The 11 best festivals in Adelaide

February

Laneway has long been a champion of indie music since launching in 2005. The one-day festival is famous for bringing out some of the hottest new acts alongside local talents and international superstars, with previous headliners including Billie Eilish, Tame Impala, Stormzy and Rüfüs Du Sol. You can get hot’n’sweaty in the front row at Bonython Park each February, with the festival also hitting up Sydney, Perth, Brisbane and Melbourne.

February 

Every major capital city in Australia has its own arts festival, but ask those who work in the industry and most will tell you the same thing: Adelaide Festival is the big one. For a whole month, this small city in South Australia is bursting with hundreds of cabaret, music, comedy, theatre and visual arts shows that all look like they could blow your socks off. From fire breathers to comedy to giant food tents devoted to all things gluttony, Adelaide Fringe brings together more than 6,000 diverse artists from all over the world in one place. Explore Adelaide over four weeks and stumble across hidden shows, curated experiences and epic eats that will be scattered across the city. 

February/March

Mad March also sees the return of the city’s namesake celebration, Adelaide Festival, which attracted almost 250,000 attendees during its 64th year in 2024. Joining the ranks of its renowned counterparts in Edinburgh and Avignon, the Adelaide Festival is often cited as one of the top three festivals around the world, showcasing a diverse program of dance theatre, contemporary music, outdoor opera and striking visual arts. It’s a three-in-one extravaganza, with the festival also hosting Australia's largest free literary festival, Adelaide Writers' Week, and the epic four-day multicultural music concert, WOMAdelaide.

March 

It’s a huge international affair at WOMADelaide – World of Music Arts and Dance – where artists from more than 40 countries grace the stage in Adelaide’s beautiful Botanic Gardens. Almost 100,000 festival-goers grooved among the trees at the 32nd edition in 2024, enjoying uplifting performances by reggae royalty Ziggy Marley, Swedish folk hero José González and voice of the Tunisian revolution Emel Mathlouthi. That’s not to mention all the other stuff: the huge array of multicultural food and drink, the markets, and all the cool interactive art stuff you can do when you're, um... feeling the music.

May

Prepare your palates for the country’s longest-running eating and drinking festival, which returns to South Australia for one week each May. This ultimate gastronomic paradise spotlights the nation’s favourite culinary stars and local producers across 150 events in all 12 regions. From full-day degustations to regional pop-ups and hands-on cooking classes, this festival will be one your taste buds won't forget.

June

For more than 20 years, Adelaide Cabaret Festival has transformed the South Australian capital into a somewhat unlikely mecca for world-class cabaret performers. All the biggest names in the biz take to the stage at the world’s largest cabaret festival, dazzling with their singing, storytelling, comedy and burlesque acts. The more glitter and glam, the better!

July 

Australia’s festival capital has its own dazzling light-centric festival to rival the likes of Vivid Sydney and Rising in Melbourne. They don’t call Adelaide the 20-minute city for nothing. Pretty much all the illuminated events and free installations are within a five- to 15-minute walk from the CBD, including the dynamic flaming sculptures of Fire Gardens at Adelaide Botanic Garden, after-dark puppetry and animations at Adelaide Zoo, and experimental music festival Unsound Adelaide, which blends immersive visuals and electrifying beats.

July 

Bring on the beer, barbecues and bangers at this half-food, half-music festival that takes over Adelaide Showground every July. You can boot scoot to your heart's content with headline performances by Australia’s greatest punk and rock bands, or jam out at ABBF’s annual battle of the bands concert, Untapped. Dancing and singing are thirsty work, so refresh yourself with one of the 1,000-plus beers on offer from 67 brewers, paired with flame-cooked bites and slow-cooked brisket.

October/November

Sure, Asia’s just a quick flight away, but you can experience the best of the East right here at the OzAsia Festival. Across three epic weeks each spring, Australia’s leading contemporary arts festival focusing on Asia brings together a bold, genre-defying line-up of global artists specialising in theatre, music and visual arts. The open-air Lucky Dumpling Market is a festival favourite, with everything from bubble tea and baos to dahl and, of course, dumplings. Another major highlight is the opening weekend Moon Lantern Trail, which transforms the River Torrens into a dazzling display of light and sound, accompanied by free roving entertainment, vibey music and kids’ workshops.

November

Every November, Adelaide transforms into a kaleidoscope of rainbows, glitter and sparkles for its open-access festival celebrating LGBTQIA+ arts and culture. Strutting back into town for its 27th year in 2024, Feast shines a spotlight on emerging and established Aussie artists with a vibrant line-up of comedy, cabaret, cinema, concerts and carnivals. Beyond the arts, you can get all razzle-dazzled for pool parties, fashion parades, speed dating, drag bingo, roller derby bouts and more. Slay!

December

Kicking off in Brisbane then blazing through Perth and Adelaide, this epic series of one-day summer festivals is sure to make Sydneysiders and Melburnians sweat with envy. In 2024, Grammy-nominated Aussie producer Fisher will return to home turf as a headliner at the New Year's Eve festival, and will be joined by a powerhouse line-up of international and local acts spanning dance, hip-hop and indie genres. Sounds like a wild and wacky festival you'll wanna be at.