Back in 1978, a group of twenty-something mates from Sydney’s Northern Beaches formed a band called Choirboys. Surrounded by the wild, hedonistic chaos of the '70s youth culture, they soaked it all in—every misstep, every party, every outrageous moment. That life would ultimately give birth to their defining anthem: Run to Paradise.

Fuelled by the stories that have long echoed through the halls of rock history—Run to Paradise became more than a hit; it became the opening line in a book of untold stories. Now, 35 years later, the band is ready to open that book and spill everything.

Part concert, part story, Run to Paradise is a raw, hilarious, and jaw-dropping journey through the golden era of Australian pub rock. Told in their own words, the Choirboys share the stories you were never meant to hear—wild nights, backstage madness, and the kind of insanity only a rock band could survive... all, as these Oz pub-rock icons recall it.

“They didn’t call it Pub Rock back then,” says frontman Mark Gable, “but we were there at the start—and somehow, we’re still here. It’s hearsay, it’s memory, it’s what we lived, what we were told. And a lot of it is just plain stupid… but that was the magic. There were no rules.”

Which movie star did the Divinyls’ bass player meet under a table at a club?
What was Chuck Berry’s strange backstage habit?
Did Deep Purple really leave Mark with a limp?
And what exactly happened to Iggy Pop’s pants?

Set to a soundtrack of the era’s most legendary tracks—from AC/DC, The Angels, Dragon, Screaming Jets, Deep Purple, Divinyls, and more—plus all the Choirboys’ hits including Boys Will Be Boys, Never Gonna Die, Struggletown, and of course, Run to Paradise.

This is Run to Paradise—where the stories are wild, the music is loud, and the truth is somewhere in between.

Presented By Phluxus2 Dance Collective

Get ready for Brisbane’s biggest night of new dance!

For one night only, witness fresh ideas, fearless collaborations and Brisbane-made dance that breaks the mould.

Join us at The Princess Theatre December 16th for the city’s leading platform for independent choreographic voices — be the first to see what’s next in contemporary dance.

CHOREOGRAPHERS: Grace Campbell, Margo Low, Caitlin Murphy, Scotia Taylor, Chiu-Ju Wang

DANCERS: Stiliana Alfred, Ainsley Barker, Gil Blushtein, Clare Dark, Kelsey Dell, Bella Gilligan, Bryna Glass, Clare Glassock, Soleil Harvey, Chloe Jarvela, Jeannie Mok,, Briana Palmer, Katie Salcole-Bradshaw, Kate Utting, Anastasia Vogelsang, El Waddingham

Grab your ticket and be part of the movement - live, raw and unfiltered!

A Sacred place, A cultural meeting place. Ceremony and Musical conversations that challenge the boundaries. A journey that flows unbroken.

A powerful cross-cultural collaboration with ancient traditions of Aboriginal, Torres Strait Islander storytelling. Cultural songlines and music converge in a moment of transformation and journey through the pacific to the old chants of Samoa.

Led by genre-defying ensemble Topology and dynamic Indigenous performing arts company Gaba Musik, this resonant performance brings together some of the most compelling voices in contemporary music: Jungaji, Deline Briscoe, Gaja Kerry, Kristal West, Yirrmal, Airileke and Taitu'uga Kitchener Weschega with his new project Seki Wayz.

The Third Space is more than a performance: it is an invitation. We invite you to immerse yourself into an unbroken evening of captivating storytelling that transcends boundaries, carried through language, ceremony, identity and connection.

There are no intervals, No applause breaks, no interruptions of the shared experience in the sacred space, evolving, moving, and alive.

Follow our journey into The Third Space, A Sacred Space.

Programme

• Eine Kleine Nachtmusik in G Major, K. 525 – Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

• Cello Suite No. 1 in G Major, BWV 1007: I. Prélude – J.S. Bach

• Méditation from Thaïs – Jules Massenet

• The Four Seasons, Violin Concerto in G Minor, Op. 8 No. 2, RV 315 “Summer”: III. Presto – Antonio Vivaldi

• String Quartet No. 12 in F Major, Op. 96 ‘The American’: III. Molto vivace – Antonín Dvořák

• Pavane, Op. 50 – Gabriel Fauré

• The Nutcracker, Op. 71, Act II: No. 12c, Divertissement. Tea, Chinese Dance – Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky

• The Nutcracker, Op. 71, Act II: No. 12d Divertissement. Trepak, Russian Dance – Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky

• The Carnival of the Animals, R 125: XIII. Le Cygne (The Swan) – Camille Saint-Saëns

• Suite Bergamasque, L. 75: III. “Clair de Lune” – Claude Debussy

• Symphony No. 5 in C Minor, Op. 67: I. Allegro con brio – Ludwig van Beethoven
  Performers

• String Quartet - Paradiso Strings

As a part of BIGSOUND 2025, Open Season is back with one more very special encore performance. We're excited to announce we're bringing xmunashe. to The Tivoli for a remarkable, free, improvised performance In The Round.

A master of sonic spontaneity, xmunashe. aka The Last SonicBender captured the attention of the global music community after only a handful of performances in unconventional spaces like public parks, warehouses and artist studios. Since then, he's performed to packed rooms in Paris & London, as well as the Sydney Opera House for VIVID. His genre-agnostic style seamlessly melds jazz and soul influences with poetic lyricism, all performed entirely off the cuff, gifting audiences with a completely unique performance at each show.

Grab a coffee, and your crew, to witness this musical vanguard on the precipice of something magical.