This year's Brisbane Festival program is arguably the sassiest, sexiest, most shoulder-wiggling, hip-swivelling fiesta the Queensland capital has ever seen.

At just six years old, the big-hitting Brisbane Festival attracts around one million arty types each year. Hundreds of performances take place around every bend of the Brisbane River, culminating with a bang – literally – when Sunsuper Riverfire sets the night sky alight in a fireworks spectacular that rivals New Year's Eve.

BrisFest 2015 will feature 456 shows over 22 days, from cabaret to circus and everything in between. Here are six shows that are well worth booking flights to Brisbane this September.

Sassy Club Swizzle comes to the Spiegeltent

Club Swizzle is set to shake things up (Image: brisbanefestival.com.au)

The creators of La Soiree have cranked up the heat with their shiny new show, Club Swizzle. Set in the iconic Spiegeltent – a cosy world of smoke and mirrors – Club Swizzle is a speakeasy where debauchery is shaken, stirred, swung and suspended. It's a mish-mash of cabaret, acrobatics, song and style you'll definitely want to put the kids to bed for. No stage, no rules, no regrets; 5–26 September.

Everything flies with cirque-inspired FLOWN

Flying high at Brisfest (Image: brisbanefestival.com.au)

The Courier-Mail Piazza will be transformed into a makeshift big top from 11–25 September to welcome the modern-day circus FLOWN. Originally commissioned by the Glastonbury Festival, FLOWN features a troop of acrobats, aerialists, stuntmen and musicians, where mishaps are all part of the fun and structure is totally up in the air.

Congo x Shakespeare with a modern Macbeth

Shakespeare, but not as you know it (Image: brisbanefestival.com.au)

This is a story of greed and tyranny. But are we talking about the Shakespearean play or the ongoing conflict in the Congo? This unique piece of theatre is a modern adaptation of Shakespeare's Macbeth, set to an Italian score with a 12-piece chamber orchestra bringing the drama to life. The Australian premiere will run at the Queensland Performing Arts Centre from 15–19 September.

Nouveau dance comes in the form of FLEXN

Bone-crunching dance moves from NYC (Image: brisbanefestival.com.au)

First there was the twist, then the twerk, now there's flex. The latest moves from the streets of New York City were created in an era of unrest in the city that never sleeps. More than just snapping, contorting, popping and gliding, dancers explore personal narratives through modern movement. Flex pioneer Regg Rocc will share his skills at QPAC from 23–26 September.

Welcome to boogie wonderland at Velvet

Brisbane Powerhouse becomes a disco inferno (Image: brisbanefestival.com.au)

Who said disco was dead? Velvet was chosen as the pick of the Adelaide Fringe, and with Marcia Hines at the reigns, you just know this show is going to have soul. The inimitable Ms Hines will bring her sultry tunes and diva attitude to the Brisbane Powerhouse from 16–26 September for a sensory overload of cabaret, hoola-hooping and just a touch of burlesque. Warning: may cause disco fever.

Revamping the Importance of Being Earnest

A Singaporean homage to Oscar Wilde (Image: brisbanefestival.com.au)

'A trivial comedy for serious people'. If the tagline doesn't sell you, the fact that this gender-bending has won a swag of awards in its hometown of Singapore might. Set against a striking black-and-white set with a string quartet and an all-male ensemble, this is a Singaporean-spun rendition of an Oscar Wilde classic. Catch this tale of courtship and hidden identities at QPAC from 11–13 September.

Visit your local Flight Centre store or call 131 600 for more advice and the latest deals on travelling to Brisbane.