Brisbane in May is underrated. The humidity has backed off, the crowds are thinner than the school holiday peaks, and the city is genuinely easy to move around. If you’ve got the long weekend free — whether you’re local or coming in from elsewhere — it’s worth having a rough shape to the days rather than leaving it entirely open.
This guide covers the South Bank river walk, the West End Markets, a CityCat ride, and an afternoon at Soak Bathhouse in West End, which opens from 6:30 am on the Monday public holiday and books out faster than most people expect.
Here’s your guide to fun things to do in Brisbane this long weekend — with one non-negotiable stop.
Start Your Morning at South Bank
The South Bank Parklands run along the river for about 1km between Grey Street and the Goodwill Bridge. Walk it end to end in the morning before the day heats up, and it takes about 20 minutes at a relaxed pace.
For coffee before or after, West End’s Blackstar Coffee Roasters on Browning Street is the local standard, small, no-frills, excellent. It’s a 10-minute walk from Streets Beach and opens at 6 am, which makes it a reasonable first stop before the parklands fill up.
Streets Beach itself, the man-made lagoon at the southern end of the parklands, is worth a swim if the weather’s right. It’s free, lifeguarded on long weekends, and a lot less crowded in the morning than by midday.
Wander the West End Markets or the Powerhouse — Know Which One to Go To
Long weekends and markets go hand in hand.
The two main market options near West End run on different days, so which one you hit depends on when your long weekend plans fall.
The West End Markets run on Saturdays at Davies Park on Montague Road, strong on fresh produce, local makers, and street food. Get there before 9:30 am if you want first pick of the good stuff and somewhere to sit. It wraps up by early afternoon.
The Powerhouse Markets at Brisbane Powerhouse in New Farm run on Sundays, bigger, more food-focused, and right on the river. The New Farm Powerhouse building is worth seeing in itself. Budget an hour minimum and go early; it’s a different crowd by 11 am.
If the long weekend falls on a Monday, check both websites before you go, trading days can shift on public holidays, and neither market publicises it well.
An Afternoon at Soak Bathhouse West End
Soak Bathhouse sits on Boundary Street in West End, about a 10-minute walk from Davies Park. It’s a proper bathhouse setup, magnesium pools, hot spas, sauna, steam room, and a cold plunge, and the format is self-directed, meaning you move between them at your own pace with no class schedule or time pressure.
A massage can be added to the session if you want to extend it, worth booking at the same time as your entry rather than hoping for availability on the day.
It opens at 6:30 am across the long weekend, including the Monday public holiday, which makes it workable as either a morning start or an afternoon wind-down depending on how the rest of your day shapes up. Book in advance if you’re going Saturday or Sunday, as it fills up on long weekends, and walk-ins aren’t always available. Monday is noticeably quieter if you have flexibility on timing.
Take a River Ride
Jump on the CityCat Ferry and see the city from the water.
It’s simple, affordable, and one of the best ways to spend an hour — especially around sunset.
Stay Out in West End
Once you’re in West End, stay a while.
From casual cafés to dinner spots, it’s one of Brisbane’s best neighbourhoods to explore without a set plan.
Pair it with a visit to a Brisbane bathhouse nearby, and you’ve got your day sorted.
Celebrate Mother’s Day in Brisbane
If your long weekend lines up with Mother’s Day, Brisbane makes it easy to turn a simple day out into something more considered.
Start with a relaxed walk through South Bank in the morning, then head into West End for coffee or a proper brunch. It is one of the busiest days for dining, so booking ahead is worth it if you have somewhere specific in mind.
From there, keep the pace steady. A visit to a Brisbane bathhouse in the afternoon works well as the centrepiece of the day. Moving between magnesium pools, hot spas, sauna and steam, or adding a massage, shifts it from a casual catch up into something that feels planned without being overdone.
If you want to keep it simple, build the day around a few easy anchors. Morning walk, long lunch, then an afternoon unwind before dinner. It is low effort, but it lands well.
Because if there is a weekend to do something a bit more thoughtful, this is it.
Put It Together
A loose shape for the long weekend that actually works: markets in the morning (Davies Park Saturday, Powerhouse Sunday), river walk through South Bank, lunch somewhere in West End, then soak in the afternoon before dinner.
The one thing worth organising in advance is the Soak Bathhouse; everything else you can figure out on the day, but Soak on a long weekend Saturday or Sunday will turn away walk-ins once it’s full. Monday has more give if your schedule is flexible.
Brisbane’s May long weekend doesn’t need much planning to be a good one. It just needs a few decent anchors, and the rest tends to sort itself.
