The Brisbane Festival started today, with the annual Riverfire fireworks. People lined the river banks hours beforehand. Since we are fortunate to live right next to the river, with angled views onto Story Bridge, we just went for a walk to South Bank to see the anticipation build up. They did bag searches and everything — even opened bottles of water were not allowed. It was a lovely afternoon with a great atmosphere.

We watched a bit of the aerial displays — helicopters and, I’m told by the military geek, FA-18s. These were loud! They flew directly over our block of apartments; the noise was deafening. The ibises didn’t like it either.

In the evening, the centrepiece that everyone had been waiting for: The Riverfire. Fireworks all along the Brisbane River, from Docklands to South Bank. The display was fantastic, and easily the equal to Sydney’s renowned New Year’s Eve fireworks. I loved every second, and took dozens of shots. Enjoy the images!

Bonus pictures on Google+ here.

The Brisbane Festival will continue until 24/09, and I’m especially interested in the City of Lights laser display. Watch for a post on that one.