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The Best Things to See & Do at Illuminate Adelaide 2025
Illuminate Adelaide returns in 2025 with a diverse, dazzling lineup.
This winter, Adelaide’s after-dark scene is glowing brighter than ever with the return of Illuminate Adelaide. From large-scale light installations and boundary-pushing performances to immersive art and epic soundscapes, the city will be transformed into a playground of innovation and imagination.
To help you plan your nights out, we’ve rounded up the top five unmissable experiences — along with family-friendly options for when the kids can stay out past bedtime.
Read on for our top picks at Illuminate Adelaide 2025.
Illuminate Adelaide Top Picks
Horizons
For one night only, Horizons will light up Adelaide Oval with a dazzling drone and light show like no other. Watch the sky come alive with hundreds of illuminated drones, epic sound and cutting-edge visuals, as this immersive spectacle journeys through 60,000 years of South Australian stories — from Kaurna land to future frontiers.
Friday, July 18th | 6pm, 8.30pm, Adelaide Oval
Ticketed event, starting from $26 here
Night Visions
It is Adelaide Botanic Garden like you’ve never seen it before. Night Visions is a mesmerising collision of nature and next-gen tech, as the garden is transformed into a dreamlike portal. Elevate your Night Visions experience with a lakeside dinner at the Night Visions Dining Experience at Botanic Lodge. With a specially curated menu and views of the glowing installations, it’s one of winter’s most magical nights out.
July 2nd to July 20th, Adelaide Botanic Garden
Ticketed event, starting from $42 here
Supersonic
Introducing Supersonic, Illuminate Adelaide’s brand-new West End takeover. For one night only, seven venues light up with live music, art, film and late-night energy. From house beats and post-rock to experimental film and digital art, it’s a choose-your-own-adventure for night owls.
July 19th, various venues
Free and ticketed event here
Loving our guide to Illuminate Adelaide 2025? Check out…
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Winter Forest
Step into a luminous woodland wonderland at Winter Forest, part of The Immersive Table series by ILA. The Lab transforms into a sensory dining experience, where a five-course degustation is paired with evolving visuals and live music by acclaimed cellist Hilary Kleinig. With a special vegan night and optional wine pairings, it’s a feast for all senses.
July 9th to July 12th, The Lab at ILA, 63 Light Square, Adelaide
Ticketed event, from $189 here
Ecstatic Utopian Fantasy
Step into the surreal with Ecstatic Utopian Fantasy — a genre-defying performance installation from some of Adelaide’s most prominent artists. Part of City of Adelaide’s ART POD Residency, this multi-sensory work blends live performance, light, video, sculpture and sound to explore imagined utopias and dystopias, with a special feature performance scheduled for July 5th as part of Illuminate Adelaide.
Feature performance, July 5th, 7pm to 9pm
ARTPOD, 25 Pirie Street, Adelaide
Free event
Illuminate Adelaide Top Picks: Family-Friendly
City Lights
City Lights returns to light up Adelaide’s CBD with an all-new series of exciting installations. Wander from the East End to Festival Plaza and discover iconic buildings and laneways transformed by large-scale projections, interactive works and eye-popping light art.
July 4th to July 20th, from 5.30pm
Free event
Universal Kingdom: The Next Era
Get ready for a dino-sized adventure the whole family will love. After dark at Adelaide Zoo, Universal Kingdom: The Next Era brings prehistoric giants to life with glowing light installations, epic puppetry and interactive fun.
July 3rd to July 20th, Adelaide Zoo
Ticketed event, starting from $29 here
10-Minute Dance Party
Dance your heart out at 10 Minute Dance Parties! This all-ages bash is a vibrant mix of art, colour and community — with competitions, world record attempts and good vibes, sessions run every 20 minutes at the Base Camp pop-up village.
July 3rd to July 20th (closed Mondays), from 5pm, Base Camp at Lot Fourteen
Free event
Looking for more things to do this winter? Why not venture out of the city with our guides to the Adelaide Hills and Victor Harbor.
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