After its stormy break, Brisbane’s favourite giant pink duck is making a comeback – and this time, it’s coming to the people.
Following an outpouring of love from locals who have missed the iconic installation, Florentijn Hofman’s five-storey-high, 15-metre Rubber Duck will make a special appearance along the Brisbane River / Maiwar on Saturday 7 November.
Travelling from Brisbane Powerhouse, where it meets the Brisbane Pride March at New Farm Park, Rubber Duck will venture into the city to Story Bridge, before returning back to the start. It’s free to watch from the riverbank, giving everyone one last chance to catch the much-loved pink icon in action.
The public encore comes as Melt Festival enters its final week, with the city-wide celebration of Queer arts and culture continuing until Sunday 8 November.
Produced by Brisbane Powerhouse, Melt features more than 100 events across 70-plus venues, spanning landmark public art, world premieres, headline concerts, spectacular river celebrations and powerful new Queer storytelling.
“We know how much Brisbane has fallen in love with the Rubber Duck, so we wanted to give the city one last chance to see this much-loved artwork on the river,” said Brisbane Powerhouse CEO and Artistic Director, Louise Bezzina.
“Its return is a fitting way to celebrate the final days of Melt, a festival that brings our city together through moments of creativity, connection and joyful self-expression.”
With plenty more to experience before the festival wraps, audiences can catch a final run of standout performances and new works across the city.
Among the highlights is Show Me Love – a world-premiere Brisbane Powerhouse commission from internationally acclaimed homegrown circus company Circa, returning to its original home after more than five years.
Running from 5 – 7 November, this immersive production takes audiences behind the scenes and through the hidden corridors of Brisbane Powerhouse, following Circa’s acrobats and guest artists The Huxleys and VOiiiD Collective.
The journey culminates in a spectacular, club-inspired finale, with music produced and performed by DJ Sveta, bringing together extraordinary physical performance, underground dancefloor energy and the joy of queer community.
Also still live is The Huxleys’ Bloodlines, a sparkling séance for queer art’s silenced legends. Curated by Jacob Boehme, the work brings artists lost to HIV/AIDS back to life through photography, video, costume and live performance, celebrating the creativity, resilience and enduring influence of those who continue to inspire queer culture today.
Across music and live performance, audiences can catch Asha Jefferies at Black Bear Lodge on Saturday 7 November, and pop icon Melanie C plays The Tivoli on Saturday 14 November.
Elsewhere, new works continue to champion bold ideas and original voices. Wild Abandon created by Sean Dowling, Merlynn Tong and Ian Lawson, is a powerful new theatre work exploring queer intimacy, desire and self-acceptance through intersecting stories set within a single hotel runs from 11 – 21 November.
Award-winning writer Cassie Workman’s Aberdeen reimagines the life of Kurt Cobain through a dark, surreal blend of biography, time travel and the supernatural on Saturday 7 November 2026.
The 2026 Melt Festival continues to Sunday 8 November. For more information and full program, visit: www.melt.org.au for details.
Image: Florentijn Hofman’s Rubber Duck – photo by Markus Ravik for Melt Festival