Brisbane City Hall and King George Square
Explore Brisbane City Hall and King George Square. Check what’s on, including the Lord Mayor's City Hall Concerts. Book a space for an event.
About City Hall and King George Square
Located in King George Square, City Hall is a beacon of Brisbane’s history and culture. The heritage-listed building is used for local government functions. It also hosts events such as exhibitions and concerts.
King George Square is a prominent public town square in the heart of the CBD. It’s a popular gathering place for events, celebrations and community activities.
Plan your visit
Brisbane City Hall and King George Square are a must-visit destination if you’re new to the city. Take a moment to learn about Brisbane history and culture.
If you’re a local, revisit to learn something new or meet up with friends.
City Hall is open to the public:
- Monday to Friday, 8am to 5pm
- Saturday, Sunday and Public Holidays, 9am to 5pm.
City Hall is closed on Good Friday, ANZAC Day morning (open from 1pm), Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year's Day.
Experiences and attractions
Explore the city’s history and culture at the Museum of Brisbane, located in City Hall.
The purpose-built gallery on Level 3 is open 7 days a week from 10am to 5pm.
Attend an exhibition, go on a guided tour or take part in workshops and activities.
Discover the secrets of Brisbane’s heritage-listed City Hall on a guided tour.
The Museum of Brisbane offers free tours at 10.30am and 11.30am Monday to Sunday, and 1.30pm Friday to Sunday.
Your journey through City Hall begins in the King George Square foyer and takes 45 minutes.
Ride in one of the oldest working cage lifts in Brisbane and see the city from a different perspective on a clock tower tour.
The free tours run daily from 10.15am to 4.45pm.
Get involved in fun, low-cost activities tailored for people aged 50 and above at the 50 Plus Centre. Try an art class, a yoga session or even have a dance.
Located on the basement level of City Hall, the centre is open 8am to 3pm Monday to Friday (excluding public holidays.)
For membership enquiries or more information, contact Council on 07 3403 4319 (9am-1pm) or send an email.
Food and drink
Indulge in a mid-morning snack or lunch at the cafe in City Hall.
Located on the basement level, the Marhaba Cafe is run by the Good Food Project.
Pick from freshly prepared menu items and frequently changing specials created by qualified staff. Marhaba Cafe is open 7am to 3pm Monday to Friday, with entry via 64 Adelaide Street.
The Shingle Inn is a cosy cafe on the ground floor, just off the King George Square entrance.
It serves everything from gourmet sandwiches to light meals such as fish and chips. It’s open 9am to 4pm Monday to Sunday.
Council meetings
Council holds ordinary meetings in City Hall’s Council Chamber.
If you're attending a meeting, you must follow behavioral guidelines to ensure the meetings run smoothly.
Take a virtual tour of the Council Chambers.
You'll learn about the history of the Chambers and how Council meetings are run.
Video transcript
Welcome to Brisbane City Hall, the people’s place and the backdrop for many cultural, social and civic events every year.
City Hall is one of Queensland’s most significant heritage and cultural icons. Built between 1920 and 1930, the building boasts more than 200 rooms – including the room we’re going to tour today, the Council Chambers.
In 1924, the Queensland State Parliament passed the City of Brisbane Act to set up a single Local Government Authority in Brisbane. The Council was headed by Brisbane’s first Lord Mayor, William Jolly, who took over the local administration in March 1924.
In 1927, the first Council meeting was held in the newly built City Hall, in this very chamber.
Today, the chambers are one of the only rooms left in City Hall being used as was originally intended, with a very specific and purposeful layout.
The Chair of Council, who is elected by their fellow Councillors, sits at the front of the room and presides over each meeting to make sure they run smoothly.
The Chair’s desk and chair are the original pieces of furniture that were custom built in 1924 for the chambers.
On display behind the Chair’s desk are several pieces of important insignia. Directly above the chair is Brisbane’s official Coat of Arms and a lion’s head, which can be found throughout Brisbane and in our military insignia.
Either side of the chair are 2 flags – the Australian flag and Brisbane’s official flag.
As City Hall was built in the 1920s, you will also notice distinct art deco features incorporated into the neoclassical design – most notably, the geometric patterns in the windows.
Turning around, in front of the Chair of Council, is a smaller desk that faces the Councillor’s desks.
This desk was originally built for the media to sit at who would report on every Council meeting. However, Council made the decision to install cameras inside the chambers enabling the media and general public to stream Council meetings remotely via the Brisbane City Council website. Subsequently, the media pit is now rarely used.
In the middle of the room is the Lord Mayor and Deputy Mayor’s desk.
When speaking, the Lord Mayor stands at the lectern to the right of their chair, however all other Councillors stand up at their desk and speak into their own microphones.
The opposition party sits to the right of the Lord Mayor, with the leader of the opposition’s desk positioned 2 and a half sword lengths behind. History tells us this was to prevent the Lord Mayor ever being stabbed in the back by his opposition – a Westminster tradition.
Sitting above the chamber is the public gallery where any members of the public are welcome to attend and watch ordinary Council meetings.
In the public gallery stairwell is the original Brisbane Coat of Arms that was used up until 1946.
Council meets every Tuesday in the chambers except during recess periods, where they follow a set agenda that the Chair of Council oversees.
These meetings provide Councillors the opportunity to set the strategic direction for Brisbane.
It is during these meetings that the Lord Mayor and Councillors debate and ratify the policies and strategies that help Council to continue building Brisbane's bright future.
We hope you've enjoyed this tour of Brisbane City Council’s chambers and we invite you to explore our website for more information on the history of Brisbane and our City Hall.
Transport and parking
Their central location makes City Hall and King George Square a short walk from train stations, ferry terminals and bus stops.
If you’re travelling on public transport, use Translink’s Journey planner to find your best route.
