School Holiday Programs in Brisbane

Summer 2026-27 holiday dates for QLD, and real holiday programs with dates, ages and prices, each checked on the provider's own site.

QLD summer school holidays 2026-27

Saturday 12 December 2026 to Tuesday 26 January 2027

Government schools finish Term 4 on Friday 11 December 2026 and students go back on Wednesday 27 January 2027. Department lists the summer break as Sat 12 Dec 2026 to Tue 26 Jan 2027 (46 days). Independent and Catholic schools can differ, so check your school's calendar.

Source: Queensland Department of Education, checked October 2026.

Holiday programs in Brisbane (16)

Every program here has published dates and was checked on the provider's own page. Where a provider has not published a price or age range, the entry says so rather than guessing.

Arts, craft and performance (8)

MoB Kids: Little Hoots (Brisbane City): Sat 12 Dec 2026 to Sun 3 Jan 2027. All ages. $5. Children design and make their own owl from small pieces of air-dry clay, experimenting with shapes and textures. The activity is inspired by Judy Noble's owl collection in the Precious exhibition. It is a daily drop-in session in the Studio; no bookings are needed and parental supervision is required because small objects are in use. Daily, 10:00am to 1:00pm. Checked October 2026 on provider site
The Nutcracker Children's Workshops (West End): Sat 12 Dec to Sat 19 Dec 2026. Ages 2 to 12. 2–6-year-old workshop: $25; 7-12-year-old workshop: $30. Workshops with Queensland Ballet Teaching Artists exploring the characters, storytelling and ballet moves from Derek Deane's The Nutcracker. The 2 to 6 year old workshop is a parent and child session with one parent or carer in the studio; the 7 to 12 year old workshop develops storytelling and creative movement skills while parents wait in the Thomas Dixon Centre foyer. One ticket per. Checked October 2026 on provider site
The Pattern & The Little Collab (Brisbane City): Sat 12 Dec 2026 to Tue 26 Jan 2027. Price not published. Two collaborative drawing activities in the Fairfax Gallery, part of Briony Barr's Tape It! installation. Children add pieces of tape that build up the shared artwork. It is a daily drop-in activity during the summer holidays. Drop-in, 10am to 1pm. Checked October 2026 on provider site
MoB Teens: Tape Lab with Briony Barr (Brisbane City): Wed 16 Dec 2026 to Wed 20 Jan 2027. Ages 13 and up. Price not published. A workshop for teens led by artist Briony Barr. Participants explore how taking an artwork apart can lead to new ideas, then make their own rules. Three afternoon sessions are listed; the booking link is marked coming soon. Three sessions only: Wed 16 Dec 2026, Wed 13 Jan 2027, Wed 20 Jan 2027, 2pm to 4.30pm. Checked October 2026 on provider site
Story Seekers (New Farm): Thu 17 Dec to Thu 24 Dec 2026. All ages. Adult $39.99*, Child (12 and Under) $29.99*, $7.20 transaction fee applies to all ticket purchases. An interactive family adventure in which children and their grown-ups become apprentice story mechanics, hunt for story fragments and help create new stories. Sessions start every 15 minutes and the experience takes 40 to 50 minutes. It runs in the Underground Theatre and Fairfax Studio and is suitable for all ages; children 18 months and under are free. 10:00am to 4:00pm, sessions every 15. Checked October 2026 on provider site
MoB Kids: Busy Bees (Brisbane City): Mon 4 Jan to Tue 26 Jan 2027. All ages. $5. Children make their own bee from pipe cleaners, then use a bubble wrap stamp to print a spiral hive onto paper to turn into a card. The activity is inspired by Quandamooka artist Kieron Anderson's sugarbag bee and hive in the Stories You Wear: Magpie Goose exhibition. It is a daily drop-in session in the Studio with no bookings needed; parental supervision is required. Daily, 10:00am to 1:00pm. Checked October 2026 on provider site
Kids workshop: From print to Procreate - poster design (Strathpine): Tue 12 Jan 2027. Ages 8 and up. $5.00. Children use Procreate on an iPad to explore bold colours, lettering and layouts inspired by classic circus posters. They design a custom typeface, build a big-top scene and finish their own vintage circus poster. iPads are provided; basic iPad skills are needed. Spaces are limited and booking is required. One session, 1:30pm to 3:30pm. Checked October 2026 on provider site
Bluey's Big Play The Stage Show (South Brisbane): Wed 13 Jan to Sun 24 Jan 2027. All ages. $64.90 - $69 *. A transaction fee of $7.90 applies. A live theatre adaptation of the children's TV series in which Bluey and Bingo try to tempt Dad off his bean bag with games and plans. The show uses puppets, has an original story by Joe Brumm and new music by Joff Bush, and runs 50 minutes with no interval. It plays in the Glasshouse Theatre at QPAC; children under 18 months are free on the knee. Multiple performances across the season; check. Checked October 2026 on provider site

Museums, science and libraries (6)

