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What’s On in Adelaide: August 2026 & Beyond
This is your ultimate guide to what's on in Adelaide this month and beyond.
This month in Adelaide (August 2026), winter is making its final lap, and the city is giving us plenty of reasons to make the most of it. There’s art to discover, long lunches to linger over, cocktails worth making a night of and plenty happening beyond the city, from the Fleurieu’s food-filled winter takeover to a month-long celebration of South Australian artists. Add a few new reasons to get out after dark, and August is looking rather good. This is your editor-approved guide to what’s on in Adelaide this month, with the dates, details and tickets worth knowing about below.
In This Guide
Editors Picks
Hentley Farm x Penny Blue Celebration Dinner
For one night only, two of South Australia’s standout kitchens will share the pass. Hentley Farm Restaurant’s Kyle Johns heads into the city to cook alongside Penny Blue’s Jayesh Patnaik, with a four-course menu shaped around local produce and the distinct sensibilities of both chefs. Johns is known for drawing remarkable flavour from humble, often overlooked ingredients, while Patnaik approaches modern Australian food through a broader global lens. Hentley Farm’s wines have been woven into the menu from the beginning, with an optional Luxury Wine Pairing completing the experience. With only 65 seats, this is a rare meeting of Barossa wine country and Adelaide dining under one roof.
Where: Penny Blue, Adelaide Marriott Hotel
When: Wednesday 2 September 2026 from 5:30pm
Cost: $275pp for food only, or $400pp with the Hentley Wine pairing
Best For: Couples, Date night, Wine lovers
Need to know: Limited to 65 seats — bookings essential.
Alba After Dark, Adelaide
Winter has an official headquarters now, and it smells like mulled wine and toasted marshmallows. Hotel Alba is swapping quiet Fridays for Alba After Dark, a new season-long series that brings vinyl DJs, European comfort food and a cocktail list built for slow nights to the South Terrace precinct. The move is a $30 bottomless spread of gourmet toasties, fries and s’mores, plus negronis and mulled wine made just for the series. The DJ spins from 5 until 8, but no one is really watching the clock.
Where: Hotel Alba Adelaide, 226 South Terrace, Adelaide
When: Every Friday, 5pm–8pm, until 28 August 2026
Cost: $30 per person for bottomless toasties, fries and s’mores
Best For: Couples, Group catch-ups, Families, Nightlife
Monet to Matisse: Defying Tradition, Adelaide
Van Gogh, Cézanne, Degas, Picasso, Matisse. Fifty-seven masterworks from Ohio’s Toledo Museum of Art — none of them previously seen in Australia — arrive at the Art Gallery of South Australia for an Australian-exclusive exhibition tracing modern art from Impressionism through to Abstract Expressionism. The debut show in AGSA’s new Winter Art Series, it comes with a full program to match: weekly Friday Nights from late July with after-hours access, live music and a Taittinger champagne lounge, curator-led tours, family days, a teen program and French-inspired dining from AGSA_eat. This one runs until November — but the sooner you go, the more you’ll get out of it.
Where: Art Gallery of South Australia, Adelaide CBD
When: Saturday 11 July to Sunday 8 November 2026 | Friday Nights from 24 July, 5.30–8.30pm
Cost: From $45
Best for: Art lovers, Cultural experiences, Date night, Couples, Families
Tickets available here.
Festivals & Major Events
Fleurieu Food Festival, Fleurieu Peninsula
The Fleurieu Food Festival returns for a fifth year this August, making its case for the region’s other season. Most people know the Fleurieu for its beaches and long summer weekends, but for one month a year, when the coast empties out and the vines take over, it proves it’s just as good in reverse. More than 50 experiences unfold across farms, wineries and cellar doors, seafood cooked over open flame, long tables beneath old gums, pasta rolled by hand under chefs who know exactly which paddock the flour came from. New additions join the program this year alongside the ones people keep coming back for, whether the plan is one long lunch or a full week working through the region.
Where: Across the Fleurieu Peninsula — including McLaren Vale, Victor Harbor, Yankalilla, Strathalbyn and the Adelaide Hills fringe
When: August 2026
Cost: Free & ticketed from $40
Best For: Couples, Food & drink lovers, Wine lovers, Regional travel, Family-friendly
Need to Know: Program features 50+ individual ticketed experiences including vineyard feasts, farm tours, chef collaborations and degustation dinners; each is booked separately, with new experiences added alongside returning favourites for 2026.
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Eat & Drink
Could This Be Australia’s Biggest Cocktail Trail?
