community
From market stalls to moonlit cinema: Your guide to Brisbane’s best community events this July
From the West End Riverside Markets to a free jazz night in New Farm, here’s where to connect with your neighbours this month.
How we reported this
Brisbane’s community calendar is packed this July, with more than two dozen free or low-cost events running across the city between now and the end of the school holidays. The biggest draw? The reopening of the South Bank Twilight Markets on Friday, July 24, after a two-year hiatus following the 2022 flood damage to the Arbour Walk.
Markets, movies and music
The West End Riverside Markets, held every Saturday from 7am to 1pm along Montague Road, have added a new ‘maker’s lane’ featuring 12 local ceramicists and textile artists. Entry is free, and parking is $5 in the nearby Orleigh Park car park. The Kelvin Grove Village Markets, which run from 6am to noon on Sundays, have seen attendance climb 18 per cent since January, according to market coordinator Lisa Tran. Over at the Brisbane Powerhouse in New Farm, the free ‘Jazz in the Courtyard’ series continues every Thursday evening through July, with sets from the Brisbane Jazz Club and the Queensland Conservatorium student ensemble.
For families, the Brisbane City Council is running free outdoor cinema screenings in seven suburbs across the school holidays. The next one is Saturday, July 18, at 7.15pm in Sherwood Arboretum, showing the 2024 animated film The Wild Robot. Bring a blanket; food trucks will sell pizza and churros from 6pm. Full details are on the council’s events page, but the Picnic in the Park series at New Farm Park on July 25 promises a reptile show and a live acoustic set from local singer Ella Fence.
Workshops, walks and what’s coming next
Community workshops are also back. The State Library of Queensland, on Stanley Place at South Bank, is hosting a free ‘Zine-Making for Beginners’ session on Wednesday, July 22, from 10am to midday. Bookings are required and all 40 spots were filled within three hours of opening on July 1. A second session has been added for July 29. Over in Red Hill, the Ithaca Community Garden on Kennedy Terrace runs a monthly composting workshop on the second Saturday of each month; the next one is July 11, from 9am to 11am. Cost is $10 per household, and participants leave with a free compost bin.
If you prefer to explore the city on foot, Brisbane Greeters, a volunteer-led program run by the council, offers free one-on-one walks through 12 different neighbourhoods. The most popular route, the Kangaroo Point cliffs and Story Bridge loop, has hosted 4,700 walkers so far in 2026, up 22 per cent on last year. Book at least three days ahead through the Visit Brisbane website. For history buffs, the 90-minute Stones Corner heritage walk departs from Logan Road every Sunday at 10am; it stopped running in March 2025 and returned only this month after the local historical society secured a $15,000 grant from the Queensland Government’s Community Heritage Fund.
What happens next? July 31 is the final day for council grant applications for neighbourhood event funding of up to $5,000. Any street party, clean-up day or block barbecue in 2027 needs to be submitted before then. Check the Brisbane City Council grants page for forms.