Deck the bus with boughs of holly! From Christmas lights to tinsel and even characters like Santa, the Grinch and Bluey, Brisbane’s buses are all dressed up for the silly season.
An over 30-year tradition started organically by one of the depots, it has since grown into a fierce yearly competition. The buses are judged, firstly, on originality: is there a theme beyond just Christmas? Something that ties the design together?
Secondly, and crucially, the decoration is evaluated in terms of practicality, as these are buses in service and need to still be accessible and comfortable. Finally, the Brisbane City Council judges the quality of the submission, how thorough the display is, and if they made use of every surface possible.
This year’s winner — for the second time in a row — the Willawong depot, snagged the crown with their Gingerbread Bakery design. What made their design stand out was the attention to detail, and the cohesiveness of the theme, with reusable homemade seat covers, and tinsel and twinkling lights blanketing every inch.
Some of the runners-up also have jolly, jaw-dropping designs including the Virginia depot with a Grinch Christmas theme, the Sherwood depot leaning into their role with The Magical School Bus, and Toowong going classic with The Nutcracker. You can go on a magical sleigh ride on these themed buses from now until December 31, so don’t miss out!