The Best Things to See & Do at Illuminate Adelaide 2024

When Illuminate Adelaide launches its blockbuster lineup each year, everyone gets excited. From inflatable outdoor pop-ups to orchestral performances, ethereal light projections and amazing musical performances, the ambitious event lights up the festival city each winter. 

Local and international artists transform Adelaide into a dynamic digital exhibition, and people flock to the city to immerse themselves in the magic of music, light and technology.

We’ve seen Illuminate Adelaide’s lineup for 2024, and boy is it a biggie!

Locals are invited to once again reimagine their relationships with Adelaide’s public spaces — some iconic, many overlooked — through an innovative convergence of art and technology with the free installations of City Lights. 

Celebrating new technology and ambitious creative minds, the festival will feature immersive exhibits, playful projections and installations across the city. With a mix of free, family-friendly events that you can stumble upon in the city, underground and ticketed performances that bring creative excellence, the festival offers something for everyone. 

Read on for our highlights for Illuminate Adelaide 2024.

Adelaide will come alive for Illuminate Adelaide from July 4th to 21st. Book your tickets on the website now.

Fire Garden by Compagnie Carabosse

Gather around the firelight and explore a wonderland of captivating flaming sculptures at Adelaide Botanic Garden. French masters of flame, Compagnie Carabosse, invite you to an extraordinary winter adventure for all ages with Fire Garden.

Experience thousands of handcrafted giant fire pots, mesmerising kinetic sculptures, live music, and candlelit pathways. The twilight event will transform the garden into a warm, illuminated wonderland. 

July 4th to 21st, Adelaide Botanic Garden

Ticketed event, starting from $40 per person

Universal Kingdom: Prehistoric Nights

For an experience the kids won’t stop raving about, step back in time to the Mesozoic Era, where puppets, lights, and dinosaurs collide at Adelaide Zoo to present a journey through the prehistoric era.

Witness the evolution of the first creatures from the oceans and the largest beasts to roam the planet. Featuring cutting-edge puppetry, custom installations, and dazzling light displays, Erth and A Blanck Canvas bring this fascinating, ancient world to life.

July 4th to 21st, Adelaide Zoo

Ticketed event, starting from $30 per person

SAHMRI Bright Walk

Join the SAHMRI Bright Walk for an enjoyable evening you can feel good about, with an 11km walk during Illuminate Adelaide, raising money for life-saving research at SAHMRI.

On the evening of July 6, share the experience with family and friends as you take a memorable crisp winter walk through Adelaide, winding past the stunning music and light installations from Illuminate Adelaide 2024 City Lights.

This year, there’s a shorter, child-friendly route, so everyone can join in the fun and support SAHMRI researchers in their mission.

Walk begins at 4.00pm

Saturday July 6th, registrations are now open

Music from Australia & Abroad

This year, Illuminate Adelaide will host the festival’s most diverse and cutting-edge music lineup yet. Spanning genres, styles and presentations, the music will have you dancing one night and swaying to powerful ballads the next.

Expect electrifying performances with Live @ the Lab over two weekends, where local and national acts will transform The Lab at ILA into an immersive dance party.

For a fully immersive experience, come out of winter hibernation and lose yourself to hypnotic beats and art displays with Unsound Adelaide, where headphones leave you no choice but to be enraptured and in the moment.

EDEN by flora&faunavisions

Explore the beauty of nature in EDEN, an interactive event highlighting the vibrant world around us. Created by Berlin-based studio flora&faunavisions, this exhibit blends art and nature, revealing the playful and hopeful aspects of our environment.

Spanning 150 square meters of LED screens, EDEN invites you to explore a digital garden where your actions can spark growth and transformation.

This Adelaide-exclusive event is perfect for the whole family, sparking curiosity, joy, and creativity. 

July 4th to 21st, The Light Room at ILA

Ticketed event, starting from $22pp

Superluminal by Patch Theatre

South Australia’s Patch Theatre is famed for its visually spectacular, interactive experiences for children. In this world premiere, Patch’s Superluminal combines visual design, collaborative storytelling, and interactive play to craft an enchanting installation.

Guided by performers, children explore light, time, and the wonders of nature, fostering a magical sense of connection and belonging.

Presented at the South Australian Museum, Superluminal is the perfect school holiday activity for young children and their families.

July 6th to 10th, South Australian Museum

Ticketed event, starting from $24 per person

Loved our guide to Illuminate Adelaide 2024 and 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.