Riverfire transport: closures, ferries and getting home
Saturday 5 September 2026 · live closures · updates automatically
Riverfire puts several hundred thousand people on the banks of the Brisbane River for one night, then tries to move them all home within about an hour. This is the transport side of it: the road and bridge closures, the reason the CityCats stop, where to watch from and which station each spot actually leaves by, and how to avoid the queue everyone else joins.
When is Riverfire?
🎆 Saturday 5 September 2026
Riverfire 2026 is on Saturday 5 September 2026, 33 days away. Road, bridge and river closures are announced in the days beforehand and appear in the live panel below as they land.
The one that catches people out
⛴️ The CityCats stop for the fireworks
The Brisbane River closes to commercial ferry traffic, CityCats included, so the pyrotechnic barges and their safety exclusion zone can be set up. Extra ferry services run either side of that window, but a plan that involves catching a CityCat in just before the show, or stepping onto one straight after it, does not work. If the ferry is your normal way across the river, this is the night it is not there.
🎆 Riverfire & Brisbane Festival service changes
Checking the network…
See every current disruption, live →Road and bridge closures
There are road, bridge and river closures across Brisbane City, South Brisbane, Kangaroo Point and Fortitude Valley. The Story Bridge and Victoria Bridge close to vehicles from early in the afternoon, hours before anything goes up, which reshapes traffic across the whole inner city well before the crowd arrives.
Bus routes through the closure area get diverted, so the stop you normally use may not be running. Brisbane City Council and the police publish the full list in the days beforehand. Our bridge closures guide covers the pattern, and the live disruptions board shows what is actually affected on the night.
Where to watch, and which station you leave by
Most Riverfire guides rank the vantage points by the view. The more useful question on the night is which station you will be walking to afterwards, with a hundred thousand other people doing the same thing. Pick your spot by its exit.
South Bank
The main event site, closest to the action and by far the busiest
🚆 Leave from: South Bank or South Brisbane
Kangaroo Point Cliffs
The classic view back across the river to the city skyline
🚆 Leave from: Central, then a walk over the Goodwill or Story Bridge
New Farm Park
Downriver, quieter, and good for families with room to sit
🚆 Leave from: Fortitude Valley, then a walk or the 195/196
Wilsons Outlook, Bowen Hills
Elevated and far less crowded, looking down the river to the city
🚆 Leave from: Bowen Hills
Bulimba and Hawthorne
The far bank, with the fireworks framed by the city behind
🚆 Leave from: Morningside or Hawthorne, though check the ferry situation
Mount Coot-tha lookout
The whole city at a distance, without the crowd or the noise
🚆 Leave from: No late bus: the 471 finishes early, so this one needs a car
Getting there
Extra Citytrain, bus and CityCat services run for the event. Come in early: the good spots are taken hours before dark, the bridges close in the afternoon, and arriving late means walking further than you planned from whichever station you can still reach. Every trip is a flat 50c.
Live departures · South Bank
The closest station to the main event site, and the one that fills first.
Loading live departures…
Getting home when everyone leaves at once
This is the part that goes wrong. The fireworks end and several hundred thousand people stand up at the same moment, and the nearest station absorbs a crowd it was never built for. Extra services run, but they run into the same platforms.
Three things that actually help. Walk one station further out than the obvious one, because the queue thins fast with distance. Know your last service before the finale rather than working it out on the platform, which our last service home tool will tell you in a tap. And do not count on a ferry, for the reason above.
Riverfire falls on a Saturday, so NightLink trains and buses run afterwards, which is the safety net if you miss the regular last service.
Riverfire transport questions
What time does Riverfire start?+
The fireworks are the finale of a full evening programme and typically go up after dark, once the crowds and the exclusion zone on the river are in place. Brisbane Festival publishes the exact time closer to the night, and it is worth checking rather than assuming, because the whole transport plan hangs off it: the trains you can catch home are determined by when the last firework goes up, not when you decide to leave.
Are the CityCats running during Riverfire?+
Not through the fireworks. The Brisbane River closes to commercial ferry traffic, CityCats included, so that the pyrotechnic barges and their safety exclusion zone can be set up. Extra ferry services run either side of that window, but if your plan is to arrive by CityCat just before the show or leave on one straight after, it will not work. This is the single thing that catches people out every year.
What roads are closed for Riverfire?+
There are road, bridge and river closures across Brisbane City, South Brisbane, Kangaroo Point and Fortitude Valley. The Story Bridge and Victoria Bridge close to vehicles from early in the afternoon, well before the fireworks. Brisbane City Council and the police publish the full closure list in the days beforehand, and the live panel on this page shows any service changes as they are announced.
How do you get home after Riverfire?+
Extra Citytrain and bus services run for the event, but several hundred thousand people leave at the same moment, so the honest advice is to pick your station before you pick your spot. Central, Roma Street, South Brisbane and South Bank all serve different vantage points, and walking ten minutes to a quieter station beats queueing at the closest one. Check the last services before the fireworks start rather than after.
When is Riverfire 2026?+
Riverfire 2026 is on Saturday 5 September 2026, opening Brisbane Festival, which runs 4 to 26 September 2026. It is held on a Saturday night on the Brisbane River through the city reach.
Where is the best place to watch Riverfire?+
South Bank and Kangaroo Point Cliffs are the classic vantage points and the most crowded. New Farm Park, Wilsons Outlook at Bowen Hills and the Bulimba and Hawthorne side of the river are quieter, and Mount Coot-tha gives you the whole city at a distance. Pick yours by which station you want to walk to afterwards, not just by the view.
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More live guides
🚧 Weekend train closures & Cross River Rail →
Why your line is replaced by buses, and what's closed for works right now.
⛴️ Is the CityCat running today? →
Live ferry status, why the river stops the boats, and your backup routes.
🚆 Are the trains running on time? →
Live train delays and cancellations right now, and which lines cop it most.
📅 Public holiday train & bus timetables →
Do trains run on holidays? The live holiday arrangements as they're announced.
Live information on this page comes from TransLink's service alerts feed and updates automatically. Plan any trip with the journey planner.