The Easter long weekend falls this year between Friday 14 April and Monday April 17. For Brisbanites planning to stay put, there are loads of activities to make you feel like a tourist in your own city. We’ve gone on a hunt and selected the best Easter stay-cation events in Brisbane.

Spread out a picnic blanket

Just 10 kilometres from the city centre, more than 1600 hectares of peaceful eucalypt forest awaits at JC Slaughter Falls at Mt Coot-tha Forest. There are rainforest gullies, creeks and relaxing picnic spots and barbecues aplenty.

Get a sugar-rush from guilt-free Easter treats

Sugar Spin at GOMA, a sweet exhibition marking the gallery’s 10th birthday, features more than 250 contemporary artworks exploring light, space, architecture and the senses. The exhibition reflects human connections to the natural world with an explosion of colour, sensation and spinning delights.

Stanley Place, South Brisbane; (07) 3840 7303

SEE ALSO: Brisbane’s Best Breakfasts

Destroy some Easter bunnies

At beautiful, boutique New Farm Confectionary they take ideas about traditional Easter bunnies and knock them on the head. Crack open handcrafted bunnies of couverture milk or 57% dark chocolate and dig into copious amounts of gooey salted caramel.  

14 Barket Street, New Farm; (07) 3139 0964

Hunt for unique gifts instead of eggs

Wander round South Bank Parklands and check out the vibrant Collective Markets in the Stanley Street Plaza. There are a hundred or so stalls offering everything from rockabilly frocks to eco-friendly fashion, local handmade jewellery and homewares.

Stanley Street, Southbank; (07) 3844 2440

Catch an international soul sensation 

Settle in for drinks and burgers in the beer garden at The Triffid, then experience the evocative lyrics and harmonies of British R&B/soul/jazz darling Laura Mvula – part of a tour showcasing her second album, The Dreaming Room.

7-9 Stratton Street, Newstead; (07) 3171 3001 

SEE ALSO: Brisbane Rooftop Bars Are up There with the Best

Go on a Brisbane-wide Easter egg hunt

Register a team for 31 Degrees Custom Chocolate’s egg hunt to follow fun clues hidden around town in delicious handmade eggs for a chance to win great prizes, with a portion of all registration fees being donated to charity.

Wave off the yachts as they set sail

Head to Shorncliffe Pier on Good Friday for the start of the 69th Brisbane-to-Gladstone Yacht Race, then stay on for live music and lots of activities for both adults and kids.

Park Parade, Shorncliffe

Take in a play at one of Brisbane’s oldest independent theatres

Minefields and Miniskirts at Brisbane Arts Theatre explores the extraordinary experiences of the Australian women who served in the Vietnam War as journalists, typists, entertainers, consular staff and army nurses. Adapted from Siobhan McHugh’s book, the all-female cast offers a fresh and unexpectedly funny perspective.

210 Petrie Terrace, Petrie Terrace; (07) 3369 2344

Eat your way through the weekend

Graze your way up and down the fairy-lit alleyways of food vendors housed in shipping containers beside Hamilton Wharf for Eat Street Markets. Sample everything from doughnut fries, pasta carbonara served from a giant cheese wheel, Peking duck bao, or maybe the 64-layer croissant-pastry ice cream cone filled to the brim with soft serve.

Macarthur Avenue, Hamilton; (07) 33582500

Let the koalas know it’s not all about bunnies

Cuddle a koala and hand-feed friendly roaming kangaroos in the beautiful riverside setting of Lone Pine just 12 kilometres from the city. There may not be any bunnies, but you will see snakes, dingos, lizards, turtles and wombats – even the elusive Tasmanian devil.

708 Jesmond Road, Fig Tree Pocket; (07) 3378 1366

SEE ALSO: How to Spend a City-Break Weekend in Brisbane

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