This Lunar New Year, Queen’s Wharf Brisbane invites the city to follow the Fire Horse, unveiling an immersive, precinct-wide six-day celebration that unfolds from street level to skyline, weaving together dining, performance, art and cultural storytelling to welcome the Year of the Fire Horse in spectacular style.
At the heart of the celebrations, the precinct will come alive with a sonic fire ceremony, featuring live performances, limited-edition Lunar New Year culinary experiences, roving entertainment, and three hero shows each night, set to an original four-minute symphonic score by award winning Australian Chinese composer Ray Lin and guided by the cultural direction of acclaimed arts leader Courtney Stewart.
Performed six times nightly from 17 – 22 February, the free experience transforms the precinct’s 12,000sqm open air oasis, Leisure Deck into a living canvas of movement, music and light, that sees a five metre steel horse sculpture erupt in flame, celebrating this year’s Zodiac, The Fire Horse. Guests can expect pop-up bars and Lunar New year inspired dishes, while interactive Dragon and Lion Dancers impress the crowd as lanterns glow overhead.
Ensuring the celebration is grounded in authenticity and respect is Cultural Adviser Courtney Stewart, Artistic Director and CEO of La Boite Theatre. Of Chinese and Australian heritage, Courtney brings deep expertise in intercultural collaboration and storytelling, helping shape an experience that honours tradition while engaging contemporary audiences.
“Lunar New Year is about renewal, dreaming big and looking forward. What excites me most about this celebration is how it opens that moment up to everyone, creating something that is inclusive, spectacular and deeply culturally resonant, while still feeling welcoming to the whole city,” Courtney said.
“Everything has been curated through the lens of audience experience, how people move through the space, where they naturally gather, how storytelling unfolds through projection, music and light. It’s not just a performance you watch; it’s something you move through together.
“This celebration feels like a step toward something that could become a landmark event on Brisbane’s calendar, something the whole city looks forward to every year.”
For Ray Lin, the project is deeply personal and reflects on his Chinese heritage, describing Lunar New Year as “our Christmas”, a time of reunion, reflection and renewal.
“This piece is written as a journey. You’ll hear musical themes return and evolve, just as we look back on the year that’s passed and move forward into the year ahead,” Ray said.
“By blending Western orchestral music with traditional Chinese instruments and percussion, the score reflects both my heritage and the multicultural spirit of Brisbane, different cultures existing together in harmony.”
The composition features more than 20 instruments across four musical families, combining Western strings and brass with traditional Chinese instruments and percussion. Driving rhythms that echo galloping hooves, capturing the Fire Horse’s energy, strength and momentum, while melodic lines shift and build toward a powerful, flame filled finale.
“The Fire Horse symbolises renewal and forward motion. There’s a lot of percussion in this piece, from the sound of movement, of hooves, of energy, because it’s about drive and optimism for the year ahead.” Throughout the precinct, guests are invited to gather, share and feast with specially curated Lunar New Year culinary offerings across four signature venues, interactive wishing trees and roaming lion dancers and performances.
In pursuit of a refined celebration, Sokyo marks the season with an exquisite lobster dining experience for two that blends contemporary Japanese precision with Lunar New Year symbolism, representing prosperity, strength, and good fortune. Carefully curated by Executive Chef, Alex Yu, Sokyo’s never-before-seen Lobster showcase invites guests to relish in the three-course experience, starting with Lobster sashimi speckled with gold leaf, followed by a creative invention, the Lobster Miso ‘Lollipop’ of panko crumbed lobster head with a prawn mousse, and to finish, Lobster and Prawn Udon served in a shellfish bisque.
Fat Noodle will also unveil a limited-time banquet menu designed by Luke Nguyen, available from 1 – 28 February 2026. Designed for two people, the seven course banquet celebrates the Year of the Fire Horse through a refined, modern interpretation of classic Lunar New Year flavours. The menu journeys from delicate Moreton Bay Bug siu mai and duck spring rolls, through generous shared plates including slow cooked pork belly, poached chicken with Asian greens, and beef brisket with green mango and Vietnamese herbs, before finishing with mango trifle with coconut tapioca and matcha.
As guests move through the precinct, Level 4 becomes a space of reflection, connection and celebration, where Luc Lac and Hua welcome visitors alongside a dedicated Lunar New Year Family Portrait Studio. The pop-up experience invites families and friends to capture a festive keepsake, receiving either a printed portrait housed in a bespoke Lunar New Year card case or a digital memento, a modern nod to tradition and togetherness.
The celebration continues under the stars at Skyline Cinema on Leisure Deck, where open air screenings of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and Turning Red invite guests to extend their Lunar New Year evening across two special nights in late February.
Together, the festivities transform Queen’s Wharf Brisbane into a destination for shared celebration and a place where culture, cuisine, art and entertainment meet across every level of the precinct.
“From street level to the skyline, this celebration reflects our vision for the precinct as a destination where Brisbane comes together to mark meaningful moments and create new traditions,” Chris Milligan, Queen’s Wharf Brisbane General Manager, Marketing, said.
Craig Davidson, CEO of Tourism and Events Queensland, highlighted the significance of events like the Lunar New Year celebration at Queen’s Wharf Brisbane in showcasing Queensland’s rich cultural calendar.
“Experiences that combine art, food, and storytelling not only resonate with locals but also enhance Brisbane’s reputation as a must-visit destination for travellers to our fantastic state,” Craig said.
From the first beat of the soundtrack to the final flare of flame, Queen’s Wharf Brisbane’s Lunar New Year celebration is designed as a continuous journey that honours tradition, celebrates renewal and invites the city to welcome the year ahead together.
