We recently held Compassion Network’s Shivas Regal Project Concert, a Bollywood fusion charity concert, at Arcana and had a fantastic experience.

Compassion Network raises funds and awareness for the Frank Hilton Organisation (FHO) in Fiji, which provides essential services and support to children living with severe disabilities.

While Arcana may not have the newest or fanciest finishes, what makes it special is its character, atmosphere and people. It has an amazing vibe that is genuinely difficult to find in this type of venue. This was a huge part of why we chose to return after holding an event there three years ago.

Location & Access: Being so close to the city made Arcana easily accessible for guests travelling from both north and south Brisbane. Note that parking onsite is somewhat limited but street parking is available a short walk away.

Staff: Andrew was an absolute pleasure to work with, both the first time we used Arcana and again this time. He was kind, thoughtful, approachable and always solution-focused.

What impressed us most was the attentiveness of the entire team. Event days can be stressful and there were naturally times when we were rushing around, but the staff were consistently accommodating, understanding and helpful. That level of support makes an enormous difference when running a large event.

AV: The lighting setup is particularly impressive for a venue of this size and really added to the atmosphere of our concert. The visual system does require some training to operate confidently, which Andrew provides in advance. Depending on your event requirements, the in-house audio equipment may need some external supplementation, so I would recommend discussing this early.

Venue: Some of the finishes and furniture could benefit from an update, but considering the cost, location, flexibility and overall experience, we found Arcana to be excellent value. Although ours was a charity concert, I would definitely consider Arcana for a wedding/reception, conference, performance or other event.

The theatre floor seating was comfortable and good quality. For a longer seated program, I would personally recommend the floor seating over the pull-out amphitheatre seating, which we found less comfortable over our approximately two-hour program.

Food: I didn’t personally have the opportunity to eat on the night, and feedback from guests on food quality was mixed. The menu was fairly limited, although both vegetarian and non-vegetarian options were available.

What worked particularly well was the speed of service. Guests were served efficiently, meaning they weren’t spending long periods waiting for food and missing the concert. Andrew was also very accommodating in allowing us to bring in separate food for our band and setup team during the day, which made the logistics of a very long event day much easier.

Amenities: The bathrooms are a little dated but were clean, well maintained and had good-quality amenities. The green room was a great size and provided most of what we needed for our performers.

Overall: I would happily recommend Arcana, particularly to anyone looking for a venue with character, flexibility and a team that genuinely wants your event to succeed.

If you’re considering Arcana but aren’t quite sure from the photos, give Andrew a call and arrange a walkthrough. The atmosphere and character of this venue really need to be experienced in person rather than judged from photos.

A huge thank you to Andrew and the entire Arcana team for helping make Compassion Network’s Shivas Regal Project Concert such a wonderful experience. We came back after three years for a reason, and we’re very glad we did!

Amazing venue !! Andrew and Joyce were so helpful throughout the whole process and went above and beyond to recommend a variety of options to make a successful event. All guests were blown away and it’s going to be hard to top any party after this. Great catering options, enthusiastic staff, close to train stations, extremely accomodating.

My Son had his commitment ceremony there and it was perfect. The venue is excellent. The staff are fantastic and the food was great. Everyone was completely happy and I doubt it could have been better. Well done.

We had the pleasure to hold our work's Christmas In July party at Arcana last week. The communication in arranging was very easy and professional. Andrew runs the show and he does a very good job at it, and being the chef as well, the food is excellent, exactly as what we ordered. Highly recommend this venue for your function.

Great little venue! Thanks for having all the aerialists and the Mx Lyra crew.

The guy serving drinks was SO FRIENDLY👍 Thanks for the bridezilla mocktails

Very happy with our 21st party at Arcana, everything went smoothly and nothing was too much trouble.