Illuminate Adelaide to Showcase Australian-First Immersive Installations, Powerful Music & Colourful Art

When Illuminate Adelaide launched its blockbuster line up in 2022, everyone got excited. From inflatable outdoor pop-ups to orchestral performances at a local Polish club, ethereal light projections throughout Adelaide Botanic Gardens and a performance from none other than The Gorillaz, the ambitious event lit up the festival city like nothing before. 

Local and international artists came together to transform Adelaide into a dynamic digital exhibition, and a whopping 1.2-million people flocked to the city to immerse themselves in the magic of music, light and technology.

Illuminate Adelaide, now in its third year, challenges locals to reimagine their relationships with Adelaide’s public spaces — some iconic, many overlooked — through an innovative convergence of art and technology. It also remains firmly committed to making art more accessible.

With a mix of free, family-friendly events that you can stumble upon in the city and underground, ticketed performances that bring creative excellence from as far abroad as Poland to our shores, the festival offers something for everyone. 

We were lucky enough to attend Illuminate Adelaide’s lineup presentation for 2023, and boy is it a biggie!

A celebration of new technology and ambitious creative minds, the festival will feature Australian-first immersive exhibits, a timely performance from local icons Yothu Yindi, a precinct-wide showcase of art from Masterchef alumna Poh Ling Yeow, 40 new playful projections and installations across the city, and more.

These are our festival highlights for 2023.

Adelaide will come alive for Illuminate Adelaide from June 28th to July 30th. Book your tickets on the website now.

Resonate by Moment Factory

Light Cycles was one of our favourite events at Illuminate Adelaide in 2022, and Moment Factory's mesmerising experience is back and better than ever in 2023. Resonate will enchant audiences with light shows and synchronised sound set across a 1.7-metre night time trail at Adelaide Botanic Gardens. Having worked with everyone from Madonna to Disney and Singapore's Changi Airport, Montreal-based multimedia studio Moment Factory are absolute masterminds in transforming spaces into multi-sensory playgrounds. Mark this one on your calendar — it will set out fast.

Mirror Mirror by Moment Factory

Let your imagination run wild at Mirror Mirror, a new choose your own adventure-style interactive installation from Moment Factory. Taking place at the festival's ground zero, Victoria Square, the pop up will present everyone who enters with a completely unique and electrifying experience. 

Arborialis by Architects of Air

Like something out of The Magic School Bus, Arborialis by Architects of Air will take you inside a labyrinth of tunnels illuminated by a kaleidoscope of colours and patterns. The winding, surreal sculptures will evoke child-like joy and are bound to transport big and little minds to another world. 

Music from Australia & Abroad

The third year of Illuminate Adelaide will play host to the festival's most diverse line up yet. Spanning genres, styles and presentations, the music will have you dancing at a club one night and listening to powerful ballads the next.

Expect a timely performance from Australian icons Yothu Yindi at Hindley Street Music Hall, a return of KLASSIK underground at the Dom Polski Centre, and four weeks of late-night bopping to psychedelic patterns at Live @ The Lab.

The festival's final weekend is one for the books. Tourist (aka William Phillips – co-writer of Sam Smith’s Grammy award-winning Stay With Me) will set hearts souring with a must-see performance at Hindley Street Music Hall. 

The Eyes by Cool Shit

Melbournians will be familiar with Cool Shit's The Eyes, which made an appearance at Fed Square several months ago. The wacky 8-metre sculpture speaks to our complicated relationships with surveillance, watching down on you as you look back at it. Presented as one of 40 free works in the city, you'll want to bring the whole family down to see this one.

Electric Dandelions by Liquid PXL

Over 17 days, Adelaide city will come alive with free works from contemporary local and international artists. One such exhibit is Electric Dandelions from LA's Liquid PXL. The massive acrylic sculptures look like beautiful flowers during the day and a colourful fireworks display frozen in time at night. 

Looking for more glorious things to do in Adelaide this winter? Check out our monthly guide for the latest and greatest events, or eat and drink your way through the city at the best new restaurants, bars and cafes.