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What’s On in Adelaide: September 2026 & Beyond
This is your ultimate guide to what's on in Adelaide this month and beyond.
This month in Adelaide (September 2026), winter’s finally packing its bags and spring is elbowing its way in. Rundle Mall turns 50 with a week of cinematic parades and free carousel rides, the Royal Adelaide Show brings new-for-2026 rides and a Human Cannonball act to Wayville, and the Australian-exclusive Monet to Matisse opens at AGSA. Add ranunculus fields blooming in the Hills and a new Thursday aperitivo ritual worth booking ahead for, and September is shaping up as the month Adelaide shakes off the cold for 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
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
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
Royal Adelaide Show
The Royal Adelaide Show is back for another nine days of everything South Australians look forward to all year. From September 5 – 13, the Adelaide Showground transforms into a whirlwind of new-for-2026 rides (hello, Warrior and Lunarix), fresh showbags to hunt down, a Hot Wheels Stunt Spectacular, a Human Cannonball act from a Guinness World Record holder, plus the usual line-up of animal nurseries, fireworks and fairy floss that make it a South Australian institution. Whether you’re chasing thrill rides or just here for the showbags, it’s the one week Adelaide fully embraces its inner kid.
Where: Adelaide Showground, Goodwood Road, Wayville
When: Saturday 5 – Sunday 13 September
Cost: From $29 (adult, Mon–Fri) / $35 (Sat–Sun); Child (5–14) from $17; Under 5 free; Family passes from $69
Best For: Families; Rides and thrills; Food and showbags; Community events
Tickets available here.
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Eat & Drink
Family Affair at Latteria
Sunday lunch gets the Italian treatment at Latteria, where Family Affair is an invitation to settle in and stay awhile. Expect lasagne, Italian favourites, a few glasses of something good and the kind of long-table conversation that makes a Sunday afternoon disappear. Come hungry, bring your favourite people and let lunch take its time.
Where: Latteria, Hutt Street, Adelaide CBD
When: Every Sunday
Cost: À la carte
Best For: Families, Group catch-ups, Weekend plans, Food lovers
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
Cost: Free entry
Best for: Couples, Girls’ nights, Group catch-ups, Food & drink lovers, Nightlife
Outdoor & Active
Hahndorf Flower Farm, Paechtown
Hahndorf Flower Farm is opening its gates for spring, with its biggest planting ever of more than 15,000 ranunculus coming into bloom across the Adelaide Hills. Online bookings are open now for the farm’s signature Pick Your Own Flowers experience, a 90-minute wander through the fields where you can handpick your favourites and build a bouquet to take home. Kids can join in too, with 50% off flower picking for little ones this season. With the warmer weather nudging the blooms along, the season won’t last forever, so it’s worth booking a spot while the fields are at their prettiest.
Where: 97b Darby Road, Paechtown
When: Spring season, online bookings open now
Cost: $65pp for Pick Your Own Flowers (90 min); kids’ flower picking 50% off this season
Best For: Families; Flower picking; Adelaide Hills day trips; Spring activities
Coming Soon
ADL Fashion Week 2026
Adelaide gets dressed up for five days of fashion, with ADL Fashion Week bringing runway shows, styling sessions, talks and events to the city and North Adelaide. Expect local labels, Australian designers, slow-fashion workshops and a few stylish reasons to linger over lunch or a drink along the way. Highlights include The South Australian Showcase, BY JOHNNY’s return to the runway, The Couture Ball and The Wolf Gang’s 10-year celebration.
Where: Adelaide CBD and North Adelaide
When: Wednesday 7 to Sunday 11 October 2026
Cost: Varies by event
Best For: Cultural experiences, Unique experiences, Locals, Visitors
Lucky Dumpling Market
Lucky Dumpling Market returns to Elder Park for four weeks of dumplings, bao, noodles, curries, satay and sweet treats, with 27 vendors to work your way through. Alongside returning favourites, six newcomers join the line-up, including a collaboration between Shōbōshō and ShoSho. Expect a few drinks, live entertainment and karaoke between plates, with Moon Lanterns joining the market for the first time. Fridays will also open from noon, making this a rather good excuse to trade the desk for dumplings.
Where: Elder Park / Tarntanya Wama
When: Friday 9 October to Sunday 1 November 2026
Cost: Free entry
Best For: Families, Foodies, Group catch-ups, Live music
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.
Tickets available here.
Frequently Asked Questions
Hahndorf Flower Farm in Paechtown, in the Adelaide Hills, opens for spring with its Pick Your Own Flowers experience, a 90-minute session through fields of ranunculus in bloom. Bookings are open online now, with sessions priced from $65 per person and 50% off flower picking for kids this season. Given spring blooms move quickly once warmer weather sets in, locking in a slot early is worth prioritising for anyone planning a Hills day trip built around it.
Monet to Matisse: Defying Tradition is showing at the Art Gallery of South Australia, featuring 57 masterworks from Ohio’s Toledo Museum of Art, including pieces by Van Gogh, Cézanne, Degas, Picasso and Matisse, none previously shown in Australia. It’s the debut exhibition in AGSA’s new Winter Art Series and runs until November 2026. The show is supported by a full program, including weekly Friday Nights 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.
Rundle Mall is marking 50 years with a week of celebrations from Tuesday 1 to Sunday 6 September 2026. The program includes a cinematic parade, nostalgic throwbacks, free carousel rides, a Prosecco Piazza, live music, cake, confetti and a free photobooth, with $50,000 up for grabs across the celebrations. Entry is free, making it an easy add-on to a day in the city centre. It suits families, locals and anyone keen to mark a piece of Adelaide retail history without needing to book ahead.
The Royal Adelaide Show runs for nine days from Saturday 5 to Sunday 13 September 2026 at the Adelaide Showground on Goodwood Road, Wayville. Adult tickets start from $29 Monday to Friday and $35 on weekends, with child tickets (ages 5 to 14) from $17 and children under 5 admitted free. Family passes are available from $69. The 2026 show features new rides including Warrior and Lunarix, a Human Cannonball act, a Hot Wheels Stunt Spectacular, and the usual line-up of animal nurseries, fireworks and showbags.
September brings a strong mix of major events and seasonal activities to Adelaide. Rundle Mall celebrates 50 years with a week-long birthday program from 1 to 6 September, including a cinematic parade and free carousel rides. The Royal Adelaide Show runs from 5 to 13 September at Wayville with new rides and a Human Cannonball act. Monet to Matisse: Defying Tradition opens at the Art Gallery of South Australia, bringing 57 Toledo Museum masterworks to Australia for the first time. Hahndorf Flower Farm also opens its ranunculus fields for picking as spring arrives.
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.
