Exit Interview: Brisbane Festival’s David Berthold

In his fifth and final festival, David Berthold looks back on how festival culture and Brisbane itself has changed during his tenure at one of Australia’s biggest festivals.

Outgoing Brisbane Festival director David Berthold urged Brisbane to embrace the outdoors. Image supplied.

Looking out onto the Brisbane River on the opening weekend of his most ambitious festival, Festival Director David Berthold has much to admire. He’s credited with building up the event into a world-class event, bringing in international collaborations such as this year’s Invisible Cities while simultaneously getting the city to face the river that runs through it.

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George Dunford was Director of Content at ArtsHub, Screenhub and GamesHub (2019-2022). He has also written for Meanjin, The Big Issue, Lonely Planet, The Good Food Guide and others. He has worked in digital leadership roles in the cultural sector for more than 10 years including at the National Library of Australia, National Museum of Australia and the Wheeler Centre. He is currently employed by Museums Victoria and is a mentor in the CEO Digital Mentorship program working with Back to Back and Desart. You can follow him on Twitter: @Hack_packer