In a city where festivals flourish, Illuminate Adelaide shines bright. The winter cultural highlight triumphantly returns from the 2nd to the 20th of July for its fifth edition, promising more kaleidoscopic light installations, late-night gigs set to trippy projections and a cracking new program of multisensorial dining events.
As is customary, kids will pack the CBD’s pavements dancing under whimsy lights while the rest of us go underground for high-energy dance parties in shipping containers and community arts spaces.
Image Credit: Tyr Liang | Xplorer Studio
This year’s program is packed with free and ticketed events, from the return of City Lights in the CBD and an after-dark experience at Adelaide Zoo to music from Velvet Underground Founding member John Cale, a performance from electronic duo Kiasmos and an intimate closing party at DIY dive bar Ancient World. Most excitingly, this year Illuminate Adelaide is bringing its suite of sensory experiences into new territory: taste, with some of Adelaide's best hospo joints reimagined into light-filled art exhibits.
Winter Forest—a communal dining experience inspired by the winter landscape—will combine moving visuals, layered sound and five courses of epic food. This is storytelling on steroids, with each course bringing you into a different scene backed by live music from an acclaimed cellist.
Outside of the city, Chalk Hill Wines Sensory Odyssey Experience is a wine tasting in McLaren Vale that pairs sips with a musical soundtrack. If you’re keen to learn more about wine, this is a pretty unique way to do it.
Illuminate Hosts will get you in the doors of the city’s best restaurants and bars—including sophisticated French restaurant Garcon Bleu, East End Cellars, and festival favourite rooftop 2KW. Expect one-off menu items, more festival-first dining experiences, and a chance to party with locals and rub shoulders with visiting artists.
The beating heart of Adelaide's local food scene, the Adelaide Central Market, will turn technicolour day and night this year. There'll be roaming illuminated angels, and of course, top-notch food from over 70 vendors. Make sure you go to SiSea for a pre-festival oyster and cocktail.
Unsound Adelaide, the festival’s experimental music program, will bring its signature dose of off-beat gigs, avant-garde performance art and club music to a host of interesting venues over two nights.
This year, Unsound is teaming up with artist-run gig venue Ancient World for the Unsound Closing Party, which will feature international and local DJs. I've been to Illuminate Adelaide for the last three years, and this looks to be a new highlight.
Image Credit: Maximilian König
As always, there'll be a heap of cracking gigs around the city during the festival's two weeks. Rediscover your party stamina for Supersonic, a new event that runs for 12 hours straight at some of the West End's hottest venues. Adelaide local Motez will be curating techno at the Lion Arts Factory, which should be a goodie. Electronic duo Kiasmos will return to Australia after eight years to play a show for one night only on 18 July.
Head to the Illuminate Adelaide website for the full festival lineup.
Image credit: Supplied
18 Of The Best Tiny Homes In Adelaide And South Australia
From a futuristic pod to a converted metro bus and a pretty gem-coloured beach hut, you’ll want to add these miniature stays to your wishlist
30 Of The Best Restaurants In Adelaide Worth Checking Out (June 2025 Edition)
Adelaide—and all of South Australia alike—have skyrocketed their way to some of the country's hottest culinary merits thanks to their stunner local produce, homegrown talent and some gutsy big openings.
11 Farm Stays In Adelaide And Beyond For Your Next Rural Escape
If you're looking to escape the hustle and bustle of city life, but don't want to give up your creature comforts, South Australia is full of stunning farm stays that make for the perfect country escape.