Thrive Festival an Out of This World Success for the Empire
The Empire’s annual school holiday event, THRIVE Festival, has wrapped for 2026 with more than 5,200 people attending the four-day celebration of creativity, play and storytelling from September 24-27.
Presented by The Empire in partnership with C&K Childcare and Kindergarten, this year’s THRIVE Festival featured 31 performances, workshops and experiences by more than 67 artists and presenters who brought the festival to life, alongside 85 volunteers who contributed more than 237 hours to make the event possible, with the support of seven local businesses and nine government and community partners.
The Empire CEO, Giuliana Bonel said it was wonderful to see so many families return to The Empire for another year of a festival that has become a much-loved fixture on the city’s cultural calendar.
This year’s program, celebrating outer space, gave visitors the opportunity to discover new worlds through a sensational lineup, including our first artist-in-residence with Gold Coast-based ARC Circus whose energy, creativity and unique talents brought something truly special to the 2026 THRIVE Festival.
The Empire CEO, Giuliana Bonel
“One of the most anticipated events in our festival each year is First Five Forever’s theatrical reading, accompanied by the incredible Toowoomba Concert Orchestra. This year, it drew its largest-ever attendance, with 932 people across two performances gathering in the main auditorium to enjoy Scott Stuart’s wonderful children’s book, Alone,” she said.
“The festival centrepiece installation¸ Thriving Galaxy, supported by People First Bank was created with contributions of more than 405 students from 12 different schools, submitting 18 entries, which when combined created one stunning piece of art that was on display in the Church Theatre throughout the event,” she said.
“THRIVE Festival is all about connection and bringing our community together; from the families enjoying activities on the lawn through to the artists on our stages bringing stories to life, and none of it would be possible without the generous support of our volunteers, local schools, local businesses, partners and most importantly, our audiences.”
THRIVE Festival was presented by The Empire and C&K Childcare and Kindergarten, proudly supported by Toowoomba Regional Council, Regional Arts Development Fund (RADF), Friends of The Empire, People First Bank, Clifford Gardens, Toowoomba Orthodontists, Stirling and Truffles and First 5 Forever, an initiative of the Queensland Government, coordinated by State Library of Queensland and delivered in partnership with local government.
For more information on The Empire’s upcoming program, visit empiretheatre.com.au
#What’s New
After starting the journey in Charleville, travelling through Augathella and Roma, a total of 1,472km before arriving at The Empire in Toowoomba, the inaugural Queensland Fringe has wrapped up with more than 4,350 people attending across a two-day hub of live entertainment from August 6-7.
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