In short
- Riverfire opens Brisbane Festival. The festival says Riverfire returns on Saturday 4 September 2027, with the festival running 3–25 September 2027.[1]
- In 2026, Council's traffic and parking changes ran from 6am to 11pm on Riverfire day, across the CBD, South Brisbane, Kangaroo Point, Fortitude Valley, New Farm, Mount Gravatt and Mount Coot-tha.[3]
- Tow-away and no-stopping zones started the evening before, at 7pm on the Friday, and the Story Bridge closed to traffic from 6.30pm to 8pm.[3]
- Public transport is the realistic way in: in 2026 Translink ran 80 extra trains, and free travel home ran from selected stations from 7.30pm to 9.30pm.[4]
When is Riverfire?
Riverfire is the fireworks night that starts Brisbane Festival each September. The 2026 event was on Saturday 5 September 2026.[2] For next year, Brisbane Festival says Riverfire returns on Saturday 4 September 2027 and the festival runs from 3 to 25 September 2027; the 2027 program and the Australian Defence Force aerial displays are still to be announced.[1]
In 2026 the program started at 4pm and the fireworks over the river at 7pm.[4] The main viewing spots are along the river. South Bank is fenced for public safety, typically opens its gates at 9am, and closes once it reaches capacity; Kangaroo Point Cliffs has a free accessible viewing area with limited places.[1]
The 2027 road closures weren't published when we checked. The festival shares them on its closures page once they're available, so the 2026 plan below is what to expect, not a promise.
Which roads closed for Riverfire 2026?
Closures were staged through the day, starting early near the viewing areas and widening in the afternoon. Brisbane City Council's notice for 5 September 2026 listed, among others:[3]
| Area | Closure | Times |
|---|---|---|
| Kangaroo Point[3] | Lower River Terrace and Kangaroo Point Cliffs Drive, full closure | 6am to 9.30pm |
| Kangaroo Point[3] | Story Bridge (Bradfield Highway), full closure | 6.30pm to 8pm |
| South Brisbane[3] | Stanley Street at the Cultural Centre Tunnel car park, full closure | 7am to 10pm |
| South Brisbane[3] | Russell and Colchester Streets, full closure | 7am to 11pm |
| South Brisbane[3] | Grey, Hope, Ernest and Tribune Streets, full closure | 4pm to 11pm |
| South Brisbane[3] | Glenelg Street between Merivale and Grey Streets, full closure | 6.30pm to 11pm |
| Brisbane CBD[3] | North Quay (Ann to William Streets), Elizabeth Street (William to Edward) and William Street, full closure | 4pm to 11pm |
| Fortitude Valley[3] | Ivory Street, Martin Street, Harrison Lane and sections of Bowen Terrace, full closure | 6.30pm to 8pm |
| New Farm[3] | Sections of Bowen Terrace, Malt, Harcourt, Kent, Bowen and Moray Streets, full closure | 4pm to 8.30pm |
| Mount Coot-tha[3] | Right turn from Sir Samuel Griffith Drive onto Scenic Drive | 4.30pm to 8.30pm |
Kangaroo Point Bridge and parts of George and Adelaide Streets in the CBD also closed in the evening, and Shire Road at Mount Gravatt closed from 3pm to 9pm.[3] Detours were signed on the day, with police and traffic controllers on site.[3] Two things matter if you're driving across town that evening: the Story Bridge is out for the fireworks, and Tribune and Glenelg Streets, the entries to the South Bank car park, were closed from the afternoon.[3]
Where can you park for Riverfire?
Close to the river, almost nowhere legally. From 7pm on Friday 4 September to 11pm on Saturday 5 September 2026, Council changed parking to "No Standing, Tow Away, authorised vehicles only" in William and George Streets in the CBD and in Bowen Terrace and Moray Street at New Farm. Other no-standing and no-stopping zones applied over the same window in South Brisbane, Kangaroo Point and Creek Street in the CBD, with buses-only no-stopping zones in parts of South Brisbane. Unauthorised vehicles could be towed.[3]
If you park on a street near the closures on Friday evening, you may find the car gone by Saturday morning. Read every sign where you park in the inner city that weekend, and don't rely on what was allowed the week before.
Off-street car parks near the closed streets are hard to get into or out of while the roads around them are shut. The South Bank car park's rates and entries are in parking at South Bank, but on Riverfire night it's better used as a reason to take the train.
Getting there by train, bus or ferry
For 2026, Translink scheduled 80 extra train services (38 before the event and 42 after) and extra high-frequency buses on routes including the M1, 444 and 555. Travel to Riverfire cost the standard 50-cent fare, and travel home was free from selected busway and train stations between 7.30pm and 9.30pm.[4]
After the fireworks until 9pm, most buses leaving the city bypassed the Cultural Centre, South Bank and Mater Hill busway stations, with M1, M2, 555 and shuttle services connecting people to their usual routes.[4] River ferries didn't run at all on Riverfire day 2026 because of industrial action, which is a reminder to check the arrangements for the year you go.[4]
If you have to drive through the city that day
- Clem7 was free. In 2026 the Clem7 tunnel was toll-free from 6.30pm to 8pm on Riverfire night, while the Story Bridge was closed.[2][3]
- Check live traffic. Council pointed drivers to QLDTraffic or 13 19 40, and to Translink or 13 12 30 for public transport.[3]
- Avoid the evening altogether if you can. Traffic leaving the river after the fireworks meets the crowds on foot, so a cross-town trip is easier before mid-afternoon or after the closures lift.
If you're out for the night, plan not to drive home at all: the alcohol limits and penalties are in drink-driving limits in Queensland. For other big crowds, see Suncorp Stadium and the Gabba and, in August, driving to the Ekka. Any toll or parking fine in a rental is handled under clause 10 of our rental terms.
Sources
- Brisbane Festival: FAQs (read 5 November 2026)
- Brisbane Festival: Road, bridge and river closures (read 5 November 2026)
- Brisbane City Council: Changed traffic and parking conditions in Brisbane CBD, South Brisbane and surrounds for Riverfire 2026 (read 5 November 2026)
- Queensland Government — Department of Transport and Main Roads: Plan ahead for Riverfire travel with Translink (media statement, 3 September 2026) (read 5 November 2026)
Written by the Rentzy team at Rentzy Car Rentals. Rentzy prices, fees and rules in this guide come from our published terms and update with them; rules set by others (roads, tolls, licences, transport) are from the official pages above, as read on the dates shown. Something out of date? Tell us.
