People love to say Adelaide goes quiet after Mad March, like we all just hit pause until spring. But honestly? That couldn’t be further from the truth. We don’t stash the sparkle in a box under the bed and hide in hibernation until spring.
Join the thousands of us who step outside during the cooler months from May to July and let the city tell you a different story. A story where you’ll find the city buzzing with life – lights, music, delicious food and unexpected moments around every corner.
It’s the kind of season that makes you reach for your coat with intention, not to stay warm, but to go out and see where the city takes you.
Tasting Australia (2–11 May)
A flavour-packed festival to warm your soul
South Australia’s premier culinary event kicks off the winter calendar with a tasty bang. Tasting Australia isn’t just a food festival, it’s a full-sensory celebration of place, produce and people. With over 150 events across the state and Adelaide’s Town Square in Victoria Square/Tarntanyangga as the delicious festival hub, this is where fire meets feasting and conversations are as delectable as the dishes.
Big-name talentspanning the 2025 program include Lennox Hastie, Monica Berg, Danielle Alvarez, and local legends like Justin James, Sharon Romeo and Duncan Welgemoed. From smoky fire culinary celebrations to one-night-only degustations, it’s a choose-your-own-flavour adventure. And if you’ve never done a wine masterclass or a cocktail party under the stars, now’s your moment.
DreamBIG Children’s Festival (7–17 May)
Imagination rules at this 50th anniversary edition
This beloved children’s festival returns to enchant little ones and grown-ups alike, and in 2025, it celebrates its golden jubilee. DreamBIG is a joyous call to curiosity, filled with interactive theatre, dance, music, and creative installations.
Whether it’s exploring a hip-hop wonderland with Zindzi and her fuzzy friends, jumping into stage adaptations of classic Aussie books, or getting wonderfully messy at free art activations during the Big Family Weekend, this is where imagination runs riot. It’s colourful, clever and downright magical.
Cabaret Fringe Festival (23 May-1 June)
Raw, raucous, and wonderfully nostalgic
Before the glitter bomb of the official Cabaret Festival lands, the Cabaret Fringe hits the city with its signature indie flair. It’s a nod to the roots of Adelaide’s fringe scene—edgy, passionate, and intimate.
Expect everything from sultry jazz in back rooms to comedic confessions, boundary-pushing cabaret, and heartfelt performances that stick with you long after the applause fades. With shows popping up in theatres, bars, and unexpected spaces across the city, this is the festival for those who like their art a little left of centre, with a good glass of wine in hand.
Adelaide Cabaret Festival (5–21 June)
Twelve glittering nights of music, mischief and high emotion
Celebrating its 25th anniversary, the Adelaide Cabaret Festival is bringing out the big guns, and the big voices. Artistic Director Virginia Gay has curated a line-up that sways from spine-tingling ballads to camp cabaret chaos, and everything in between.
Homegrown talent David Campbell returns with his powerhouse vocals, Reuben Kaye brings the sass, Jacob Collier will bend musical time and space, and the Spiegeltent becomes your winter escape. It’s glamour, it’s grit, it’s music that gets into your bones. Dress up, show up, and let the drama begin.
Viking Fest (28–29 June)
Adelaide’s midwinter plunge into Norse legend
Yes, you read that right. Vikings are descending on the South Australian Museum for a winter weekend of sagas, swordplay, and seriously cool historical immersion. Viking Fest transforms Pinky Flat into a living history experience where rune stones, longships, and gold hoards tell ancient tales under flickering firelight.
Kids can try archery or learn the art of shield-making, while grown-ups delve into Norse mythology, medieval crafts, and mead tastings. It’s wild, weird, and wondrous. A time-travel adventure right in the heart of the city.
Illuminate Adelaide (2–20 July)
The city’s luminous answer to winter’s dark
When July hits, Adelaide doesn’t just turn on the lights, it becomes the light. Illuminate Adelaide returns to ignite the senses, transforming the city’s streets, buildings and public spaces into glowing canvases of creativity and tech-fuelled experiences.
In 2025, two world-first events headline the program: Night Visions in Adelaide Botanic Garden, a multisensory maze of lasers, projections and ambient sound, and Horizons at Adelaide Oval, where drones and light art tell a stunning local story above the stadium. Add in late-night gigs, digital art pop-ups, and a food trail that rivals any standalone festival, and you’ve got winter brilliance in every direction.
This winter, forget staying in. Adelaide City is throwing open its doors, switching on the spotlights, and inviting you out into something extraordinary.
Whether you’re drawn to smoky fire pits or sequined stages, Viking battles or glowing light shows, the city is ready to turn winter on its head. Make a night of it, or a weekend. Book a stay, explore hidden bars, linger over long lunches, and let each event lead you deeper into the city’s winter magic.
Explore this winter’s incredible line-up and start planning your adventure with Experience Adelaide here.
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