16 Sep Spring school holidays in Queensland 2026: What’s on and things to do with kids
Looking for things to do with the kids these Spring school holidays? Queensland has plenty on, from the Toowoomba Carnival of Flowers and Brisbane Festival to outdoor art, wildlife encounters, free nature activities and rainy-day fun.
Queensland state school holidays run from Saturday 19 September to Monday 5 October 2026. Independent and Catholic school dates can vary slightly, so it is worth checking your school calendar.
Spring is also one of the best times to explore outdoors before Queensland’s hotter weather arrives, and this year there are some particularly good free and low-cost choices.
Spring festivals and special events
See Toowoomba burst into colour
Toowoomba | 18 September–5 October
The Toowoomba Carnival of Flowers is almost tailor-made for the Spring school holidays. The city’s parks and gardens fill with displays, while the wider program includes entertainment, food and family activities.
Queens Park and Laurel Bank Park are good places to start if you simply want to see the flowers without committing to a ticketed event. Queens Park also has playgrounds, picnic and barbecue facilities.
Getting around is easier this year, with a free Park-to-Park shuttle operating throughout the Carnival between Queens Park, Grand Central and Laurel Bank Park.
Toowoomba Carnival of Flowers information
FREE AND PAID EVENTS | REGIONAL | GOOD FOR ALL AGES
__________________________________________________________________________
Catch Brisbane Festival before it finishes
Brisbane | until 26 September
Queensland’s school holidays overlap with the final week of Brisbane Festival, and the 2026 program has a surprisingly strong family offering.
Free choices include the Family Fun Day on 20 September, circus workshops, dance activities and installations around the Festival Village. Skylore — Nieergoo: Spirit of the Whale, from 25–27 September, uses hundreds of drones above the Brisbane River to tell a story of Culture, Country and connection to place.
There are also ticketed family shows including Fijian Flying Circus, running until 4 October.
Brisbane Festival family program
FREE AND PAID | LIMITED DATES | CHECK PROGRAM
__________________________________________________________________________
Kids Take Over at HOTA
Gold Coast | 14–26 September
HOTA’s Kids Take Over festival runs through the first week of the Queensland holidays, with performances, workshops, installations and free daily activities aimed mainly at children aged three to 11.
It’s a useful Gold Coast option if you want something other than the theme parks — and you can choose between free drop-in activities and ticketed experiences.
Kids Take Over and other Gold Coast holiday activities
FREE AND PAID | AGES 3–11
__________________________________________________________________________
Walk through an outdoor art gallery at SWELL
Currumbin Beach | until 21 September
If your holidays start with a Gold Coast weekend, SWELL Sculpture Festival transforms Currumbin beachfront into a free outdoor gallery.
Children can wander among large-scale artworks along the beach, while SWELL Kids Elements includes creative workshops and activities. It only overlaps with the very beginning of the Queensland break, so this is one for the first weekend.
SWELL and Gold Coast school holiday information
FREE | FIRST WEEKEND ONLY | OUTDOORS
__________________________________________________________________________
Something different for Spring
Hunt for scarecrows through the Mary Valley
Sunshine Coast hinterland | throughout September
Here is a Spring outing that costs very little and is definitely different.
The Mary Valley Scarecrow Festival scatters handmade scarecrows through towns including Kenilworth, Brooloo, Imbil, Kandanga, Amamoor and Dagun. Families can use the festival map to turn a hinterland drive into a scarecrow hunt.
It is also an easy excuse to explore some of the smaller towns behind the Sunshine Coast rather than heading straight for the beach.
Mary Valley Scarecrow Festival
FREE | REGIONAL ROAD TRIP
__________________________________________________________________________
Welcome the quokkas to Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary
Gold Coast | 25 September–3 October
There are new residents at Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary this Spring: a pair of quokkas.
During the school holidays, the sanctuary is celebrating their arrival with wildlife keeper talks, face painting, activities and a competition to help name them. The holiday activities are included as part of a visit to the sanctuary.
