Summer's sneakily approaching once again *thank goodness* and with it, bringing a slew of stunner events to showcase this sparkling city.

From festivals to rooftop fine diners, plus a stack of NYE events to keep you partying well past midnight, here are Urban List's picks for the best things to do this week, month and beyond in Adelaide.

What's On In Adelaide January 2026

A Promenade Of Shorts

Goodwood Theatre & Studios | Thursday 15 January – Saturday 24 January 2026

Image credit: The Adelaide Podcast Show | Website

Calling all thespian-appreciators. What began as Red Phoenix Theatre’s way to keep performance alive during COVID restrictions turned into a repeatedly requested night of mixed shows, and Season 3 is here, featuring nine new plays and 29 actors across three spaces in a brand-new home at Goodwood. Every 10 minutes, the world changes: new room, new stories, new style. No two journeys through the night feel quite the same. Tickets available here.

Pick Your Own Fruit

Adelaide Hills | December 2025 into the New Year

 Image credit: Visit Adelaide Hills | Website

Summer brings many good things, including an abundance of delicious fruit. The cherry on top? You can enjoy the outdoors and pick much of it yourself, cherries included. Most Pick Your Own opportunities start in December and continue through the New Year. Make sure you lob somewhere that’s open by checking details before you get in the car and go. Socials are a good starting point, and the Fresh Fruit App provides up-to-date information on cherries, apples and pears. You can download the app here.

David Byrne

Adelaide Entertainment Centre | Saturday 24 January 2025

 

Image credit: Ticketek | Website

A night with David Byrne brings colour and worldly consideration, with a healthy dose of accessible pop. The American musician, writer, visual artist and filmmaker continues his lifelong exploration of human connection and returns to Adelaide in January as part of his Who Is The Sky? tour. Think “cinematic, humorous and joyful, but often with a lesson baked in”. Tickets available here.

Cellar Door Fest

Adelaide Convention Centre | Friday 30 January to Sunday 1 February 2026

 Image credit: Ticketek | Website

Try before you drive and know before you go! Head to Adelaide’s favourite food and drink festival, Cellar Door Fest, which brings together more than 100 wineries, distilleries and food producers from across the state under one roof at Adelaide Convention Centre. Meet, taste and discover the very best from South Australia’s wine regions, buzzing distillery scene and incredible produce and plot your next day trip. Celebrating its 15th anniversary in 2026, the event brings three days of gourmet fun to the city centre. Buy tickets here.

Art Deco in Adelaide

David Roche Gallery | Until January 31, 2025

 Image credit: David Roche Gallery | Website

This exhibition is for lovers of geometric precision with a luxurious feel and bold colour palette. We’re talking Art Deco, bébé. Following its extraordinary debut in Paris back in the 1920s, its influence reached all the way to Australia. Art Deco: A Modern Vision celebrates 100 years of glamour, innovation, and design. Discover how this distinctive and timeless style became a part of everyday Australian life. Walk-ins are welcome, but you can book your tickets here.

Sidebyside Festival

Helen Mayo Park  | Saturday 31 January 2026

Image credit: Sidebyside.festival | Instagram

Big energy, hypnotic visuals and one massive weekend of dancefloor bliss, Sidebyside Festival returns to Adelaide's city parklands in January 2026 celebrating the intersection of electronic music, art and cutting-edge design. Expect huge global heavyweights like DJ Seinfeld, Harrison BDP and Alex Kassian bringing the vibes, along with local legends like Pretty Girl, Roa Terenzi and RONA ready to pump up the crowds. In the first of its kind for Aussie festivals, Sidebyside's introducing a time-based ticketing system designed to encourage festival-goers to head there early and support those fresher artists playing first off the rank (you'll also get a more affordable entrance price, hello). Grab your tickets here.

