The crowds had been building by the Brisbane River all day and as darkness fell, they finally got what they’d been waiting for.

The spectacular Riverfire lit up the Brisbane night sky with an extended fireworks display from the city’s bridges, skyscrapers and river barges on Saturday night.

People began setting up chairs and picnic rugs along the banks of the river in the morning to secure the best viewing spot, while boats dotted the water with perhaps the best views of all.

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The 80-metre-high Story Bridge was at the centre of the action, with fireworks shooting upwards, outwards and, in the highlight of the show, raining sheets of golden sparkles into the water.

All this was reflected on the water as the sky lit up in lurid greens and purples, and the air rapidly filled with smoke due to the sheer volume of pyrotechnics.

An additional sixth fireworks barge for the 2026 show extended the display further along the river towards the city.

Fireworks explode over the story bridge at Riverfire during the 2026 Brisbane Festival in Brisbane, Saturday, September 5, 2026. (AAP Image/Jason O'Brien) NO ARCHIVING Credit: JASON O'BRIEN/AAPIMAGE

Fireworks explode over the story bridge at Riverfire during the 2026 Brisbane Festival in Brisbane, Saturday, September 5, 2026. (AAP Image/Jason O'Brien) NO ARCHIVING Credit: JASON O'BRIEN/AAPIMAGE

Fireworks explode over the story bridge at Riverfire during the 2026 Brisbane Festival in Brisbane, Saturday, September 5, 2026. (AAP Image/Jason O'Brien) NO ARCHIVING Credit: JASON O'BRIEN/AAPIMAGE

Earlier in the evening, a Royal Australian Air Force F/A-18F Super Hornet and a C-17A Globemaster III plane led an impressive, and very loud, flying display.

An estimated crowd of 500,000 people gathered to see Riverfire, which heralds the first days of the Brisbane Festival.

Large-scale events like this are being viewed as part of the build-up to the city hosting the Summer Olympics in 2032.

But strike action affected the city’s ferry services throughout Saturday, with no ferries operating until 4am on Sunday.

An Australian Air Force F/A-18F Super Hornet performs at Riverfire during the 2026 Brisbane Festival in Brisbane, Saturday, September 5, 2026. (AAP Image/Jason O'Brien) NO ARCHIVING Credit: JOB CO/AAPIMAGE

An Australian Air Force C-17A Globemaster III performs at Riverfire during the 2026 Brisbane Festival in Brisbane, Saturday, September 5, 2026. (AAP Image/Jason O'Brien) NO ARCHIVING Credit: JASON O'BRIEN/AAPIMAGE

An Australian Air Force C-17A Globemaster III performs at Riverfire during the 2026 Brisbane Festival in Brisbane, Saturday, September 5, 2026. (AAP Image/Jason O'Brien) NO ARCHIVING Credit: JASON O'BRIEN/AAPIMAGE

As crowds made their way home from the event, more bus services were scheduled to provide an extra 36,500 trips on top of normal services.

Brisbane Festival runs until September 26.

AAP travelled to Brisbane with the assistance of Brisbane Festival.