Finding free things to do in North Brisbane should be easy. There are community events, workshops, classes and activities happening throughout the region, but the information is spread across dozens of websites, calendars and social media pages.
Sometimes the biggest barrier to getting out of the house is simply not knowing where to start looking.
That is where this guide comes in. Rather than giving you a list of activities that will quickly become outdated, I am sharing the websites I use to find free events in Brisbane and Moreton Bay.
Bookmark a few of these pages and you will always have somewhere to look when you need an affordable family outing, a school holiday activity, a social event or something different to do on the weekend.
The best websites for finding free things to do in North Brisbane
Below this table you will find more information and the links to use to get you directly to the right page on their website.
| Website | Best for | How to search |
| Brisbane City Council | Events within the Brisbane City Council area | Search by date, location, category and age group |
| Brisbane City Council Libraries | Free activities for children, adults and seniors | Filter by library, date or category |
| Move Well Brisbane | Free and low-cost health and recreation activities | Search the program calendar by activity and location |
| City of Moreton Bay | Events from North Lakes to Caboolture, Redcliffe and beyond | Search by keyword, date and location |
| Moreton Bay Libraries | Library activities and school holiday programs | Search the calendar and select a library or age group |
| Healthy and Active Moreton | Sport, fitness, recreation and wellbeing programs | Search by keyword, suburb or date |
| Eventbrite | Community workshops, open days and special events | Set your location and select the free-events category |
| Humanitix | Community, cultural and educational events | Search Brisbane and open the free-events section |
| Facebook Events | Small local events that may not appear elsewhere | Search by suburb, date and relevant keywords |
| Cultural institutions | Exhibitions, talks, tours and family programs | Use each organisation’s What’s On calendar and price filters |
Search the Brisbane City Council events calendar
The Brisbane City Council event search is one of the best starting points for finding free things to do in Brisbane.
It brings together festivals, workshops, fitness sessions, library programs, family events and community activities from across the council area.
You can use the button and toggle it to ‘free’ (check out my screenshot above). Or you can go straight to the filters and then narrow your search by date, event type, event series, suburb, venue, age and status. The status option will let you know if the event is full, cancelled or still open. This will allow you to narrow the results by location or category instead of scrolling through events on the other side of Brisbane.
For North Brisbane results, search suburbs (you can choose a few around your location, not just one at a time) rather than relying only on the broad “Brisbane” location. Try the suburbs closest to home first, followed by surrounding areas you would be willing to travel to.
It is also worth searching again with different categories. An event suitable for families may be listed under “workshops”, “fitness and wellbeing”, “green events” or “community events” rather than “family”.
During the holidays, go directly to Brisbane City Council’s school holiday events page. It allows users to search by date, location and category and includes activities for younger children, teenagers and families.
One of my favourite ways to search is simply to switch it to map view (not grid) and zoom in to near where I live:
Look beyond books on the Brisbane Libraries website
Your local library is one of the most reliable places to find free activities, but many people never look beyond borrowing books.
Brisbane City Council libraries host activities and programs for children, teenagers, adults and seniors. The easiest way to see what is available is through the council’s library events and programs page.
Select What’s on at our libraries, click on ‘more events’, then filter the calendar the same way you did above to choose your activity.
Filtering by location is particularly helpful. It lets you check what is happening at nearby libraries such as Chermside, Sandgate, Bracken Ridge, Zillmere, Everton Park, Nundah or Banyo without working through every Brisbane listing.
Read the full event information before heading out. Library activities may be free but still require a booking, and some have strict age ranges or limited places.
Find free and low-cost activities through Move Well Brisbane
If you are interested in affordable ways to get active, bookmark the Move Well Brisbane page.
This Brisbane City Council program brings together free and low-cost activities covering fitness, recreation, wellbeing, dance, water activities and other ways to move and connect.
Select Search for events (pictured below) to open the council calendar. From there, use your preferred date and location to find activities close to home.
Check the price, age requirements, equipment information and booking instructions on each individual listing. Some programs are completely free, while others charge a small participation fee.
Use the City of Moreton Bay What’s On calendar
If you live in North Lakes, Redcliffe, Caboolture or surrounding suburbs, the City of Moreton Bay What’s On page should be one of your regular stops.
The calendar includes council activities and community events happening throughout the region. You can browse current listings or use the search tools to narrow down the options. They have a little check box where you can tick the ‘free’ option to narrow down your search.
Search by:
- A specific date or weekend
- Your suburb or a nearby location
- The category/type of activity you are interested in
- Remember to tick the ‘free’ box
The page also links to separate calendars for galleries and museums, libraries, Healthy and Active Moreton and community events.
Do not overlook the Community Events Calendar. This is where you may find activities organised by local groups and community organisations rather than council itself.
Check what is on at Moreton Bay Libraries
The Moreton Bay Libraries What’s On calendar covers activities, events and programs across the library network.
You can use it to search libraries including North Lakes, Redcliffe, Strathpine, Albany Creek, Arana Hills, Caboolture, Burpengary, Deception Bay and Bribie Island.
Instead of checking every branch separately, open the main events calendar and narrow the listings by location, date or audience. If an activity interests you, check whether you need to book through the website.
Moreton Bay Libraries also creates a dedicated school holiday program. Places for popular free sessions can fill quickly, so check the page around two or three weeks before the holidays begin rather than waiting until the first day.
Search Healthy and Active Moreton by suburb
Healthy and Active Moreton is another useful search tool for people who want to be active without joining a gym or committing to an expensive program.
The website contains hundreds of free and low-cost sport, recreation, fitness and wellness activities for different ages, abilities and fitness levels.
