Adelaide is an international cultural capital with a phenomenal calendar of festivals that take place throughout the year. Each of its 11 major arts and cultural festivals offers an opportunity to see, experience and explore this vibrant UNESCO Creative City. From the Adelaide Fringe, the largest art festival in Australia, to the Adelaide Cabaret Festival, the biggest cabaret festival in the world, explore the diversity and exceptional offerings of our arts and cultural festivals. The Adelaide Fringe, formerly known as the Adelaide Fringe Festival, is the largest art festival in Australia and is the second largest annual art festival in the world (after the Edinburgh Fringe Festival), held in Adelaide, the capital of South Australia.
The opening of the Adelaide Arts Festival was held from 12 to 26 March 1960 and was led by Bishop with the help of Ian Hunter, artistic director of the Edinburgh Festival. The famous Adelaide Fringe is a month-long marathon packed with theatre, comedy, circus and more. South Australian Living Artists Festival (SALA) is an annual celebration of visual art and culture that takes place throughout August. SALA offers bilingual tours, Adelaide Fringe produces a specific accessibility guide, and the Adelaide Festival Centre venues offer loans for wheelchairs and hearing assistance systems at a variety of festivals.
Tickets for passenger card holders, the assignment of accessible seats and designated delivery points are now common practice, while many programs are available only in text, audio and braille versions. DreamBig Children's Festival is South Australia's iconic biennial art festival for schools and families that places its audience at the center of ingenious, imaginative and inspiring artistic experiences. The festival also includes workshops and talks, street theater, cooking demonstrations and a strong focus on sustainability. DreamBig offers free admission for children under 12 and an area dedicated to KidZone with its own program of entertaining and educational activities.
WomaDelaide is a four-day global music event that transforms the lush Botanical Park into an independent republic that celebrates contemporary and traditional music, arts and dance. AF commissions and defends Australia's most innovative new works, as well as presenting some of the best companies and artists in the world. Writers' Week has a day dedicated to children and many other festivals produce programs for the whole family. The Feast Festival is the queer LGBTIQ+ cultural and artistic festival in Adelaide that takes place during “Pridevember”, which turns November in South Australia into a month-long celebration of diversity and inclusion. The Adelaide Festival is an event of truly epic proportions that thrills today's audiences and stimulates future generations. From the popular opening night concert of the Adelaide Festival to the spectacular moonlight parade in OZAsia, free and affordable events are an important part of all Adelaide festivals.
They can range from month-long marathons such as the world-famous Adelaide Fringe Festival to smaller events that only last on weekends such as the Adelaide Beer & BBQ Festival or CheeseFest food show. We recognize the Kaurna people of the Adelaide Plains, the traditional owners of the land where our festivals are held. We pay our respects to the elders of the past and present.
