Hug a koala!The colorful Brisbane light show is a real eye-catcher

The G20 Summit is about to take place in Brisbane, and some of the city’s most famous residents are being trained on how to welcome—and even hug—the world’s most powerful leaders. With the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to be held by the likes of Obama, Merkel, or even Putin, a group of koalas from the Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary in Brisbane are receiving special training.

 

The Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary is home to over 100 koalas, some of which are no strangers to charming celebrities and have snapped cozy photos with A-list stars such as Roger Federer, John Travolta, and Mariah Carey. “Queensland is Australia’s premier destination where you can hold a koala and enjoy an up-close personal experience,” said Karen Nilsson, head koala keeper at Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary. “Young koalas are trained for no more than 10 minutes a day, while even adult koalas don’t exceed an hour and a half per day, and they get a full day off after every three days of training. No one disturbs them there.”

Meanwhile, in the lead-up to the G20 Summit, Brisbane has launched a series of celebratory events to mark this international occasion. On November 9, 2014, at the riverside stage in Brisbane, the Queensland Ballet performed their outdoor charity production Coppélia for the first time ever to a global audience. Among the series of G20 celebrations in Queensland, the performance by the Queensland Ballet was one of the highlights. The show took place as the sunset cast its glow over Brisbane Botanic Gardens, the Brisbane River, city skyscrapers, and the red evening sky accented Kangaroo Point, blending natural beauty with the magic of the stage.

Aside from the Queensland Ballet’s outdoor performance, another major highlight of the G20 celebration series was “Colour Me Brisbane,” where 32 buildings across the city were illuminated with colorful lights and projections, bathing the city in a dazzling spectrum of hues and showcasing a never-before-seen vibrant Brisbane under the night sky.