Christmas Fun Factory (Moreton Bay region): Sat 12 Dec to Tue 22 Dec 2026. All ages. Free. Drop-in festive crafts, games and Christmas activities run by library staff. Sessions are free, suitable for all ages and need no booking. Dates and times differ at each library, including Albany Creek, Arana Hills, Bribie Island, Burpengary, Caboolture, Deception Bay, North Lakes, Redcliffe, Strathpine and Woodford. Single 30 to 120 minute sessions on set days per library between 12 and 22. Checked October 2026 on provider site
Construct a city (Moreton Bay region): Mon 14 Dec 2026 to Fri 22 Jan 2027. Ages 5 to 11. Free. Children help build a cardboard city from recycled materials, dreaming up what their ideal city would contain. It is a free drop-in activity available any time during library opening hours at Arana Hills, Bribie Island, Burpengary, Strathpine, Caboolture and North Lakes libraries. No bookings are required. Available during opening hours (listed 8:30am to 5:00pm) on library open days from 14 Dec. Checked October 2026 on provider site
Beginners' 3D printing (Moreton Bay region): Tue 15 Dec 2026 to Tue 19 Jan 2027. Ages 8 to 11. Free. Children design their own object and the library 3D prints it for pick-up after the workshop. The December theme is a Christmas decoration and the January theme is a fantasy character. Sessions are free and bookings are required. Four single sessions: Strathpine 15 Dec 2026 and 7 Jan 2027; Bribie Island 17 Dec 2026; Redcliffe 19 Jan 2027. Checked October 2026 on provider site
3D Design Studio (Moreton Bay region): Thu 17 Dec 2026 to Thu 21 Jan 2027. Ages 12 and up. Free. Teens design an object in Tinkercad and the library 3D prints it for pick-up after the workshop. The December theme is a Christmas decoration and the January theme is a fantasy character. Sessions are free and bookings are required. Six single sessions: Redcliffe 17 Dec 2026 and 18 Jan 2027; Strathpine 5 Jan and 13 Jan 2027; Woodford 12 Jan 2027; Bribie Island 21 Jan 2027. Checked October 2026 on provider site
Messy Play (Moreton Bay region): Fri 18 Dec 2026 to Fri 22 Jan 2027. Up to 4 years. Free. Drop-in play with play dough, paint, craft and more for children under five, run by library staff. Children should dress for mess. Sessions are free and no bookings are needed; holiday dates are at Albany Creek, Arana Hills and Bribie Island libraries. Single one-hour morning sessions: Albany Creek 18 Dec and 22 Jan; Arana Hills 18 Dec and 15 Jan; Bribie Island 18 Dec, 8 Jan and 18 Jan. Checked October 2026 on provider site
Kids workshop: Make your own kaleidoscope (Whiteside): Thu 14 Jan to Thu 21 Jan 2027. Ages 5 and up. Free. Children join museum staff to build their own kaleidoscope while exploring colour, light and reflection. The workshop links to the Australian Geographic Nature Photographer of the Year exhibition and the foyer display Through the Lens. Sessions run for 45 minutes and are free. Thursdays 14 and 21 January only; two sessions each day, 10:15 to 11:00am and 11:15am to 12:00pm. Checked October 2026 on provider site

Sport and active (1)

Summer Holiday Cricket Clinics (Brookfield): Mon 14 Dec 2026 to Thu 14 Jan 2027. Ages 6 and up. $220.00 incl. GST per Clinic (family rates available). Four-day cricket coaching clinics for boys and girls of all skill levels. Attendees are grouped by ability and age with a Cricket Australia accredited coach allocated to each group, and a written report is provided after the clinic. The December clinic focuses on building skills; the January clinic focuses on preparing players for the post-Christmas club and school seasons. Centre wicket work is. Checked October 2026 on provider site

Teen and youth programs (1)

KRANK school holiday program (Logan): Sat 9 Jan to Sun 24 Jan 2027. Ages 5 and up. Free or low cost. Council-run holiday activities for children and young people aged 5 to 17 who live in Logan, delivered by local providers across the city. Activity types may include creative arts, sport, outdoor and water adventures, science and technology, music, dance, cooking and life skills. Activities are free or low cost and must be booked online through the KRANK booking platform; bookings for summer open. Checked October 2026 on provider site

Questions parents ask

When are the QLD summer school holidays in 2026-27?

QLD government schools finish Term 4 on Friday 11 December 2026 and students return on Wednesday 27 January 2027, so the holidays run 12 December 2026 to 26 January 2027. Department lists the summer break as Sat 12 Dec 2026 to Tue 26 Jan 2027 (46 days). Independent and Catholic schools set their own dates.

How do we choose what goes on this page?

Only programs with published dates for the holidays, read on the provider's own website. Each entry shows the dates, ages and price the provider published, and links to that page. If a provider has not published its summer dates yet, it is not listed.

Do school holiday programs in Brisbane need to be booked?

Day camps, workshops and zoo or museum sessions almost always do, and popular weeks sell out. Library and council drop-in sessions often do not. The link on each entry goes to the provider's own page where the current availability is shown.