Dear Oktoberfest Brisbane…read more You do alright, hey? You've got the combination of festival, family and fun down pat. Free rides, good booze and wicked organization all in one. From all the beers to good wines, you're just killing it. And then you add in the food and the rides. You made a fun persons fancy dress dream!

Oktoberfest at the RNA show grounds could be really awesome, if only it didn't cost a mint to go…read morethere. The food is great, the huge beer hall is set up nicely and what a great idea, having a little slice of Germany in Brisbane for two weekends. Entry to the grounds will set you back $16 on Friday and Sunday, and $22 on Saturday. A beer will cost around $10 and once that's sloshing around in your tum, you'll be wanting a German sausage in bread to soak it up. Expect to pay another $7 or $8. Some maple-coated almonds might catch your eye ($4) or maybe a giant gingerbread love heart cookie ($6-10), which, by the way, look much better than they taste. You'll HAVE to try a freshly baked warm pretzel (around $6) (highly recommend) and by this point you should probably head to the dance floor and have a jig to some good old German tunes (yes, you can expect to hear the chicken dance) to work off some of that food. You'll be pretty tuckered out by this point (unless committed to a long night of drinking) and will probably want to collapse into a cab and head home to bed (insert cab fare here). This was pretty much my experience of Octoberfest. I went mostly for the food and to see what all the hype was about, but left feeling a little bit sorry for my finances. Once you've paid the entry fee, you feel you need to have the full experience, so expect to spend at least $50. If going to get drunk, obviously expect to spend more, but at least by staying longer you get more value out of your ticket. As with the Ekka and lots of other events, I wish they'd waive the entry fee or reduce it significantly, as it's expensive enough once you get in there. If happy to part with some cash, go with a big group of friends and occupy a table there for a decent stint of time, it's a pretty enjoyable evening and a festival worth checking out at least once.

This was the first time, I had gone to this festival. It is…read morea festival of vintage cars, hotrods and all sorts of motorbikes, based around Ricks Garage.

Gung Hei Fat Choi! Happy Year of the Dragon everyone…read more Chinatown in the Valley is the traditional venue for Chinese New Year celebrations organised by the Brisbane City Council. The festivities usually run over three days and will consist of lion dances (usually several times a day), dragon dances (rarer), fire crackers, market stalls selling Asian paraphernalia and performances from various cultural and musical groups. For a little bit of trivia, the most obvious difference between a lion and a dragon dance is the size of the animal. The lion is operated by two people while a dragon needs many people to form the body. I'm not expert but I'm sure there are other differences as well such as dance steps and probably costuming. The best part about seeing in Chinese New year in Chinatown is the choice of restaurants nearby. King of Kings, Golden Palace and China House are three of the bigger Chinese restaurants on the mall. If you're not fussy about eating Chinese food on the night, then try Singapore Lah or Green Tea for some delicious Vietnamese fare. Make sure you get in early and reserve a table to avoid disappointment. For those who missed out this year, don't worry. The lions will crash through the Chinese gates to welcome Year of the Snake around February 10th 2013.

I was so bummed that I missed out on this place on the weekend, but I have a feeling this isn't the…read morelast time I will be on the Gold Coast so I will ensure I go back for an evening sesh. I couldn't find the Marketta Cafe, so I have a strange feeling that the cafe is part the Miami Marketta. We went there to get an iced coffee after the beach. They didn't have Iced Americanos on the menu, but they gladly made them for us. Also, I was short about 1 dollar since we were trying to get ride of all of our Australian coins, and the lady happily said, no worries that's enough. She was super nice and to top it off the coffee was the best we had since our stay on the Gold Coast (better than Zarraffa's, which I am sure is not difficult). The cafe was fully mums and babies (it was Tuesday late morning), and from the menu I saw that there was some delicious smoothies as well as other yummy snacks and cabinet food. Keep doing what you are doing Marketta Cafe!

You don't really notice Brisbane's Italian community until you go to an event like this, then you…read morefeel like you've been transported to Italy! The Three Saints Festival happens around the first Sunday of every May at the Holy Cross Parish in Lutwyche. It begins with the traditional church service (all in Italian!) and is followed by a parade around the block and a fete, complete with delicious Italian food, a jumping castle and some greasy-haired Italian heartthrob singing all the classics. If you're not a genuine church-goer and just going for the spectacle and perhaps the food, I recommend arriving around 1.30 or 2pm in time for the start of the parade as it really is something to see. The men of the parish carry out a huge statue of the three saints and place it on a throne-like vehicle. Before commencing the short trip around the block, monetary donations are collected and placed in little velvet bags pinned to each corner of the throne, the congregation yelling "Viva Saint Alfio!" each time a donation is made. The procession has to go slowly to accommodate the pace of the little old Italian grandmas and grandpas--also because everyone is singing along to repetitive processional tunes being played by a brass band in tow. Sound bizarre? Definitely! Go along, experience the Italian community and eat your weight in arancini, gelati and other Italian delights. Entry is free, but take cash for food.

During winter this year, there was a flurry of excitement around King George Square. Over a few…read moredays, there was a team putting together an ice rink and toboggan area on the square itself and everyone I knew who worked or passed through the city was eager to give it a try. Initially, I wasn't keen to go ice skating - it was over priced and the ice had melted partially, but soon enough I was getting into the winter festival spirit. On my way home, I'd stop by some of the stalls for some fresh orange juice, freshly fried cinnamon donuts, and mini pancakes. My friend was visiting from overseas and he joined us on a family expedition out on the ice. We picked up our skates and hobbled over to the rink, which was bustling with people. A few skaters stacked it trying to pull off tricky moves on the small rink, and beginners had plastic stabilisers they could grasp onto as they found their feet. It was a sunny, beautiful day out, and one of the best Sundays I had this year. It was more expensive than ice skating out in Acacia Ridge or Boondall, but the atmosphere - with the stalls from local businesses, the kids excited for their first skate, the couples on their first dates - was charming and I'll definitely be going back next year.

