Cameron Coghlan on the Return of NIGHT AT THE PARKLANDS

Brisbane gets a new spring ritual with Night at The Parkland, a seven night concert series shaped by the team behind Night at The Barracks in Manly. They bring the same high end production values and a roster of heavyweight talent, then let Roma Street Parkland do what it does best. The Amphitheatre offers tiered seating and a grassed hill, framed by subtropical planting and sightlines. The producers have wrapped their staging and lighting around the contours, so the park becomes part of the show, from the first glow on stage to the final encore. Across 5 to 14 September the program moves between high energy parties and twilight intimacy. The line up spans legacy icons and current hitmakers, ICEHOUSE, Amy Shark, Cut Copy with Bag Raiders DJ set and KLP, Lime Cordiale with Jack River, Xavier Rudd, Grinspoon, and James Johnston. One night flips to a general admission standing format, opening space for dancing and a different social rhythm. The series is presented by Second Sunday in association with Brisbane Festival, with Riverfire energy pulsing through opening weekend. A sustainability push underpins the event, with recycling, no single use plastics, reusable zip ties, reused signage, and Toyota BZ4X vehicles.

Night at The Parkland is created by the team behind Night at The Barracks in Manly. What did you keep from the Barracks template, what did you deliberately reinvent for Brisbane, and why?

We’ve kept the incredible artist line up, and we bring our high-end production values. We want patrons to have an incredible experience.

The Parkland brings the difference, we have The Amphitheatre, and beautiful greenery that makes for an incredible location. The venue for Night at The Barracks in Sydney is equally as beautiful and is now entering its 4th year with an exciting line-up also!

The Roma Street Parkland Amphitheatre has tiered seating with a grassed hill that can be configured for large, ticketed events. How are you using the site’s contours, planting, and sightlines to shape the audience experience from first light on stage to the final encore.

We’ve designed our lighting plan to show the beauty of the park, and worked with the contours to lay all our infrastructure around the park.

The series runs for seven nights across two weekends, from 5 to 14 September. What is the programming logic across the run, and how do you balance high energy nights with more intimate, twilight shows.

We curated the line up to appeal to a wide audience, it’s true there is something for everyone. We have some of Australia’s best artists performing.

Your line up spans legacy icons and current hitmakers, including ICEHOUSE, Amy Shark, Cut Copy with, Bag Raiders (DJ Set) and KLP, Lime Cordiale with Jack River, Xavier Rudd, Grinspoon, and James Johnston. What story about Brisbane and Australian music are you trying to tell with that mix.

We love Aussie music, and want to showcase the best to Brisbane

One night switches the amphitheatre to GA standing, with seats removed for maximum dance space. What does that unlock artistically and socially, and how do you rework safety, crowd flow, and acoustics when the room changes format.

We wanted to give people more of a chance to stand and dance.. The acts feed from the audience’s energy, so we wanted to keep that same feel. Our security plan changes between standing and seated nights.

Riverfire opened Brisbane Festival on Saturday 6 September. How did that city wide energy shape your plans for the Parkland that night, from set times and transport to the way you want the evening to feel.

We broadcast Riverfire on our screens, which was great.. Lime Cordiale was an amazing night, and to be part of Brisbane Festival was a buzz

Your series page highlights a sustainability push, including comprehensive recycling and a partnership with ENGIE to offset emissions with renewable energy. What does that look like in practice on show days, and how will you measure impact and share results.

We are very conscious of our footprint, and don’t ever say we are perfect, we just strive to be better every event, and look for ways we can be more sustainable on site. We have no single use plastics on site, we use re-useable zip ties, our signage we use year on year. We have a fleet of Toyota’s BZ4X all electric cars for all the running around we need to do.

Roma Street Parkland is a living ecosystem, with signature subtropical gardens and resident wildlife like Eastern Water Dragons. What mitigations are in place around lighting, sound, and waste so the concerts respect the Parkland’s ecology.

Our waste management plan has all rubbish contained to bins, so no wildlife can access, and all our contractors are aware of wildlife in the park. We have spotters on all vehicle movement to be aware of wildlife and plants/trees.

Night at The Parkland is presented by Second Sunday in association with Brisbane Festival. Where do the presenter’s responsibilities end and the Festival’s begin, and how does that partnership change what audiences taste, hear, and see on the night.

We have a great relationship with Brisbane Festival, and they support us through marketing reach. We produce and curate the whole experience at Night at The Parkland.

Imagine it is 2026 and you are back. What specific signature would you want Night at The Parkland to be known for in Brisbane, and what needs to go right this September to make that a tradition.

We want people to recognise the incredible venue, amazing music and production values. We want patrons to love the experience, and interaction with our staff.