Brisbane Nightlife at a Crossroads as 2032 Games Loom

Brisbane's after-dark economy is under pressure, and the man tasked with fixing it says the city has a narrow window to get it right before the world arrives for the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

J.C. Collins — former Powderfinger touring member, founder of the Triffid and Fortitude Music Hall, and Queensland's inaugural Nightlife Economy Commissioner — sat down with THE Brisbane Channel to discuss the pressures reshaping the city's entertainment landscape and what needs to change.

"Grassroots music venues are at risk of extinction," Collins said bluntly. "It is serious because of the nature of the way the industry has changed."

Collins has spent roughly 18 months in the commissioner role, which spans all of Queensland but keeps Brisbane at its centre. He brings an unusually broad lens to the job — years on the road with Powderfinger took him through Berlin, Amsterdam, London and dozens of other cities, where he observed firsthand how nightlife precincts function when regulation gets out of the way.

"You look at somewhere like London and you can have a cigarette and a glass of beer on the footpath outside a pub. It sounds simple, but it's about how patrons are treated — the overall vibe," he said. "In Queensland there are rules that are hard and fast, and you get in trouble. I just wonder if they still need to be there in 2026."

Collins is careful to say he is not pushing Brisbane to imitate its southern rivals. The opportunity, as he sees it, is to assert a distinct identity rather than chase Melbourne or Sydney. "I want to be Brisbane," he said. "This is the moment to say, we are Brisbane, and make sure we don't lose our way."

His Moonside Report, released through the commissioner's office, maps the regulatory and structural obstacles facing Queensland's night-time economy. Collins says the problems extend well beyond individual venues — precinct connectivity, transport links, and the experience of moving between venues late at night are just as important as what happens inside the room.

"Nightlife is everything," he said. "It's not just about the venue. It's about what happens when you leave, how you get from one place to another, what the street feels like at midnight."

With the 2032 Games bringing a global audience to South East Queensland, Collins frames the next six years as both a deadline and a gift. International visitors — and the artists, crews, and delegates travelling with them — will form opinions about Brisbane based on what they find after dark. Collins has spent his career thinking about exactly that kind of experience, from the artist's perspective and the patron's.

"What would Bruce Springsteen think if he came here?" he said. "That's what motivates me. Those are the things that should motivate all of us."