Use the search box and filters to look by:
- Keyword
- Date
- Suburb
- Age or suitability
- Type of activity
Searching by suburb is the easiest way to avoid finding something appealing and then realising it is a 45-minute drive away.
City of Moreton Bay also offers Healthy and Active Moreton newsletters and SMS alerts. You can choose updates suited to families, children, seniors and other interests.
Use Eventbrite’s free-events search
Eventbrite’s free Brisbane events page can uncover workshops, information sessions, community gatherings and open days that do not always appear on council calendars.
That link above will take you straight to the upcoming free things to do in Brisbane activities.
Use the search box to search combinations such as:
- Free family events North Brisbane
- Free events Moreton Bay
- Free school holiday activities Brisbane
- Free workshops near me
- Free events this weekend
Be aware that anyone can publish an Eventbrite listing. Check who is organising the event, whether the venue is confirmed and whether there are any optional purchases or conditions attached.
Look for free events on Humanitix
Humanitix Brisbane is another event-booking website worth checking.
The Brisbane page includes a dedicated Free things to do section, along with categories covering community, education, arts, culture, health and wellbeing. Once you click the link supplied above, you need to scroll down to see the free events.
As with Eventbrite, always check the exact location. The search area may include events outside the part of Brisbane you consider local.
It is also worth checking whether a ticket is genuinely free or whether the event uses terms such as “free entry” while charging for individual activities once you arrive.
Search cultural calendars by price and audience
Brisbane’s major libraries, museums and galleries maintain their own event calendars. These are particularly useful when you want something educational, creative or indoors.
The Queensland Museum Kurilpa What’s On page has especially helpful filters. You can select:
- When you want to attend
- Adults, families or schools
- Events or exhibitions
- Free
- Free, bookings required
- Ticketed activities
That distinction between “free” and “free, bookings required” can save you from arriving without a reserved place.
The QAGOMA Events Calendar can be filtered by date, audience, location, event type and accessibility requirements.
The State Library of Queensland also displays upcoming activities under What’s On. When opening an individual listing, look for the ticket or booking label rather than assuming that every event is free.
These institutions are not in North Brisbane, but their calendars can be useful when you are happy to travel into the city or South Bank for a special outing.
Use Facebook Events without getting lost in your newsfeed
Facebook can be helpful for finding small community events, but you need to search deliberately rather than waiting for the algorithm to show you something.
In Facebook, open the menu and select Events. Set your location, choose the relevant date and search using both a suburb and an activity term.
Useful searches might include:
- Free events Chermside
- What’s on Sandgate this weekend
- Free family events North Lakes
- Community events Redcliffe
- Free activities Caboolture
You can also follow the official Facebook pages for your local council, library, community centre, shopping centre and, of course, The Guides Magazines.
Remember that Facebook listings are not always updated when arrangements change. Before leaving home, check the organiser’s official website or latest social media post.
Make Google do more of the work
A broad Google search for “things to do in Brisbane” often brings up tourist attractions, sponsored results and activities that cost more than you intended to spend.
Be specific about the location, date, audience and price.
Try searches such as:
- “free things to do North Brisbane this weekend”
- “free events near Chermside”
- “free school holiday activities Moreton Bay”
- “free events Redcliffe September”
- “free activities for seniors Brisbane northside”
- “free family events near me”
Putting quotation marks around an important phrase, such as “free events”, encourages Google to look for those exact words.
You can also tell Google to search a particular website. For example:
site:brisbane.qld.gov.au/events free Chermside
or:
site:moretonbay.qld.gov.au/Events free North Lakes
This is useful when a council website has plenty of information but its internal search tool is not giving you the results you need.
Build a five-minute free-events routine
You do not need to check every website every week. Choose the three or four sources most relevant to where you live and bookmark them.
A quick monthly routine could be:
- Check your council’s main events calendar.
- Search your nearest libraries.
- Look at the relevant active-living program.
- Search Eventbrite or Humanitix using the free-events filter.
- Check Facebook Events for smaller neighbourhood activities.
- Register immediately if places are limited.
It is also worth subscribing to council, library and community newsletters. The information then arrives in your inbox, saving you from having to remember where to look.
Check the real cost before you book
A listing described as free may still involve other expenses. Before committing, check:
- Is the entire activity free or only entry to the venue?
- Is advance registration required?
- Are there booking fees?
- Is parking free?
- Will you need to pay for public transport?
- Are food, materials or equipment included?
- Is there an age restriction?
- Does an adult need to remain with participating children?
- Is the venue accessible?
- What happens if it rains?
- Has the date, time or location changed?
Packing water, snacks and anything else you need can also stop a free outing from turning into an unexpectedly expensive one.
Frequently asked questions
Start with your local council and library calendars. Search by suburb and date, then use Eventbrite, Humanitix and Facebook Events to find additional community listings. Always check the venue address because “Brisbane” search results can cover a large area.
Brisbane City Council, City of Moreton Bay and their library networks all publish searchable event calendars. Use the location and age filters to narrow the results to family activities close to home.
Start looking two or three weeks before the school holidays. Many councils and libraries release their programs before the end of the school term, and popular free sessions may book out quickly.
No. Some free activities have limited capacity and require registration. Look for wording such as bookings required, bookings essential or registration required.
Use official council, library, venue or organiser websites wherever possible. If you discover an event through Facebook or a third-party platform, confirm the details with the organiser before travelling.
Free fun is easier to find when you know where to look
There are plenty of free things to do in North Brisbane and Moreton Bay. The trick is knowing which websites to search and how to narrow down the results.
Bookmark your council and library calendars, set your location carefully on event websites and check the details before you leave home. Once you have a simple search routine, finding an affordable local outing becomes much easier.
And that is a genuine Wallet Win.
