Non-Ekka things to do in Brisbane on the Ekka public holiday

Wednesday, August 14, is a public holiday for the City of Brisbane, an annual day off that gives locals a chance to head to the Brisbane Exhibition.

Highlights of the Ekka this year include former Wiggle Emma Watkins, country music star Tania Kernaghan, Bluey and Bingo, the EkkaNITE Sky drone show, and a bull that weighs more than a tonne.

But if cute animals, terrifying rides, showbags packed with lollies and strawberry sundaes leave you cold (shame on you) then what are your options?

Here are 14 top events taking place on August 14 – many of them free, and most of them kid-friendly.

The Artist’s Studio by Imogen Corbett, a portrait of artist and educator Natalya Hughes, won the top prize.

1. Browse the Brisbane Portrait Prize

Top Brisbane artists have created paintings, photographs and experimental works that put Brisbane people in the picture. Prize winners include AI-generated work as well as traditional oil paintings. The exhibition at the State Library is free and well worth a look.

2. Head to the movies

New films include Cate Blanchett in sci-fi action comedy Borderlands, and Blake Lively in a romantic drama of love and abuse titled It Ends With Us. Action movies Twisters and Deadpool & Wolverine are still in theatres, while for kids, 200% Wolf is a locally made animation about a poodle and his werewolf relatives.

Queensland Museum’s updated display of prehistoric Queensland includes augmented reality dinosaurs.Credit: Nick Dent

3. See the Dinosaurs Unearthed display at the Queensland Museum

The museum’s free permanent dinosaur display has been reimagined with touchscreens, 3D-printed maquettes, and 4K animations alongside original fossils and more. There’s also augmented reality – the creatures can come to life anywhere via your phone.

4. Go whale watching on North Stradbroke Island/Minjerribah

If you missed seeing those two whales in the Brisbane River and the rain doesn’t deter you, then head straight to the Gorge Walk at Point Lookout and you should get to see the passing parade of humpback whales. Unless you live there, a jaunt to Straddie is a full-day trip – get a ferry or take your own car on the barge. SeaLink passenger ferries departing from Cleveland are helpfully timed to connect with the local bus services.

Quest Room’s Steampunk escape room has puzzles utilising anachronistic technology.Credit: Quest Room

5. Beat the clock at a locally designed escape room

If you’ve never gotten a group together and tried pitting your wits against the puzzles and tricks of an escape room, give it a try. Two in Spring Hill we’ve tried are the beautifully designed Steampunk game at Quest Room and the incredibly detailed Pursuit for the Elixir of Life at Arcadium Adventures . Tick, tick, tick…

6. Ride the ancient lift to the top of the City Hall clocktower

Located on level 3 of City Hall, the free-to-visit Museum of Brisbane is primarily an art gallery. Its other drawcard is the Clock Tower tour – a trip up the 1920s elevator to observe the workings of the City Hall clock and experience views from what was once the tallest building in the city. These free tours run every 15 minutes.

Pink Floyd in 1973, the year they released The Dark Side of the Moon.Credit: Getty Images

7. Bliss out to Pink Floyd’s The Dark Side of the Moon

At the Planetarium, screenings of the special Dark Side of the Moon experience in the Cosmic Skydome have been extended until the end of the year. Lie back and witness mind-blowing visuals to accompany the album’s amazing sounds, which turned 50 in 2023. Tickets are $17, or $12 for kids.

8. Throw an axe at something

Angry at the state of the world, or the lousy weather? Make like a Viking and throw axes, safely, at a wall at Maniax. Waivers are required for these shenanigans, naturally.

Titanic. The Human Story, a new exhibition at Uptown in Queen’s Street Mall, Brisbane.Credit: Fever

9. Take a deep dive into the Titanic story at Uptown

An immersive exhibition in more ways than one, Titanic: The Human Story has real relics as well as models and full-size recreations of cabins from the doomed ship. Curated by renowned Titanic expert Claes-Goran Wetterholm, the exhibition is running at Uptown, just off the Queen Street Mall, and tickets are $31-$39.

10. Try to get a hole in one at mini-golf

Kids and adults alike can get their putt-putt on at Brisbane’s best mini-golf courses. Options range from indoor putt-putt such as Holey Moley and Hey Caddy, to outdoor mini-golf at golf courses across town such as the ones at Pacific Golf Club and Hillstone St Lucia Mini Golf.

The musical traces Turner’s story from her childhood in Nutbush, Tennessee, to troubled stardom with Ike Turner and her 1980s reinvention.Credit: Daniel Boud

11. Do the Nutbush at Tina: The Tina Turner Musical

Tina Turner confronted sexism, racism and ageism to become one of the biggest music stars of the 1980s. This stirring musical tells her life story with the help of her hits, and features an astounding performance by Ruva Ngwenya in the title role. There are two performances on Ekka Day – book online.

12. See Holden v Ford at the Brisbane Motor Museum

Packed with Toranas, Escorts, Monaros and Falcon GTs, this uniquely Aussie display features retro cars you could race on a Sunday then do the school pick-up with on a Monday. The museum in Banyo is open seven days from 8am to 3pm; be sure to book online, with adult tickets costing $25.

Iris Van Herpen’s Crystallization top, from the ‘Capriole’ collection, featured in the exhibition Iris Van Herpen: Sculpting the Senses.Credit: © Sølve Sundsbø

13. Check out the futuristic fashions at Iris Van Herpen: Sculpting the Senses

Dutch avant-garde fashion designer Iris van Herpen has crafted outre garments for Beyonce, Bjork, Cate Blanchett, Lady Gaga and Tilda Swinton. All are on display in a show that is exclusive to QPAC in Brisbane. About 100 pieces are displayed with the contemporary artworks, natural history specimens and cultural artefacts that inspired them. Adult tickets are $30 ($12 for kids) – book online.

14. Relive the 1990s with Ride and Mercury Rev at the Tivoli

Stars of UK shoegaze Ride and their psychedelic sounds set the mood – trippy – for the early 1990s, while American act Mercury Rev broke through in 1998 with their classic album Deserter’s Songs. The two bands are very much alive and ready to play to diehard fans on August 14. Tickets ($99.90) were still available at the time of writing.