Ferry Strike Threatens To Test Brisbane’s Riverfire Transport Plans
With CityCat and ferry services suspended for 24 hours, authorities are urging crowds to rethink how they reach and leave the city’s biggest night on the river.
Brisbane’s annual Riverfire spectacle is set to open the city’s festival season on Saturday night under an unusual cloud: the river transport network that normally helps move thousands of spectators will be out of action because of a 24-hour ferry strike.
Brisbane City Council has advised that no CityCat or ferry services will operate from 4am Saturday 5 September to 4am Sunday 6 September, with industrial action affecting all Riverfire ferry services. The shutdown lands on one of the city’s busiest public transport nights, when large crowds are expected to gather along the Brisbane River, South Bank and inner-city vantage points for the 7pm fireworks display.
The strike is part of a continuing enterprise agreement dispute involving ferry workers and RiverCity Ferries, the operator contracted to run Brisbane’s ferry network. Unions have framed the stoppage as a push for safer and fairer conditions in a safety-critical industry, citing issues including pay, fatigue management, rest breaks and leave provisions. Council figures have criticised the timing, arguing the action will disrupt families and visitors trying to get to and from the event.
For residents and visitors, the practical consequence is simple: the river will not be an option for routine ferry travel on Riverfire day. The cancellation removes a familiar cross-river and riverside connection at the same time road, bridge and walkway restrictions are reshaping movement through the CBD, South Brisbane and Kangaroo Point.
Townsville Lime & Gypsum – 100% Organic, High % Calcium, Eco Friendly
To absorb the pressure, Council says it will provide capacity for an additional 36,500 passenger trips within 90 minutes of Riverfire finishing, almost five times the extra capacity offered during the same period last year. Extra buses are scheduled to run before the fireworks, with additional Metro and shuttle services operating after the display to move crowds toward major transport hubs including Griffith University, Woolloongabba and Buranda.
Translink has also flagged that many additional services and route changes may not appear in journey planners or real-time apps, making advance planning more important than usual. Free bus and train travel from selected locations is scheduled after the fireworks, while standard fares apply for people travelling to the event earlier in the day.
The biggest strain is likely to come once the fireworks end. Riverfire compresses hundreds of thousands of people into a narrow post-event departure window, and the absence of ferries means more pressure on busways, train stations, footbridges and pedestrian corridors. South Bank, Cultural Centre, Roma Street, Central and nearby busway stations are expected to be key pressure points.
Authorities are asking attendees to build extra time into their plans, choose viewing locations with an exit route in mind, and check official transport updates before travelling. E-mobility users will also face restrictions around South Bank, river-adjacent walkways and key bridges, including staged limits and access closures during peak event operations.
The Riverfire stoppage has turned an industrial relations dispute into a citywide logistics issue. For ferry workers, the stoppage is a high-profile escalation in a dispute over workplace standards. For Council and event organisers, it is a stress test of contingency planning on a night when crowd movement is as important as the fireworks themselves.
Whether the night is remembered for transport frustration or a smoothly managed workaround may depend on how early spectators adjust their plans. The message from authorities is clear: do not rely on the river, expect crowds, and plan the trip home before the first firework lights the sky.
