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Speed Dating at the Library? Firstival Returns to South Australian Libraries With Over 300 Events This July
From sourdough, kimchi and sauerkraut workshops to learning circus tricks whilst drinking cocktails, puppy yoga, Dungeons & Dragons and worm farming, LibrariesSA’s month-long festival of firsts is here to make winter far more interesting.
In partnership with Firstival, we go behind the scenes to uncover the surprising and unexpected first-time experiences waiting inside South Australia’s public libraries.
Place a hold on July! Firstival is back for 2026, and South Australia’s libraries are swapping overdue books for one of the state’s most unexpected winter calendars.
Returning for its fourth year, Firstival, hosted by LibrariesSA, will run from Wednesday 1st July to Friday 31st July 2026, bringing more than 300 events to 130 public libraries across South Australia. The month-long festival is designed to get people trying a new hobby, learning a fresh skill or taking a brilliant little detour from the usual cold-weather routine, with a program that offers something for everyone.
For adults, the program reads less like a library noticeboard and more like a winter social life with range. There are sourdough and gluten-free bread-making classes, Lacto Fermentation 101 sessions covering sauerkraut and kimchi, succulent planting with wine, low-tox skincare workshops, rhythmic drumming, mat Pilates, puppy yoga and an introduction to artificial intelligence for anyone ready to feel less bewildered by the bots.
The after-dark and social side has plenty of charm, too, with Juggle Juice, a gin-fuelled circus-skills workshop, plus cocktail classes, inclusive friendship evenings and speed dating in the library for single bookworms keen to test their chemistry somewhere with decent lighting and minimal sticky-floor risk. Interactive book tastings pair drinks with literary themes, giving “reading between the wines” a very welcome place on the July calendar.
For families and kids, Firstival has got the July winter school holidays sorted. Kids can book into homemade Book Week costume workshops, biscuit decorating, kite-making workshops, mini piñata sessions, mini science fairs and more. There will be Wilbur’s Wildlife visits, Amazing Drumming Monkeys, Kaurna Night Skies storytelling and stargazing, plus weaving and knots workshops with Aunty Elaine, giving curious young minds plenty to make, learn and discuss on the way home.
Teens have their own good reasons to leave the house, with Dungeons & Dragons introductions, astrology for beginners, brush-pen calligraphy, tabletop escape room sessions, and relaxed pet art workshops on the agenda. Spell sheets, star signs, problem-solving and sketching a beloved companion in one month? July could do far worse.
That range is what makes Firstival clever. Libraries have always been places of discovery, but this program pushes that idea into livelier territory, turning local branches into classrooms, craft rooms, social clubs, mini-theatres, science labs, occasional bars and welcoming places to try something new without making a dramatic life rebrand.
State Library of South Australia Director Megan Berghuis says Firstival is about helping South Australians reconnect with their libraries and each other, describing the events as “wonderful opportunities for people of all ages to reconnect with their local library and each other and try something new.”
Most Firstival events are free or low-cost, and the popular ones can book out fast. Attendees can also sign up for the free LibrariesSA One Card Network, unlocking access to libraries across the state long after July has packed away its sourdough starters, star charts and speed-dating name tags until next year.
To find out more information, including where to book and your nearest participating library, please visit www.firstival.com.au.
