My own photo: Brisbane Arcade from the Gallery level, early November 2026. Faces are blurred.
Brisbane Arcade is my favourite place in the city to photograph Christmas decorations. It opened in 1924, it has barely changed in a hundred years, and from early November the whole arcade is covered in fairy lights, garlands and baubles. My tip: go upstairs to the Gallery level and shoot down. That is where the arcade looks its best.
Going there has become a small tradition for me over the last few years. This year I went after work in the first week of November, and I talked about it in Cantonese on my Brisbane真好 podcast. The 4K video has English and Chinese subtitles.
When do the Christmas decorations go up in Brisbane?
Early. By the first week of November, Brisbane Arcade was already fully decorated, and a lot of shopping centres already had Santa photos running.
That suits me. The decorations are fresh, the crowds haven't built up yet, and you have the whole of November and December to go back if the first visit doesn't work out.
How old is Brisbane Arcade?
Just over a hundred years. Brisbane Arcade opened in 1924, so it turned 100 in 2024.
That isn't very old by world standards. Sydney's Queen Victoria Building (the QVB) opened in 1898, it's much bigger, and it has the same old-world feel. Brisbane Arcade is smaller, with two levels and one long laneway. But for Brisbane, it is about as old and as original as a shopping arcade gets. It was designed by the architect Richard Gailey Jr for Dr James Mayne and his sister, and it has been on the Queensland Heritage Register since 1992.
My own photo: the clock, chandeliers and skylight on the upper level.
What makes Brisbane Arcade different from a modern mall?
The building. The big chain shopping centres all feel much the same inside. Brisbane Arcade is Edwardian Baroque, and it has looked like this for a hundred years.
Look up first. The skylight roof, the chandeliers and the decorations on the ceiling are what make the place. Then look at the timber shopfronts, the carved balustrades along the upper level, and the stained glass. At Christmas there is a tree in the middle of the ground floor, LED lights along the railings, and baubles everywhere. It's pretty, and it feels genuinely old rather than themed.
Where is the best spot for Christmas photos at Brisbane Arcade?
Upstairs, on the Gallery level, looking down. Most people take their photos on the ground floor, but the view from above shows the whole arcade at once: the garlands, the tree and the lights along both sides.
My own photo: looking down from the Gallery level. Faces are blurred.
If you film on your phone, pan the camera slowly along the railing. A slow pan across the lights gives you far more atmosphere than a still photo. On the ground floor, the big bauble tree and the giant wreath are the obvious photo spots, and you will see people queuing to take pictures with them.
Is there a café inside Brisbane Arcade?
Yes. On the Gallery level there is Room with Roses, a traditional English-style tea room where you can sit down for tea or a high tea.
My own photo: Room with Roses on the Gallery level, already closed for the day.
I went straight from work, so it had already closed by the time I got there. If you want to sit down, go earlier in the day. Check the opening hours before you go.
When is the best time to visit?
For fewer people, a weekend afternoon around 2 or 3 pm works well, before the shops start closing.
Late-night shopping is busier. A lot of people come in the evening to take photos, so expect to wait your turn at the tree and the wreath. Evening does have one advantage: the fairy lights look stronger once it's dark outside.
How do you get to Brisbane Arcade?
Brisbane Arcade is at 160 Queen Street in Brisbane City, off the Queen Street Mall. Public transport is the easy option. Queensland's Translink services cost a flat 50 cents a trip now, which makes a trip into the city just to take photos a very good deal.
My own photo: the bauble tree on the terrazzo floor. Faces are blurred.
While you're there, look down as well. The floors are terrazzo, and they have the same hundred-year-old feel as the rest of the building.
Does Brisbane Arcade feel European?
A little, and that's why I keep going back. It has the same old-world feel as the arcades in Europe and Sydney's QVB, on a smaller scale.
If you want a short taste of British culture without leaving Brisbane, a walk through the arcade and a cup of tea upstairs is a good way to get it. It's a short visit, maybe half an hour, but it really takes you back.
If you like photographing Brisbane through the seasons, my Brisbane jacaranda photo guide covers spring, and my day trip to Movie World's Hero Parade is another easy outing from the city. I also compared travel in Australia with Japan. For more of my photos, browse the photo albums.
Where do you go to see Christmas decorations in Brisbane? Tell me in the YouTube comments.
Sources
- Queensland Government, Queensland Heritage Register: Brisbane Arcade (600058).
- State Library of Queensland, Brisbane Arcade: celebrating 100 years.
- Brisbane Open House, Brisbane Arcade, 160 Queen Street.
- Concrete Playground, Room with Roses.
- Photos and video: my own, Brisbane Arcade, early November 2026. Faces are blurred.
Checked 7 November 2026. All photos and the video are my own; there are no AI images in this post. AI helped me check the history and edit the English.
