Home-grown art duo Craig & Karl have transformed three Brisbane bridges with colourful inflatables for the festival launch, and that's not all.
Look up, and fighter jets and massive cargo planes roar through the air, while on the water, there's ... Clive Palmer's superyacht.
But the yacht is not part of the official Brisbane Festival program, which features more than 1000 performances and 2260 artists.
"I wanted it to reflect the incredible journey we've shared: bold ideas, heartfelt stories, and unforgettable moments," artistic director Louise Bezzina said on launching her sixth and final festival.
The opening weekend kicks off with a fireworks display on the river, with pyrotechnics launched from barges, bridges and, for the first time at the festival, heavy payload pyrotechnic drones.
It all makes the festival more than just an arts event, according to Brisbane Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner.
"It's the jewel in our festival calendar that brings us all together, creates more to see and do in the suburbs and adds to our fantastic lifestyle," he said.
Fire installations and candlelit sculptures will light up the City Botanic Gardens in a large scale installation titled Afterglow.
A self-guided art trail leads to an exhibition Craig & Karl: Double Vision at the Griffith University Art Museum.
On the dance slate, Bangarra Dance Theatre founder Stephen Page returns to his hometown with Baleen Moondjan, which will be staged on a barge on the Brisbane River among a set of giant whalebones.
Renowned French choreographer Benjamin Millepied is staging the triptych Gems, commissioned by luxury brand Van Cleef & Arpels.
As for theatre attractions, there's The Lovers, a pop-music reinterpretation of Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream, directed by Brisbane company Shake & Stir's artistic director Nick Skubij.
The festival culminates with Skylore - Nieergoo: Spirit of the Whale, a show of more than 400 synchronised drones, performed over three nights.
Brisbane Festival goes until September 27.
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