Illuminate Adelaide is back, and brighter than ever! The city has transformed into a spectacular playground of art, light, music, and winter magic.
If you’re after a step-by-step itinerary for your Illuminate adventure tonight, we’ve got you covered. Whether you’re in it for dazzling installations, late-night bites, or a cocktail under the stars, opening weekend is packed with events, and we’ll guide you through the best of them.
From celestial roving performers to immersive light shows in the Botanic Garden, brace yourself for theatrical, transformative and atmospheric winter wonder.
START AT THE CENTRAL MARKET
Kick off your Illuminate Adelaide adventure at one of the city’s most iconic destinations, the Adelaide Central Market.
From July 4 to 19, Illuminate will brighten up the Market with Proximity State by Miles Dunne, an interactive light and sound installation that shifts and responds to your every move.
Tonight is your chance to see Melbourne’s Born in a Taxi’s Illuminated Angels, a roving performance that transforms the Market into a celestial playground from 6-7pm. The glowing performers float through the crowds, communicating only with their hearts, bestowing light and joy wherever they land. If you miss them tonight, they’ll be back again on Friday, July 18.
While you’re here, keep an eye out for Illuminate-themed dishes and drinks available from select market traders. There’s something sweet, savoury, and sparkling, for every palate.
When: Illuminated Angels 6pm – 7pm (Friday only), Market trading as usual
Where: 44/60 Gouger St
For more info, click here.
STATION ROAD FOR DINNER
If you’re up for the walk, it’ll take about 20 minutes to the next destination on your Illuminate adventure, Station Road (or head north on the tram from Victoria Square to Adelaide Railway Station).
Station Road is one of the premier dining stops in the Illuminate Hosts food and drink program, and it’s bringing the goods. We hope you’ve walked up an appetite, because Station Road is serving an exclusive Illuminate two-course set menu with a glass of wine for just $50 per person. This runs from 6-7pm, so dawdlers will have to get a wriggle on to snap up the deal.
Other Illuminate Hosts include 2KW, Adelaide Central Market, Aurora, East End Cellars, Monica, LUMEN Bar, Mother Vine, NOLA, Garçon Bleu (Sofitel), and West Oak Hotel.
Be sure to keep an eye out for glowing Illuminate neons at each partner venue and book directly via their websites.
When: Illuminate special 6pm – 7pm,
Where: 1 Station Rd
To book, click here.
WANDER THE CITY LIGHTS
A fan-favourite every year, City Lights is back with an all-new series of exciting free installations featuring interactive experiences, stunning projections, and captivating roaming performances that will make you stop and stare.
For your Illuminate adventure, you’ll want to start at Festival Plaza and make your way east down North Terrace. You’ll find spectacular light displays across Government House, the State Library, the Museum, and the Art Gallery, plus some hidden gems tucked down laneways and in courtyards you’ll have to keep your eyes peeled for.
When: From 5:30pm every day
Where: Festival Plaza – North Terrace
For the map, click here.
FREE EVENT
HEAD TO BASE CAMP
Next up is Base Camp, a glowing winter village nestled within Lot Fourteen, right between Night Visions and City Lights.
This pop-up hub is brimming with street food, firepits, cocktails, and energy. It’s the perfect spot to regroup, grab a drink, and take in the sights.
To really turn up the energy, Base Camp hosts 10 Minute Dance Parties, a high-octane celebration of music, movement, and mayhem. These fast-paced dance-offs run every 20 minutes while Base Camp is open.
When: Tues – Sun, 4:30pm until late
Where: Lot Fourteen, corner of North Terrace and Frome Rd
For more info, click here.
FREE EVENT (Dance Parties $15)
STOP AT NIGHT VISIONS
Now for the star of the show. Slip through the veil of Adelaide Botanic Garden and into a mesmerising portal of light, sound, and imagination at Night Visions.
Night Visions is an immersive experience conceived exclusively by Illuminate Adelaide, transforming the familiar into the fantastical, turning the Garden’s serene paths into a multi-sensory journey through parallel worlds.
As you move through this atmospheric landscape, expect the unexpected. Cutting-edge projections, lasers, lights and soundscapes converge to create an otherworldly fusion of art and nature.
Created in collaboration with both local and international artists, Night Visions invites you to leave the everyday behind and explore a realm where nature meets technology in the most spectacular ways.
When: Sessions available every 15 minutes, Wed – Thu 5:30pm to 9pm, Fri – Sun 5:30pm to 9:30pm
Where: Adelaide Botanic Garden, Adelaide Botanic Garden Main Gate (via North Terrace)
Tickets: $42 – $45
To book, click here.
FINISH AT LUMEN BAR
Venture back a step down North Terrace and cap off your night in true retro style at LUMEN Bar. This groovy pop-up transforms the University of Adelaide’s Goodman Lawns into a nostalgic 70s-inspired winter bar.
There are disco balls, vintage vibes, warm drinks and DJ sets that keep you moving late into the night. Dance under the stars, lounge with a mulled wine in hand, and end your Illuminate adventure in style.
When: 4pm to Late everyday
Where: Goodman Lawns, North Terrace, Adelaide University
Honourable Mention: Offline Lunch: Papershell Farm
If you’re looking to continue your Illuminate experience on Sunday, this one’s worth the road trip. Leave your phone at the gate and settle in for an offline lunch at Papershell Farm in Willunga South. For $55, you’ll enjoy a farm-to-table meal, a live music set by owner (and former Empire of the Sun member) Surahn Sidhu, and a tree-planting experience, leaving behind something living and lasting in the soil of the farm.
When: Sunday July 6, 12 – 4pm
Where: 203 Almond Grove Rd, Willunga South
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