Known as the 'Festival State' of Australia, plenty of festivals and events are held yearly in Adelaide, filling the streets with various shows set to entertain anyone and everyone. From the adrenaline-filled Adelaide 500 to the more mellow Adelaide Cabaret Festival, there is sure to be an event that will tickle your fancy.
Santos Tour Down Under
First held in 1999, the Santos Tour Down Under is an action-packed nine-day cycling race held in and around Adelaide, attracting riders from all over the world. Spectators, visitors and locals can also take a break from the race and enjoy the amazing atmosphere, including gala dinners and street parties. Visiting some of South Australia's unspoiled beaches, world-famous wine regions and the lively streets of Adelaide, the cycling event continues to excite with its new race stages and wide variety of events for riders and spectators.
Adelaide Fringe
A diverse arts festival open to anyone who wishes to perform - as long as it isn't anything illegal, the Adelaide Fringe gives performers from across the globe the opportunity to take over the city for 31 days and nights each year. The festival is the world’s second-largest annual arts festival and the largest in the Southern Hemisphere, which features more than 5,000 artists from around Australia and the world with over 1,100 events staged in pop-up venues all over Adelaide. Held during 'Mad March', the Adelaide Fringe, along with Adelaide 500 and WOMADelaide, is guaranteed to fill the city to the brim with vast forms of entertainment.
Tasting Australia
One of Australia's most anticipated culinary festivals, Tasting Australia entices foodies from across the globe to immerse themselves in South Australia's unrivalled food-scene, diverse culture and unforgettable dining experiences. If you have come to try out South Australia's extraordinary selection of food, beer, spirits and wine, there is no better time to do so than during Tasting Australia.
Feast Festival
Celebrating pride and diversity through visual arts and various performances, the Feast Festival is one of the four major lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and/or intersex (LGBTI) festivals in Australia. Feast was founded in 1997 by a group of arts and community cultural workers who worked together to create a community arts festival for the LGBTI community in Adelaide. Other festivities include Pride Festival in Perth, Midsumma in Melbourne and the Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras in Sydney. Back in 2011, Feast was attended by approximately 48,000 attendees, with another 40,000 tuning into the live radio broadcast.
Royal Adelaide Show
Dubbed as South Australia's largest event with up to half a million people attending every year, the Royal Adelaide Show begins on the first Friday of September and is held yearly at the Adelaide Showground for 10 days. Jam-packed with a wide variety of entertainment, food, great family attractions and hundreds of showbags - there is something to keep anyone and everyone, both young and old, entertained.
WOMADelaide
An ultimate feast for the senses, WOMADelaide features hundreds of artists from around 30 countries, attracting attendees from interstate and overseas to Adelaide's magnificent Botanic Park. UniSA is a major sponsor of this event, delivering excitement and entertainment while encouraging the celebration and acceptance of a multicultural society through music, arts and dance.
Adelaide 500
Showcasing the best of the motoring world, whether you’re a Supercar fan or a racing enthusiast, at Adelaide 500 you can be sure to experience in full the thrilling roars of high-performance cars from Holden, Ford, Volvo, Nissan and Mercedes racing around the track. Aside from the races, the event also features a music concert every night, in addition to air displays, amusements and social events. The Adelaide 500 is held annually over four days each November.
OzAsia Festival
Celebrating all things Asian, OzAsia Festival focuses on engaging local Australian-Asian communities and features performance art, dance, music and, most importantly, food that Asia has to offer. For two weeks, the centre of Adelaide city is transformed into the Night Noodle Market, filling the spacious land with stalls of delicious Asian cuisine of various Asian eateries from around South Australia. After sunset begins the Moon Lantern Festival, an integral part of OzAsia Festival that coincides with the Mid-Autumn Festival and a spectacle of Australia’s largest lantern parade.
Adelaide Cabaret Festival
Commencing on the Queen's Birthday long weekend each June, the Adelaide Cabaret Festival offers 14 days and nights filled with food, wine and entertainment, varying from music, musical theatre, satire and storytelling. Named as the biggest festival of its kind, the Adelaide Cabaret Festival guarantees to deliver the most magnificent and diverse range of artists from around the country and the world.
Festival of Arts
Delighting audiences with an outstanding line-up of events featuring theatre, opera, dance, literature and visual art, to name a few - the Adelaide Festival of Arts, also known as the Adelaide Festival, is an internationally renowned multi-arts festival with a long and successful history. Annually held in the autumnal month of March, the festival is based in the city centre, but also elsewhere in the city and its parklands. Due to its success throughout the years, the Adelaide Festival, with the support of the South Australian Government, has developed a number of incorporated events including WOMADelaide, Adelaide Writers’ Week, Artists’ Week and the Adelaide Festival of Ideas.
Where to go in Adelaide
Ranking fifth in Lonely Planet's Best of Travel for 2017, South Australia continues to boast its underappreciated beauty with its buzzing foodie-filled streets, labyrinth of walking trails, countless cellar doors and beautiful coastlines. Looking for places to explore in South Australia? Ranging from the wine-centered Barossa Valley to the adventure-filled Kangaroo Island, there is plenty to do and explore in Adelaide.
Central Market
With more than 80 traders under one roof, the Adelaide Central Market is the largest under cover market in the Southern Hemisphere. It is a buzzing hub of food and culture for over 148 years. No need to worry about where to eat as the market is surrounded by cafés and food courts, guaranteed to have something everyone can enjoy, at any time of the day.
Barossa Valley
Home to over 150 wineries and 80 cellar doors, there is definitely something special about the Barossa Valley that yearns to be explored. Famous for their generous hospitality and passion for local food and wine, the Barossa is filled with hidden gems and a wealth of cultural heritage making it a great place to visit with family and friends.
Hahndorf
From hot chocolate, fondue and smelly cheese to craft beers and excellent wineries, Hahndorf has everything all in one place. As Australia's oldest surviving German settlement, with over 100 traders making up the community, Hahndorf is filled with rich ancestry, ancient folklore and magnificent buildings waiting to be explored.
Adelaide Oval
Used mostly for concerts, cricket and Australian football, the stunning Adelaide Oval is an SA icon located in the heart of Adelaide, on the northern side of the River Torrens, and has been Adelaide's premier sporting and entertainment venue for 140 years. You are also invited to experience the Adelaide Oval RoofClimb available either during the day or at twilight.
Glenelg
Just a 25-minute tram ride from Adelaide's city centre lies Glenelg, a seaside suburb surrounded by heritage hotels, bustling shops, various entertainment and a pristine sandy beach. Whether it's a swim with the dolphins or a quick bite to eat you're after, Glenelg is the hub for ocean lovers and adventurers alike.
Kangaroo Island
With native wildlife, pristine beaches and adventures right at your doorstep, Kangaroo Island is a place of beauty and a place of protection to substantial populations of native Australian wildlife. Spanning over 500km of coastline, Kangaroo Island attracts over 140,000 visitors each year, local and international, and is one of South Australia's most popular tourist attractions.
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