Gold Coast Spring school holiday guide https://currumbinsanctuary.com.au/visit/see-and-do/whats-on/meet-the-quokkas/
PAID | WILDLIFE | BOOK AHEAD
__________________________________________________________________________
Free outdoor adventures
Discover flowers and pollinators at Mt Coot-tha
Brisbane Botanic Gardens | 22 September
The Brisbane Botanic Gardens has a free Flower Power Spring Hub for children aged four to 16.
Kids can investigate flowers and pollinators in the Sensory Garden, examine specimens with microscopes and magnifying glasses and make clay pollen models and seed balls. It runs from 10am–2pm and families can drop in without a booking.
Bring lunch and make a picnic of it.
Flower Power at Brisbane Botanic Gardens
FREE | AGES 4–16 | ONE DAY ONLY
__________________________________________________________________________
Meet koalas at Daisy Hill
Daisy Hill, south of Brisbane
The Daisy Hill Koala Centre is a particularly good budget holiday option because admission is free.
Children can see koalas, explore interactive conservation displays and climb the treetop tower for a different view of the surrounding forest. The conservation park also has walking trails, picnic areas and opportunities to spot wallabies, birds and other wildlife.
The Koala Centre is normally open daily from 10am–4pm. Check Queensland Parks alerts before travelling.
Daisy Hill Koala Centre and Conservation Park
FREE | WILDLIFE | PICNIC
__________________________________________________________________________
Explore Boondall Wetlands
Brisbane
For another no-cost nature day, head to Boondall Wetlands Environment Centre.
The centre has interactive displays, a children’s nature trail, walking tracks and boardwalks through mangroves, saltmarsh and open forest. Many paths are suitable for wheelchairs and prams.
There are also holiday activities on selected days. For older children, a free Nature Journaling workshop for ages nine-plus runs on 1 October, although bookings are required.
Boondall Wetlands Environment Centre
FREE | NATURE | ACCESSIBLE
__________________________________________________________________________
Rainy-day ideas
Meet the worlds of Jim Henson at GOMA
South Brisbane
For something new indoors, GOMA’s Make, Believe, Magic: The Worlds of The Jim Henson Company opened on 12 September.
The exhibition explores characters and creative worlds from The Muppets, Sesame Street, Fraggle Rock, The Dark Crystal and Labyrinth. During the Queensland school holidays, the accompanying Sock Puppet Studio lets children build a puppet and try their hand at puppeteering.
The exhibition is ticketed, but GOMA also has plenty of free family activities. On Saturday 26 September, its Family Fun Day includes performances, music and puppet activities, with most events free.
GOOD FOR RAIN | FREE AND PAID OPTIONS
__________________________________________________________________________
Try Brisbane’s free school holiday program
Brisbane City Council runs a large school holiday program across libraries, parks, environment centres and community venues.
Activities range from outdoor adventures and nature programs to creative workshops and library events. Many are free, although the most popular sessions require advance bookings.
Brisbane City Council school holiday activities
MANY FREE | CHECK AGES AND BOOKINGS
__________________________________________________________________________
Don’t forget regional Queensland
Queensland is a big state, so families outside the south-east shouldn’t have to scroll through a list consisting entirely of Brisbane and Gold Coast attractions.
One particularly good example this Spring is Livingstone Shire’s September School Holidays program, around Yeppoon and the Capricorn Coast. Running across the holiday period, it includes free activities such as outdoor skills, fishing, circus, cricket, laser tag, a movie screening and children’s performances. Some sessions require registration.
Livingstone Shire September school holiday program
FREE | CENTRAL QUEENSLAND | BOOKINGS FOR SOME ACTIVITIES
__________________________________________________________________________
Quick picks for busy parents
- Best big Spring event: Toowoomba Carnival of Flowers
- Best free Brisbane day: Brisbane Festival family events or Daisy Hill Koala Centre
- Best Gold Coast choice: HOTA Kids Take Over
- Best unusual road trip: Mary Valley Scarecrow Festival
- Best for rainy weather: GOMA and the Jim Henson exhibition
- Best free nature outing: Boondall Wetlands
- Best regional holiday program: Livingstone Shire on the Capricorn Coast
Parent tip: Queensland Spring weather can change quickly, and some outdoor events are weather dependent. Check the activity website for current opening times, bookings and any cancellations before heading out.
