Suncorp Stadium’s concert count doubles after two-year trial

The number of concerts at Suncorp Stadium will be permanently increased in 2025 after a successful trial introduced last year.

Under temporary post-COVID measures for 2023 and 2024, the state government allowed the number of concerts in a calendar year to double from six to 12.

From next year, Suncorp Stadium can host 12 concerts annually. Credit: Harrison Saragossi

On Sunday, Industrial Relations Minister Grace Grace announced that increase would be made permanent from 2025, citing local support and citywide economic benefits.

“We know there was strong community support, which is terrific … 75 per cent of the local residents were very much in favour of this,” Grace said.

“[More concerts at Suncorp] will bring more events, more jobs, [and] we’ll see greater economic outcomes for not only the businesses around here, but Brisbane as a whole.”

Demand for stadium use was high in the trial’s first year, with nine concerts booked at Suncorp in 2023.

Though it has dropped this year, with Brisbane notably left off pop star Taylor Swift’s sold-out Australian circuit, Stadiums Queensland chief executive Todd Harris was confident about Queensland’s ability to attract big performers, which he hoped would be validated by the permanent change.

“We’re still seeing strong demand through our stadium network,” Harris said.

“We’ve had two concerts announced for later this year, [and] we’ve got some more bookings that are yet to be determined and announced.

“This permanency provides for that certainty, and we welcome those content opportunities from the likes of Frontier and the other concert promoters.”

Maximising the value of Suncorp Stadium ahead of its upgrade for the 2032 Olympic Games makes sense for stakeholders, but the decision has previously caused consternation for other users of the grounds.

Last year, a Paul McCartney concert and a Def Leppard-Motley Crue double-header damaged the playing surface for A-League men’s and women’s matches, which drew criticism from the players’ union.

The stadium is already home to the Brisbane Broncos, the Dolphins, the Queensland Reds and the Brisbane Roar, and there are fears the extra concerts will affect teams such as the Roar who use the grounds over summer.

On the other hand, the commercial and economic opportunities could be hugely beneficial, especially at a time when businesses in the area and across the city are struggling.

In the past six months, several local businesses have succumbed to wider pressures facing the hospitality industry, with Brewski Bar among those to announce they would be shutting their doors this month.