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Best Places to See Riverfire in Brisbane 2024: List of Vantage Points

These are the BEST places to see Riverfire by Australian Retirement Trust this year – 2024!

Are you looking for the best places to see Riverfire in Brisbane? The Riverfire fireworks celebrate the opening of the Brisbane Festival. We’ve listed all the best vantage points for you to take in the fireworks on Saturday 31 August 2024 from 7.05 – 7.30pm.

2024 Riverfire by Australian Retirement Trust information

If you’re heading to South Bank to see the fireworks, mark these areas as the best places to see Riverfire in Brisbane.

Riverfire from the Clem Jones Promenade

With prime river frontage, there is no better place to see Brisbane Riverfire than the Clem Jones Promenade. Anywhere along this pristine location will guarantee sweeping views, but it does fill up quickly (avid Riverfire fans stake out their spots during the morning and afternoon), so make sure you get there early to secure a good location.

*Please note that in the interests of crowd safety, erecting a sunshade tent or chairs on the Promenade is not permitted at any time of day.

Streets Beach and surrounds

Streets Beach South Bank Brisbane

It’s a pretty rare treat to be able to watch fireworks over the CBD from the water, but Streets Beach and the Boat Pool offer water babies just that! The perfect place to cool down on a warm spring day; it’s also a great way to keep the kids amused while they count down the minutes to the next plane, helicopter or fireworks. It’s also a short hop-skip-jump to the food vendors for lunch, dinner and a cool ice-cream for afternoon tea. It’s our pick of places to see Riverfire this year!

Families Tip: South Bank is a popular place for families to watch Riverfire. The venue is fenced for public safety and will be closed if capacity is reached. Our recommendation is to arrive early to ensure you don’t miss out. On the day of Riverfire, gates to the fenced area at South Bank will open at 9am.

River Quay

Easily one of South Bank’s most popular destinations, River Quay is the perfect spot for Riverfire viewing. Patrons can arrive early in the day and while the time away with a picnic, or you can book into one of the River Quay restaurants (Popolo, River Quay Fish, Aquitaine and The Jetty South Bank) for an evening meal.

The Wheel of Brisbane

The Wheel of Brisbane is Open Christmas Day Brisbane

Our famous Wheel will keep turning on Riverfire night, offering you the chance to check out the show from within – private gondolas are available for hire for family and friends. Prices for these gondalas hover at around the $300 mark and they get snapped up QUICKLY (alas their website now says they’ve sold out so check it out early next year)!

Wilson’s Lookout (also called Wilson’s Outlook)

This is a great location to see the city at any point in time – but a particular favourite during any fireworks displays. Pack a picnic and take a blanket to sit on… it will get crowded!

City Botanic Gardens

Anywhere along the riverfront is a good vantage point… or near the Goodwill bridge…. which have their own fairy lights all year long!

Botanic gardens brisbane feature

You should also consider Kangaroo Point Cliffs, Bartley’s Lookout or Captain Bourke Park on the south side of the river.

Howard Smith Wharves

Relax on the riverfront and enjoy delicious eats and cocktails from Gigi’s Homestyle Cooking and the Main Lawn. Various venues offer packages, and there are walk-in spaces at Felons Brewing Co and Felons Barrel Hall.

Will there be accessible viewing areas for Riverfire in 2024?

As in previous years, Brisbane Festival will establish a dedicated accessible viewing platform at Kangaroo Point for people with disabilities and their companions. This will need to be pre-booked. You will find the booking form on the FAQ page of the Brisbane Festival website.

View Riverfire from your boat on the Brisbane River

All recreational spectator vessels attending must be registered for an Aquatic Permit and be issued with an Entry Flag in order to gain access to the two dedicated spectator mooring zones.

Best vantage points in the suburbs to watch Riverfire

Gather family and friends and beat the crowds by checking out some of the best-kept-secret locations in the suburbs for enjoying the Riverfire festivities.

Northside suburbs for Riverfire

  • St Brigid’s Church, Red Hill;
  • Collins Rd, Ferny Hills;
  • Stuartholme Rd, Bardon;
  • Plucks Rd, Arana Hills;
  • Camelia Ave, Everton Hills;
  • Bilsen Rd, Wavell Heights;
  • Eildon Hill Reservoir, Windsor
  • Mt Coot-tha Lookout; and
  • Zeehan St and Rode Rd, Wavell Heights

Southside suburbs for Riverfire

  • Forbes St, Hawthorne;
  • Old Cleveland Rd, Coorparoo;
  • Camp Hill Bowls Club car park, Ferguson Rd;
  • Mt Gravatt Lookout;
  • Holy Trinity Church, Woolloongabba;
  • Cnr Dornoch Tce and Hampstead Rd, Highgate Hill; and
  • Gateway Bridge

Best city parking for Riverfire

Learn about where to park for Riverfire here.

Find all the timings of what will happen at the Riverfire here.

Looking for more family fun? Check out our list of all the family friendly festivals around Brisbane here and what about these awesome drone shows across Brisbane.

Photo of author

Janine Mergler

Janine Mergler is a veteran Queensland teacher, graduating from QUT with a BEd majoring in Social Sciences. After many years in the classroom, Janine moved on to academia. She has proudly trained new generations of teachers in her role as a lecturer at Queensland University of Technology Faculty of Education. She has also worked in the Queensland Government as an education specialist, developing education resources and delivering community awareness programs to help families conserve water. Currently she is the owner and editor of Families Magazine, a publication specifically targeted at parents who value a quality education for children.  Janine leads a team of professionals who write about family lifestyle, early childhood, schools and education information and family-friendly events.

5 thoughts on “Best Places to See Riverfire in Brisbane 2024: List of Vantage Points”

  1. Sorry, you’ve listed the Gateway Bridge as a place to watch. You’d think it be dangerous to have people watching from there given it’s a road you cannot stop on?

    Reply

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