My 2011 review would have been four stars, because while I wasn't a skater, the winter festival…read moregave us something to get excited about and transformed the bleak expanse of King George Square into a wintry dreamland. I spent multiple evenings in the Alpine Ski Hut, sipping on (slightly chemical-tasting) gluhwein from my festival-branded take-home mug and watching the skaters, hoping and praying for a bit of schadenfreude. It wasn't exactly what I'd pictured of winterfest when I'd first read about it, but it was fun. 2012 Winter Festival is less welcoming. In essence, everything is the same (the humblebrag of "more food stalls!" definitely feels exaggerated) and yet the physical layout has been altered a little. In some ways, for the better - no longer do skaters have to do the walk of shame from one side of KGS (where they booted up) to the other (where the rink was), but as far as MY interests lie, for the worse - walking through, it feels like it's harder to view the skaters this year? The Alpine Ski Hut is tucked in behind everything, where last year it stretched out over some of the steps. It doesn't make me want to run inside, find a cosy chair and drink a gluhwein. I've been to the 2012 winterfest twice so far and both times I've not deigned to walk in to last year's stomping ground. The time's gonna have to come, though, and it's gonna have to come before July 1, when the festival packs up for another year. In any case, take advantage of the free Lipton chai during these chilly evenings.

I've been attending CMF since it began, and have always loved it…read more There's a huge range of artists, with each day somewhat dedicated to different audiences, capturing the youngins and oldies too. Accordingly, you can buy tickets for various days and combos of days. It's never too crowded, you're on grass and sand, not mud and gravel, and there's just a relaxed, family vibe. Stay nearby and you can spend the morning at the beach before hitting the festival in the arvo in perfect spring weather.

Always a fun family day out at Caloundra Music festival! There's something for everyone there and…read morethere's so much to do. Great music acts for the family, a kids club, lots of fun activities to do, meet and greets and signings from the artists. It's all there! The only downside would be the cost of things - but everybody knows it's a pricey job to go to a music festival. Well done CMF for putting on a fantastic festival!

First time I have been to such a event, it rained early in the morning ,but once the rain cleared,…read moreeveryone came down . It was a great festival / experience . The food was absolutely excellent , it is also a very family friendly experience , with plenty of security and Police. So if you missed this year ,mark it down for next year. BTW the fireworks at the end where spectacular .

I was lucky enough to have volunteered at the 2011 BIFF and I can't wait to go back for the 2012…read moreone. It may not be a big festival, certainly nowhere near as "important" as Cannes, but it's fantastic nonetheless. As an avid cinephile, this is a great opportunity to see movies that I wouldn't normally see or that won't get a long and/or national release. You can find a lot of gems here as well as the terrbile 'what were they thinking making this' movie. Although it all comes down to personal taste. The 2011 was spread out into three main cinemas: Palace Barracks, Tribal Theatre and Palace Centro. Previous years have been held in GoMA, Regents (though that one is no longer open), and South Bank Cinemas. It can be a little bit of a hassle moving from one cinema to the other if the movies are screened at different locations. And this in turns makes it difficult to park if you're driving or catching public transport. But those are things you figure out beforehand. If you are planning on seeing a whole lot of movies then I suggest you buy one of the various film passes. They will save you money but you'll have to book the movies in advance so choose carefully and make sure you don't pick clashing times, especially at different cinemas. It's not just for adults either. There's the Cinesparks portion of the festival, usually a week or two before the actual BIFF, that caters for school aged children. There have been some issues with the movies at Cinesparks, with some teachers thinking the movies may have contained content that was too mature. Again, that's up to your personal standards. However, BIFF is a great cultural event. When the next one comes around do yourself a favour and have a look.

I love going to the cinema and I have a passion for film, so much so that when I talk or write…read moreabout it my heart beats just that little bit faster. So you would think that a film festival would be right up my ally and you are totally right. I love the Brisbane International Film Festival and have been going to it for years. This year I decided to get a little more involved and volunteered. It was one of the easiest volunteer gigs I have ever done and the rewards were plentiful. The festival itself runs for around 2 week in November and has too many films on offer to count. The downside (like any film festival) is that most films only get one or two screenings so you sometimes miss out if they don't quite work with your schedule. The festival will have some themed sections like this year surf films and Fantastic Fest line up. They also had a drive in cinema going as part of the festival and the Cinesparks kids line up also. I love BIFF for the documentaries and foreign films they bring in. I was lucky enough to catch Being Elmo (about the puppeteer that is Elmo) that was fantastic and a brutal Cantonese film (I think) called Revenge: A love Story that left be speechless as I exited the cinema. You don't get to see these sorts of movies normally. Volunteering for the festival was fantastic. It takes little effort and mainly involves collecting tickets and doing a quick clean of the cinema. And you get to see the movie on your shift for FREE! as well as get another free screening of your choice to use throughout the festival. I highly recommend volunteering. Everyone was so lovely and it was nice to share my passion for film with other kindred spirits. I highly recommend you go to BIFF next year. It is one the highlights of my year and well worth the price of a few cinema tickets.