Adelaide Festivals' 40th program is packed full of spectacle, theatre, music and dance. A host of national and international stars are set to grace its stages, including Stephen Rea, Rocío Molina, Camille O’Sullivan (pictured above), Rhoda Roberts AO, Dr Lou Bennett AM and appearances from renowned companies including choreographer Pina Bausch’s Tanztheater Wuppertal and Adelaide’s very own Australian Dance Theatre. 

Adelaide Writers’ Week, WOMADelaide, Chamber Landscapes and Daylight Express will all make highly anticipated returns, and The Courtyard, a brand-new festival hub with food, drinks and programming, will also launch in 2025. 

The Festival kicks off with Innocence, billed as the opera event of the year, fresh from a sellout triumph at the Royal Opera Convent Garden. Already hailed as the greatest opera of the 21st century, Innocence is directed by Australian visionary Simon Stone, who returns to Adelaide after 2018’s sold-out production of Thyestes. 

Opening weekend will also see the world premiere of Stephanie Lake Company’s MASS MOVEMENT. Co-commissioned with The Australian Ballet, 1,000 dancers aged from 12 to 88 will come together for a 30-minute ‘happening’ at dusk in Elder Park in a breathtaking free performance. 

There’s also a deep dive into little-known First Nation stories: My Cousin Frank sees Rhoda Roberts AO sharing the remarkable journey of her cousin Francis Roberts, Australia’s first Indigenous Olympian who competed in the Tokyo Olympics. Big Name, No Blankets traces the history of the legendary Warumpi Band, while A Quiet Language celebrates 60 years of Australian Dance Theatre and is co-choreographed by Artistic Director and Wiradjuri man Daniel Riley and company founder, Elizabeth Cameron Dalman OAM. 

The 40th Adelaide Festival runs from Friday 28 February–Sunday 16 March 2025. Tickets are on sale now. Look out for the latest news and previews in The List’s Guide To Adelaide’s Summer Festivals, available across the city from Tuesday 28 January.