What’s on in Brisbane this month

When you aren’t in Christmas mode, there is plenty to keep you entertained and inspired during December. As summer swings into the city, you can get out to events ranging from exhibitions (hello, gallery air-conditioning) to theatrical comedies and new year celebrations. Here is what’s on in Brisbane this month.

Cine Latino Film Festival
Cinema

From Argentina to Brazil and Costa Rica, Latin America is a culturally vibrant part of the world. In the Cine Latino Film Festival’s final days in December, you can see closing night film Y Tu Mamá También as well as festival highlights including Argentinean murder mystery In Love and Hate and story about the Colombian drug trade’s origins, Birds of Passage.

Until 2 December at Palace Cinemas

Meeanjin Markets
Community

Truly special gifts have a story behind them, and that's what you will find at Meeanjin Markets. The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artisan market is a chance to shop for authentic Indigenous art, craft, foods and more, and there is a cultural program of dance, music and workshops happening too.

7–8 December at Reddacliff Place

Home: a suburban obsession
Exhibition

For many, the suburbs hold the pull of childhood nostalgia; they are backdrop of first bike rides, school days and growing up. This new exhibition holds an extra layer of nostalgia, showcasing photographs of South East Queensland suburbs from the 1960s and '70s by photographers Frank and Eunice Corley. Home: a suburban obsession features a virtual reality streetscape, art installations, incredible untold stories and rarely seen photographs.

From 7 December at State Library of Queensland

North by Northwest
Theatre

Hitchcock was the master of suspense, and this production marries film with the presence of theatre to heighten every thrill and laugh. Head to this limited-season production of North by Northwest to relive the classic tale of Roger O. Thornhill – an advertising executive being chased by spies – which has been adapted by Carolyn Burns and directed by Simon Phillips.

Until 9 December

The War on 2018
Comedy

With everything that has happened this year, The Chaser team can’t believe it was the strawberries we had to fear most. See Charles Firth (The Chaser), James Schloeffel (The Shovel), Mark Humphries (Pointless), and Jenna Owen and Victoria Zerbst (SBS The Feed) dissect the year that was. In The War on 2018 they’ll recap everything from Barnaby Joyce to North Korea and our leadership spills, and offer up a complete guide to annoying Alan Jones.

15 December at Brisbane Powerhouse

Avenue Q
Theatre

Brisbane Arts Theatre is ending its 2019 mainstage season with side-splitting laughs. Avenue Q is so popular, it’s back for its fifth outing. Billed as Sesame Street for adults, this politically incorrect puppet show isn’t one for the kids.

Until 22 December at Brisbane Arts Theatre

New Year's Eve Fireworks Spectacular
Community

There is only one place to see the new year fireworks, and that is South Bank. This year the tradition continues, with fireworks and foodtrucks at the New Year’s Eve Fireworks Spectacular. There will be two shows – one early and one at midnight – each set to a soundtrack.

31 December at South Bank

New Year’s Eve Gala Variety
Music

Queensland Pops Orchestra will ring in the new year in style at QPAC. Guests are encouraged to dress and bling up and make a night of it at the New Year's Eve Gala Variety. The orchestra will perform an evening of fun-filled music ranging from popular classics to dance and stunning solos across two performances.

31 December at QPAC

The Designers' Guide: Easton Pearson Archive
Exhibition

This fabulously stylish exhibition takes you behind the scenes of the iconic Easton Pearson fashion house. The Designers' Guide features more than 200 garments from the label’s colourful archive together with sketches, accessories, samples, lookbooks, photographs, interviews and anecdotes – all of which paint a rich picture of technical innovation and daring creativity.

Until 22 April, 2019 at Museum of Brisbane

APT9
Exhibition

One of the most anticipated exhibitions of the year is now open. The ambitious scale of APT brings art from right across the Asia-Pacific region to Brisbane, offering colourful and lively cross-cultural insights across two galleries. Contemporary works by artists from more than 30 countries feature in APT9 – a massive (and free) exhibition happening all summer.

Until 28 April, 2019 at Queensland Art Gallery and Gallery of Modern Art

Pictured: North by Northwest