Riverfestival, which began in 1998, is a week-long festival held in September each year at South Bank Parklands

South Bank Parklands, Brisbane

The South Bank Parklands are located at South Bank in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. The parkland, on the transformed site of Brisbane's World Expo 88, was officially opened to the public on 20 June 1992.-Overview:...

 and surrounding areas (including the Victoria Bridge

Victoria Bridge, Brisbane

The Victoria Bridge is a vehicular and pedestrian bridge over the Brisbane River. The current bridge, opened in 1969, is the third permanent crossing erected at this location...

), to celebrate the Brisbane River

Brisbane River

The Brisbane River is the longest river in south east Queensland, Australia, and flows through the city of Brisbane, before emptying into Moreton Bay. John Oxley was the first European to explore the river who named it after the Governor of New South Wales, Thomas Brisbane in 1823...

. In 2009, the festival merged with Brisbane Festival

Brisbane Festival

Brisbane Festival is an annual arts festival held in Brisbane, Australia.-History:Brisbane Festival was developed by the Queensland Government and Brisbane City Council in 1996 as an initiative to foster the arts....

.

Riverfire, which is held at the beginning of Riverfestival, includes a choreographed

Choreography

Choreography is the art of designing sequences of movements in which motion, form, or both are specified. Choreography may also refer to the design itself, which is sometimes expressed by means of dance notation. The word choreography literally means "dance-writing" from the Greek words "χορεία" ...

 display of fireworks

Fireworks

Fireworks are a class of explosive pyrotechnic devices used for aesthetic and entertainment purposes. The most common use of a firework is as part of a fireworks display. A fireworks event is a display of the effects produced by firework devices...

. Using some of the most advanced pyrotechnic technology, Riverfire is one of Brisbane's most popular annual celebrations. It includes 30 minutes of non-stop pyrotechnics and fireworks from Brisbane's three major bridges (the Victoria Bridge

Victoria Bridge, Brisbane

The Victoria Bridge is a vehicular and pedestrian bridge over the Brisbane River. The current bridge, opened in 1969, is the third permanent crossing erected at this location...

, the Story Bridge

Story Bridge, Brisbane

The Story Bridge is a cantilever bridge spanning the Brisbane River. Part of Bradfield Highway , it connects Fortitude Valley to Kangaroo Point. Before the opening of the Sydney Harbour Bridge in 1932 the Government of Queensland asked John Bradfield to design a new bridge in Brisbane...

, and the Goodwill Bridge

Goodwill Bridge, Brisbane

The Goodwill Bridge is a pedestrian and cyclist bridge which spans the Brisbane River in Brisbane Australia, linking the South Bank Parklands / Queensland Museum on the southside, to the Gardens Point Campus of the Queensland University of Technology on the northside.The Goodwill Bridge was opened...

), as well as from boats and buildings, and often includes a flyover and "Dump-and-burn" from one or more of the F-111 Strike aircraft based at RAAF Amberley

RAAF Base Amberley

RAAF Base Amberley is a Royal Australian Air Force base located southwest of Ipswich, Queensland and southwest of Brisbane. It is currently home to No. 1 Squadron and No. 6 Squadron , No. 33 Squadron and No. 36 Squadron...

. The final dump-and-burn of Riverfire 2010 was able to be seen as far as the Gold Coast

Gold Coast, Queensland

Gold Coast is a coastal city of Australia located in South East Queensland, 94km south of the state capital Brisbane. With a population approximately 540,000 in 2010, it is the second most populous city in the state, the sixth most populous city in the country, and also the most populous...

 and Toowoomba as the F-111 climbed from 300 ft to a higher altitude of about 10,000 ft. 2010 saw the extended use of the F-111's despite the fact that they were retired from Riverfire in 2009. The return of the F-111's weren't publicised until the release of the program in early September. Unlike previous dump-and-burns, 2010 Riverfire featured three passes of the F-111's instead of the usual two, with the third being a surprise that was kept a secret to the public and television crews.

Riverfire was not held during two of the Riverfestival years.

Major sponsors

• Sunsuper
  Sunsuper
  Sunsuper is a public offer super fund company based in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It was set up in 1987 as a multi-industry superannuation fund to cater for virtually all workers. With over one million members, Sunsuper is the largest superannuation fund in Queensland, and is one of the top...
  
  
• Brisbane City Council
• Queensland Government
  Government of Queensland
  The Government of Queensland is commonly known as the "Queensland Government".The form of the Government of Queensland is prescribed in its Constitution, which dates from 1859, although it has been amended many times since then...
  
  
• Nine Network
  Nine Network
  The Nine Network , is an Australian television network with headquarters based in Willoughby, a suburb located on the North Shore of Sydney. For 50 years since television's inception in Australia, between 1956 and 2006, it was the most watched television network in Australia...
  
   (1998–2006)(2010-)
• Seven Network
  Seven Network
  The Seven Network is an Australian television network owned by Seven West Media Limited. It dates back to 4 November 1956, when the first stations on the VHF7 frequency were established in Melbourne and Sydney.It is currently the second largest network in the country in terms of population reach...
  
   (2007–2009)
• Triple M
  Triple M
  The Triple M Network is an active rock radio network in Australia owned by media company Austereo, who also own the Today Network.- History :...