If your idea of a great night out starts with an exceptional cocktail, clear your calendar. Throughout August, some of South Australia’s best bars, including Honeydripper Hifi and Hains & Co are putting their own spin on two all-time classics, with limited-edition Old Fashioneds and creative cocktails made with Venezuela’s most celebrated rum, all pouring for one month only. Expect everything from expertly stirred signature serves to creative twists you won’t find on the regular menu. Whether you’re planning date night, drinks with friends or simply searching for your new favourite bar, this is your excuse to get out and sip your way around town. Hit the links above to find participating venues and think of it as your very own cocktail crawl.
When: Throughout August
Where: Participating venues across Australia
Cost: Varies by venue
Best for: Weekend Plans; Cocktail lovers; Couples; Group catch-ups
Need to know: Both activations run for a limited time only, with participating venues each creating their own signature serves. Browse the venue lists to find a bar near you.
Winter Frites at 2KW, Adelaide
A long lunch with skyline views feels even more tempting this winter at 2KW. The seasonal Winter Frites menu pairs crisp shoestring fries with your choice of steak, market fish, pipis, roasted pumpkin or half a lobster, offering something for every kind of midday craving. Equal parts comforting and refined, it’s an easy excuse to swap your desk for an afternoon spent lingering over lunch.
Where: 2KW, Adelaide
When: Monday to Friday, 12pm to 3pm, throughout winter 2026
Cost: From $26, dishes range from $26 to $95
Best for: Food lovers, group catch-ups, foodies, locals
The Olive Hours, Adelaide
A martini in one hand, a gilda in the other — winter evenings don’t get much more enticing than that. Paloma’s new weekly ritual, The Olive Hours, is bringing a touch of European aperitivo culture to Adelaide every Thursday, pairing crisp, ice-cold martinis with the salty, savoury bite of a perfectly crafted gilda. Choose from Classic Gin and Vodka Martinis, Oyster Gin Martinis and Vespers, then settle in for an evening of good conversation and even better snacks.
Where: Paloma Bar & Pantry, 20 Peel Street, Adelaide
When: Every Thursday, 4:00pm–12:00am in winter
Cost: Free entry
Best for: Couples, Girls’ nights, Group catch-ups, Food & drink lovers, Nightlife
After Light at Exchange Lane, Adelaide
Adelaide Marriott Hotel’s Exchange Lane has a new reason to linger after dark. After Light launches this winter as a weekly Thursday evening experience — seasonal cocktails, curated food and a warm, intimate atmosphere designed to make the most of the cooler months rather than hide from them. The kind of after-work drinks situation that has a habit of turning into a full evening.
Where: Exchange Lane, Adelaide Marriott Hotel, Adelaide CBD
When: Every Thursday from 12 June, 6pm until late
Cost: Free entry
Best for: Date night, Group catch-ups, Food lovers, Locals, Weekend plans
Art, Culture & Performance
SALA Festival, Adelaide
August belongs to artists, and SALA Festival is about to take over the state once again. Returning from August 1–31, the month-long celebration transforms galleries, cafes, wineries, shopfronts and unexpected corners of South Australia into exhibition spaces, showcasing thousands of works by local artists. The full 2026 program drops on July 8, but if previous years are anything to go by, expect studio tours, artist talks, walking trails and plenty of reasons to venture beyond the gallery walls. If you like discovering what’s next before everyone else does, this is one to keep on your radar.
Where: Galleries, cafes, wineries, shopfronts and public spaces across South Australia
When: 1–31 August 2026
Cost: Free (most exhibitions and events; some ticketed extras apply)
Best for: Art lovers, Cultural experiences, Exhibitions
Outdoor & Active
Jenny’s Run Club, Keswick
Adelaide’s best bakery, Jenny’s is launching its first-ever run club, and it’s less about pace and more about the payoff. Pick your speed, a 5km run or a 3km walk, both guided by the crew from Strong Keswick, then loop back to refuel properly. Waiting at the finish line is free coffee and matcha from St Ali, a hydration station from Sodii, warm cookies fresh from Jenny’s, a DJ setting the tone, and an LSKD pop-up with discounts for the day. Prizes are up for grabs too, so there’s every reason to stick around.
Where: Jenny’s Bakery, Keswick
When: August 15, 2026 from 7.30am
Cost: Free
Best for: Free events, group catch-ups, wellness seekers, outdoor activities
Coming Soon
50 Years of Rundle Mall, Adelaide
Rundle Mall is hitting the big 5-0, and it’s celebrating in suitably spectacular style. From September 1 – 6, the city’s favourite meeting place is getting a birthday makeover, with a cinematic parade, nostalgic throwbacks, free carousel rides, a Prosecco Piazza and plenty of music, cake and confetti. There’s even a free photobooth and $50,000 up for grabs. Consider this your excuse to pop into the city and celebrate a little piece of Adelaide history.