Street parking is limited in the CBD. City Hall and King George Square are a short walk from Council’s city car parks, which are open 7 days a week:
- King George Square Car Park
- Wickham Terrace Car Park.
Accessibility
We’re committed to providing equal access for all visitors to City Hall.
Accessible facilities at City Hall include:
- accessible toilets on the ground floor and level 3, and ambulant toilets on the ground floor and levels 1, 2 and 3
- accessible change room on the ground floor (Changing Places toilet) with ceiling hoist and adult-size changing table
- wheelchair seating allocation on the Main Auditorium balcony and lower level of Council Chambers
- wheelchair lifts for back-of-house access to the Main Auditorium and Ithaca stages
- braille signage and audio looping throughout the building
- visual and audio emergency alarms
- lifts with accessible controls and carriage size for wheelchairs
- ramp access into the building via the main entrance on King George Square
- a nearby taxi rank on the corner of Ann Street and Roma Street.
Mobility Centre
Borrow a mobility device to use within the CBD, Southbank Parklands and the Southbank Cultural Precinct from the Mobility Centre in City Hall.
We loan wheelchairs, wheeled walkers and single prams for long or short periods, depending on availability.
The centre is located on the ground floor and is open:
- Monday to Friday, 8am to 5pm
- Saturday to Sunday, 9am to 5pm.
To make a booking, phone the centre on 07 3014 4702.
Booking City Hall or King George Square
You can hire function rooms and courtyards in Brisbane City Hall, as well as King George Square, for events such as:
- business meetings
- galas
- awards dinners
- school formals
- speech nights
- weddings
- exhibitions
- concerts.
The function rooms, including the Main Auditorium, range from 110 square metres to 928 square metres.
City Hall has a large central kitchen facility to cater for events, as well as modern audiovisual equipment.
King George Square includes 3,000 square metres of open space and a covered deck overlooking the square.
To enquire about holding your event at Brisbane City Hall, contact the venue operator, Epicure.
Funding support for community groups and organisations
Subsidised rates are available for community groups and organisations.
Follow these steps to apply for assistance with venue hire costs.
Request a quote from the venue operator, Epicure.
Complete the online form to apply for City Hall and King George Square Community Support Funding.
Hang a flag or banner on City Hall
Flags or banners can be hung from City Hall to recognise major local or national events. Fees and condition apply.
Fees
| Purpose | Quantity | Duration | Base fee | GST | Total fee |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Charity/not-for-profit organisation | One banner | Up to 14 days | $218.91 | $21.89 | $240.80 |
| Commercial | One banner | Up to 14 days | $583.27 | $58.33 | $641.60 |
Conditions
Your application:
- must be submitted by the organisation, registered charity, or not-for-profit group
- must be submitted no less than 14 days prior to the booking date
- can only be submitted up to 12 months in advance
- will be processed in the order it’s received
- is subject to Council approval.
For more information, phone Council during business hours on 07 3178 7185.
Lighting up City Hall and King George Square
Promote your event or raise awareness for a community campaign by lighting up City Hall and King George Square.
No charges apply for an approved application where eligibility requirements and criteria have been met. Exceptions may apply.
Eligibility
Lighting up of City Hall and King George Square is available to organisations holding a significant event or activity in City Hall.
It's also available for significant city, state or national events or awareness campaigns that:
- have a Brisbane-wide audience
- benefit all Brisbane residents
- attract 10,000 participants
- are a national event represented in multiple states.
For further information:
- read about lighting up a Council asset
- phone the Business Hotline on 133 BNE (133 263)
- email the Business Hotline team.
Frequently asked questions
Brisbane City Hall was built in the 1920s. The first foundation stone was laid in 1917 by the Governor of Queensland. But it wasn’t until 1919 that the design was approved.
In 1920, the Prince of Wales laid a second foundation stone. It took 10 years to build City Hall, at a cost of around 980,000 pounds.
When the City Hall offices opened on 3 January 1928, it was the second-largest construction in Australia. The biggest was the Sydney Harbour Bridge.
When City Hall was built, every effort was made to use locally sourced materials. They include ashlar coursed sandstone from the Helidon district near Ipswich, and Queensland maple and silky oak timbers.
Three types of marble were used in the interior finishing of City Hall:
- white marble from Italy
- black marble from Belgium
- brown marble from Orange in New South Wales.
The Brisbane City Hall Clock tower is an iconic feature of the building and a city landmark.
When the clock was built in the late 1920s, it was the largest public clock and most modern time-keeping piece in Australia. The face is almost 5 metres in diameter and the minute hands are 3 metres long.
The tower is 92 metres high and has an observation platform at 76 metres. It was the tallest structure in Brisbane until the 1960s. The red beacon at the apex was used to warn aircraft of its location.
The City Hall clock tower is open 7 days a week from 10am to 5pm. Entry is free but bookings are required.
Brisbane City Hall is included on the Queensland Heritage Register and protected under the Queensland Heritage Act 1992.
City Hall is described in the register as a “culturally, historically and architecturally significant building” and “a tribute to local architects, contractors, tradesmen and artists”.
Yes, you can go inside Brisbane City Hall. The Museum of Brisbane is located on level 3 and runs guided tours of the building and the clock tower. There are also 2 cafes onsite, as well as the 50 Plus Centre and the Mobility Centre. Find out about visiting City Hall.
You can also go inside City Hall to attend Council meetings as an observer.
Yes, you can get married in Brisbane City Hall. It’s one of Brisbane’s most popular locations for weddings and special events.
City Hall has 13 function rooms available for hire. They accommodate events for 20 to 2,000 guests. Find out more.
You can hold a rally at King George Square under the Peaceful Assembly Act 1992.
Find more information about holding peaceful protests and rallies.
No. Busking is not permitted on King George Square.