Gather in the Garden

Adelaide Botanic Garden | Across January 2026

Image credit: Adelaide Botanic Garden | Instagram

Picture this: a balmy summer night, lush lawns and live jazz bands. Now add wandering through the Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibition in a rainforest-filled conservatory and the perusal of a captivating collection of 200-year-old watercolour paintings to the experience. Purchasing a ticket to Gather in the Garden will get you access to all of it. And for the devoted art lovers, there’s also the beautiful outdoor exhibition Opuntia and Olea to explore, and the incredible Glacier Ice and Lapis Chandelier by Dale Chihuly in the Palm House to admire. These sessions are taking place on Fridays and Saturdays in January, from 6.45 pm to 9 pm. Bar and food trucks on-site, but BYO food is also welcome. Get your ticket here.

City of West Torrens Summer Festival 2026

Various locations | On Saturdays until Saturday 7 February 2026

Image credit: City Of West Torrens | Website

This is a Summer Festival promising something for everyone in the family. Each Saturday until February 7, the City of West Torrens has something scheduled. Live music, Wild Robots on the outdoor movie screen, giant water inflatables, market stalls curated by the Lollipop Collective and some very big trucks open to inspection by the little people who love them. Finger-licking food is available at every session. Check details what is happening when and for the BYO items allowed. Follow the council’s Facebook page for information or visit their website here.

Gelato Giant Opens In Glenelg

Gelato Messina | Open 7 Days A Week

They’ve finally obliged! After years of being asked to open another Gelato Messina in SA, a new store has arrived beachside in Glenelg. It’s bright, bold and boasts the full 40-flavour gelato cabinet – 35 favourites and 5 rotating weekly specials – along with their gelato cakes and house-made dulce de leche jars. To celebrate the opening, they’ve even launched a flavour available exclusively at Glenelg. Dubbed Glenelg Dreaming, it’s coconut gelato swirled with mango sorbet with passionfruit topping and baked meringue. Drooling yet? Double points are available on all purchases during the first week of opening. Download the new Messina App here.

What's On In Adelaide February 2026

Adelaide Festival

Various Locations | Friday 27 February - 15 March 2026

Image credit: Adelaide Festival | Instagram

With the full program on sale right this second, you'd wanna do yourself a favour and jump into the 2025 Adelaide Festival program. A few of our picks? Mama Does Roller Derby's riot of theatre and roller derby, ILA's Manifest Destiny world premiere or perhaps Pulp's free glam-rock opening night gig. A thoughtful pressie for those culture-loving pals too, check out the full program here. 

A Day On The Gully Festival

Civic Park, Adelaide | Saturday 28 February 2026

Image credit: Ball Park Music | Supplied

The likes of Chet Faker, Ball Park Music, Malrat and Teenage Joans are heading South for one epic, jam-packed day at A Day On The Gully Festival. This one-day all ages fest kicking off at Civic Park on Saturday 28 February 2026 is a celebration of some of the country's most celebrated music artists with appearances from a ton of our greatest Aussie stars as well as generational icons, The Living End and Pete Murray too. Grab all the info here. 

Pirate Life Eleventh Birthday

Pirate Life Brewing, Port Adelaide | Saturday 28 Feb 2026

Image credit: Pirate Life | Instagram
Pirate Life is turning eleven, and they’re celebrating in true PL style: a full‑throttle fusion of music, culture, and exceptional beer. Their Port Adelaide brewery will play host to an epic one-day festival featuring international icons De La Soul, standout Australian acts like Drapht, Miss Kaninna and The Bamboos, plus homegrown talent like Tonix, limited‑release brews, cult‑favourite food trucks, and big-scale production. Tickets are moving quickly, so now’s the time to jump in here.

Coming Soon

The Cliffs

Kangaroo Island | Opening This Summer

Image credit: The Cliffs | Instagram

Get ready to swing into something spectacular. The Cliffs is a brand-spankin' destination golf course opening for preview play in January 2026. Designed by Darius Oliver (the mastermind behind Australia’s top-rated Cape Wickham), this 18-hole links course is set along Kangaroo Island’s wild southern coastline, where elevated tees, dune terrain and ocean views steal the show. Beyond the fairways, it’s big on sustainability too, with thousands of native trees planted and invasive species removed to restore the landscape. You'll have to wait a few more months, but this one’s destined to be a hole-in-one for South Australia.