The Queensland Performing Arts Centre (QPAC) will be celebrating its 40th anniversary this Saturday, 12 April 2025, with a free community event on its Melbourne Street Green. This all-day celebration marks the beginning of a year of programming focused on joy, inclusion, storytelling, and community, reflecting QPAC’s legacy since it first opened its doors in April 1985.
Saturday’s event will feature free live performances throughout the day, backstage tours, interactive experiences, and family-friendly activities. Guests arriving early will enjoy complimentary coffee and birthday cupcakes from 9:00 am to 11:00 am, and there will be chances to win ‘Golden Tickets’ for future performances. What is the QPAC Golden Ticket? One winner who attends the event and registers their details will walk away with a double pass to each of QPAC’s officially designated ‘QPAC 40’ events. Such opportunities include a double pass to Ballet Preljocaj, The Dictionary of Lost Words, A Few Good Men, La bohème and an event of the winner’s choosing from each Clancestry Festival and Out of the Box Festival.
As part of a broader QPAC 40 initiative, the public is also being invited to submit their stories and musings around what QPAC means to them
QPAC’s new Chief Executive Rachel Healy emphasised that the centre’s 40th year is about reflecting on the stories and people that have made it a vibrant cultural institution, sharing:
For many Queenslanders, their first experience of the magic of live performance is with us at QPAC. QPAC sits on Yuggera and Turrbal land and has always been a place of storytelling. We’ll be gathering four decades’ worth of stories from our audiences and our artists, together with behind-the-scenes glimpses from our staff. We can’t wait to share these… because without artists and audiences, we’re just bricks and mortar; it’s the community that makes QPAC.
Minister for the Arts John-Paul Langbroek echoed these sentiments, encouraging Queenslanders to take part in the celebrations:
Whether it’s presenting world premiere performances or showcasing the talent of local artists, QPAC continues to shine as one of Australia’s leading arts venues. The community day will have free performances, activities and tours, great local food and ticket giveaways – I encourage everyone to join in the celebrations.
QPAC also aims to roll out digital initiatives during its 40th anniversary year, to reach regional Queenslanders, including a program of digital screenings of the International Series. The hope is that audiences across the state will have more opportunities than ever to engage with world-class performances, no matter their location.
