encompassing and panoramic view of the city and the surrounding area.

At night, you can even catch a sparking lights view – due to the lights in the city – from the mountain.

Other than taking in the views, you can also grab food from Kuta Hilltop Café – there ice cream is worth a try. To make it an outing your family or friends will remember, you can plan a BBQ or picnic.

Visit the Cosmic Skydome

A part of the Sir Thomas Brisbane Planetarium, the Cosmic Skydome has advanced technology to allow for realistic and entertaining space shows.

There are many Cosmic Skydome shows but they all have the same structure. The shows are divided into a two-part tour. In the first part, the audience are shown visualizations of what the tour is about like animated animals, etc.

In the second part, the audience are shown a realistic depiction of Brisbane’s night sky and the tour guide informs the people about the various stars and constellation in the sky. Overall, the shows are an enlightening and enjoyable experience worth trying.

The Museum of Brisbane (Free on a Friday night till 7pm)

Located in the City Hall, the Museum of Brisbane is a place where the historic and modern culture of Brisbane is kept and illustrated to it fullest for the people. T

he Museum offers many tours, workshops and program like the dark Cloud Tower tour and exhibitions like The Storytellers, Brisbane City hall LEGO Build, Artist-in-Residence: Kim Ah Sam and others.

The Museum is open all week from 10:00am to 5:00pm and Friday timings have been extended till 7:00pm so you can explore the museum to your hearts content.

Brisbane Twilight Markets

In the King George Square, the Brisbane Twilight Markets make their appearance a couple of times every year.

This year, the market is scheduled to be set up on 28th August in the square beneath the City Hall from 4:00pm to 9:00pm and the event is fully free for everyone to attend.

The market features homemade goods made, prepared and crafted by local artists and designers. You will find anything from summer dresses, wall hangings, cushions, resin jewellery to kimonos and typewriter keys. Basically, the market has everything you can imagine and its worth a shopping visit.

Go for a ride on the Wheel of Brisbane

There is nothing better than being 60 metres up from the ground in a closed Ferris wheel compartment unless you’re height phobic.

The Wheel is located in the South Bank Parklands and tickets cost $13.80 for children from 4 to 11 and $20.90 for adults. The compartments are built to be safe, is air conditioned as well and can seat up to 8 people at one time.

Each ride lasts about 10 to 15 minutes in which you can gaze at Brisbane and look at all the views the height offers.

Evening kayak of the Brisbane River

The tour will take you across the Brisbane River under the Victoria Bridge, near the Treasury Casino building for you to view and past the Brisbane Wheel.

From the Kayak, you can catch a glimpse of what the city looks light at night, illuminated by the electrical lights. Be sure to pack your waterproof camera because the shots will be so worth it.

Go on a ghost tour

Brisbane unexpectedly has a dark side as well, one which you can enjoy to the fullest with the ghost tours that are organised.

You can choose between walking tours or coach tours but both are equally scary with trading of ominous ghost stories and spine curling haunted sites in the city.

Go for a Boggo Road Jail Tour

The Boggo Goal Road in Dutton Park is a spooky attraction and the tour tells about the lives of the prisoners who lived there once and who still haunt its wall even today.

The stories go on to tell about the crimes, injustice (trials and hangings inside the prison) and justice there and can contain mature content so children under 15 are discouraged from attending.

The tour itself can last about 1.5 hours to 2.5 hours and will take you through the prison. It’s not for the faint of heart so do you have the guts to endure it?

Glow Worm Eco-Adventure at Springbrook Reserve

Glow worms are fascinating creatures that can be found in dark caves and forests. Their glowing forms against the pitch blackness of the walls of caves is a truly magnificent sight to behold and you can see them this tour to the Springbrook Reserve.

In this World Heritage National Park, there are purpose-built caves, complete with stalactites and stalagmites and of course glow worms. You will enjoy on the tour if you’re a naturalist at heart and love the outdoors. You should see some animals on the tour and walk through a damp rainforest.

Eat Street Northshore

A very unique market, indigenous only to Brisbane in Australia, the Eat Street Northshore market is located in the beautiful riverside suburb of Hamilton.

In 2013, an abandoned docking site was changed into a hot dining spot that still draws crowds to it even now. A foodie’s dream, this market as every food you can imagine like pork dumplings, classic burgers, Japanese pizzas, cheesecake sundaes, brownies and other foods.

Along with the delicious food, the market also has music barrelling in the background and how can we forget the crafted cocktails and drinks. Mark this market on your bucket list because it’s worth a visit.

See the city from clock tower on Friday Night

The clock tower in the City Hall is 87.47 metres high and is an important part of the city. It’s open seven days from 10:15am to 4:45pm and you need to purchase ticket to enter the clock tower.

Exclusively, on Fridays, you can stay in the tower till 6:45pm. The tower is considered one of the highest buildings in Brisbane and it can be found with the Brisbane Museum so you explore the history and exhibits in the museum while you wait your turn to climb up the clock tower.

The views from the tower are interesting and worth seeing.

Enjoy a paint and wine night

Are you looking for a fun and relaxed art class to try out when in Brisbane? If so, then you should think about taking some paint and wine classes.

In these casual classes, you will learn to paint while drinking wine. These classes have become popular in Brisbane because they are a fun activity to do with friends or lover.

Brisbane River Dinner Cruise

Every Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights, the Brisbane River Dinner Cruise is available and active for its customers.

The cruise ships are custom made for Brisbane River and when onboard, you will be shown to your table amid the dazzling Brisbane nigh view. Over the duration of the cruise, you will get to see sights like the colourfully illuminated Story Bridge, Brisbane’s Southbank precinct and the Kangaroo Point’s Cliffs.

The dinner is open buffet style with dishes like local reef fish, Caesar Salad and chocolate fondant with drinks as well.

Dracula’s Dinner and Show at the Gold Coast

Dubbed as the ultimate and spookiest night time entertainment to be found on the Gold Coast, Dracula brings you its Muertos show in which the skilled cast will perform to pay tribute to the Mexican Day of the Dead.

It’s the latest carnaval de la carnage to feature of Dracula’s stage and the Muertos proceeds to show impossible aerial acrobatics, carnival acts and Dracula’s signature comedy.

Alongside with the show, the audience will be served a three-course meal and cocktails. Book your Dracula’s show beforehand for the best seats in the house.

Looking for More Fun Things to do Around Brisbane City?

Why not check our these places (all within QLD area):

• Bribie Island (around 1 hour from Brisbane)
• Maleny (around 2 hours drive from Brisbane)
• Redcliffe (around 1 hour from Brisbane)
• Roma ( a bigger drive into the country – 5hrs)
• Charleville ( a bigger drive into the country – 8hrs)
• Burleigh (1 hour drive from Brisbane)
• Caloundra (2 hour drive from Brisbane)
• Best things to do in stanthorpe (2.5 hour drive from Brisbane)

Going to Victoria next and are a night owl? Check out Fun Things to do in Melbourne at Night! It is a pretty fun city for a couple so you might like to plan a fun Melbourne Date Idea while you’re at it. Wanna explore more of Victoria? Here are some fun day trips from Melbourne.