Where to find fairies in Brisbane City

Discover the entrance to fairyland

Enter the City Botanic Gardens adjacent to the Goodwill Bridge to find two magical fig trees covered in fairy lights. The sparkling canopy welcomes you in to the historic gardens. Chase fairies through Brisbane's lush, inner-city haven, meet the wildlife and explore the fig trees.

Source: Lady Brisbane. Follow Lady Brisbane on Instagram.

Source: Lady Brisbane

Uncover a hidden fairy door

Stroll down Burnett Lane, a hidden laneway in Queen Street Mall, and you’ll find a little red fairy door. Take a break at one of the hideaway cafes, Felix or Brew, along the way.

Artwork and photograph by environmental/guerrilla artist Mace Robertson. Follow Mace Robertson on Instagram.

For the big kids 

Love the magic of fairy lights but prefer to do it with a bevvy in hand (glitter wings optional)?

Sip on apertivi and snack on Sicilian fare at Bar OTTO, complete with a ceiling of twinkling fairy lights and a city view overlooking St John’s Cathedral.

Head to the Stock Exchange rooftop bar and sit beneath a canopy of fairy lights and hanging plants while enjoying the city skyline.

Riverbar and Kitchen is one of Brisbane City’s favourite beer gardens with sparkling fairy lights and waterfront views. Tuck into bar snacks and keep an eye out for water fairies.

The Grand Central Hotel gets lit every evening with cascading fairy lights hanging down the face of the heritage building. Dine al fresco to soak up the magic and people-watching.

City of Lights

Brisbane City Council's City of Lights project is seeing creative lighting installed across Brisbane City and wider Brisbane. You can find a map of lights around Brisbane and the City of Lights strategy here.

By Penny Massey When Penny’s not brunching on chicken waffles at Kettle & Tin or hanging out with her cat, she’s probably in @BrisbaneCity buying shoes or channelling her spirit animal, Annabel Crab. If you happen to catch her outside the suburb of Paddington, it’ll likely be at Doo Bop dancing to free jazz, eating the award-winning degustation at Urbane or immersing herself in Brisbane’s startup ecosystem. Either way, hand her a champagne saber and see what happens next.