Where: Rundle Mall, Adelaide
When: Tuesday 1 – Sunday 6 September
Cost: Free entry
Best For: Families; Free events; Community events; Locals
CheeseFest 2026, Rundle Park/Kadlitpina
CheeseFest is turning 21, and this year’s guest list has a genuine curveball. South Australia’s biggest celebration of cheese, wine and produce returns to Rundle Park/Kadlitpina on October 17 and 18, and joining the usual line-up of local makers is a face you wouldn’t expect on the RAA cooking demonstration stage: Spanish chef and television personality Miguel Maestre, making his CheeseFest debut alongside returning MasterChef 2025 winner Laura Sharrad.
Beyond the headline act, it’s the festival doing what it does best, just at scale. Over 100 cheese, wine, beer, spirit and food producers set up across the park for the weekend, with live demonstrations, hands-on masterclasses and enough tasting opportunities to make a proper afternoon of it.
Where: Rundle Park/Kadlitpina, Adelaide
When: Saturday 17 – Sunday 18 October 2026, Saturday 11am–8pm, Sunday 11am–6pm
Cost: From $29 (Cheese Curious entry), $34 (Cheese Master, includes signature glass), $39.80 (Cheese Addict, express entry + glass + tote). Free entry for kids under 12.
Best For: Food & drink lovers, Wine lovers, Families, Festivals, Group catch-ups
Need to Know: Cooking demonstrations are free to attend; masterclasses are separately ticketed and require booking.
Frequently Asked Questions
This month brings Alba After Dark, Hotel Alba’s new Friday night series with vinyl DJs and European comfort food, and Monet to Matisse: Defying Tradition, an Australian-exclusive exhibition of Impressionist and modern masterworks at AGSA. Regional visitors shouldn’t miss the Fleurieu Food Festival, running throughout August across the Fleurieu Peninsula, while SALA Festival transforms galleries and unexpected spaces across the state for the whole month.
Bar hoppers can work their way through what might be Australia’s biggest cocktail trail, with venues like Honeydripper Hifi and Hains & Co pouring limited-edition serves throughout August. Alba After Dark offers a $30 bottomless toastie and s’mores spread every Friday, while 2KW’s Winter Frites menu, Paloma’s new weekly Olive Hours and Exchange Lane’s After Light all bring seasonal food and drink experiences to the city this winter. Outside the CBD, the Fleurieu Food Festival delivers 50+ ticketed experiences across the region’s farms, wineries and cellar doors.
Monet to Matisse: Defying Tradition is the standout, bringing 57 previously unseen Toledo Museum of Art masterworks to AGSA with a full program of Friday Nights, curator-led tours and family days. Running alongside it is SALA Festival, the month-long celebration of South Australian artists across galleries, cafes and unexpected corners of the state.
Alba After Dark features vinyl DJs spinning from 5 to 8pm every Friday through the season, and Monet to Matisse’s weekly Friday Nights bring live music and a Taittinger champagne lounge to AGSA after hours. On a bigger scale, SALA Festival runs the full month of August with studio tours and artist talks across the state, and the Fleurieu Food Festival brings long lunches and open-flame feasts to the region throughout August.
Monet to Matisse includes dedicated family days as part of its program at AGSA, making it a solid pick for a cultural outing with the kids. The Fleurieu Food Festival is also flagged as family-friendly among its 50+ regional experiences, for those happy to make a day trip of it.
Much of SALA Festival is free to explore, with galleries, shopfronts and public spaces across the state opening up for the month. Jenny’s Run Club in Keswick also throws in free coffee, matcha, cookies and a hydration station for anyone who turns up to run or walk, and the Fleurieu Food Festival includes a mix of free and ticketed experiences across the region.
Rundle Mall turns 50 from Tuesday 1 to Sunday 6 September, with a cinematic parade, free carousel rides, a Prosecco Piazza and $50,000 up for grabs to mark the milestone. Later in the year, CheeseFest returns to Rundle Park/Kadlitpina on 17–18 October for its 21st edition, with Spanish chef Miguel Maestre joining MasterChef winner Laura Sharrad among more than 100 cheese, wine and produce makers.
All event dates, times, and costs are accurate at the time of publication. Please check official event websites for any updates or changes.
Looking for more things to do in Adelaide? Check out 21 Fun Date Ideas in Adelaide. Or if you have little ones to entertain, try the Best Things to Do in Adelaide with Kids.
