Illuminate Adelaide 2025

A celebration of innovation, art, light, music and technology  2 – 20 July 2025

Each year throughout July, Illuminate Adelaide celebrates that idea by bringing together the best and boldest in art, music, technology and invention from around Australia and the world, and sets them loose across the city and the state.

From 2 – 20 July, South Australia’s premier winter event turns Adelaide’s streetscapes and iconic locations into a beacon. An invitation. A city-wide spectacle daring you to shake off the winter blues and rekindle a sense of wonder. Welcoming people from all walks of life to experience a program of free and ticketed events by local, national and international artists, Illuminate Adelaide is about staying up, heading out, and coming together. It’s about looking forward, breaking ground, and making memories. It’s about turning those long winter nights into an opportunity: to wake imaginations and let curiosity run wild.

There are a number of ways you can explore Illuminate Adelaide and all the different venues, buildings and precincts that plan to light up this winter.

Here’s what to look forward to in 2025!

Night Visions | Wed 02 – Sun 20 July 2025

Adelaide Botanic Garden transforms into a breathtaking after-dark experience in Night Visions, a brand-new immersive journey created exclusively by Illuminate Adelaide. Featuring cutting-edge light, lasers, projections, and sound, this mesmerising trail invites visitors to step through a portal of parallel worlds where the natural beauty of the Garden is reimagined through futuristic technology and stunning artistry.

Horizons | Friday 18 July 2025

Back by popular demand with a second show added, Horizons lights up Adelaide Oval for a one-night-only drone and light spectacular. This multi-sensory experience spans 60,000 years of history, blending state-of-the-art technology with storytelling to celebrate South Australia’s past, present and future. With drones, lights, sound, and screens above the banks of Karrawirra Parri, audiences will be taken on a powerful journey from First Nations connection to sporting triumphs and beyond.

Universal Kingdom | Thu 03 – Sun 20 July 2025

Roaring into Adelaide Zoo after dark, Universal Kingdom: The Next Era invites families into a prehistoric playground filled with life-sized dinosaurs, light displays, and hands-on adventure. Kids can pat baby dinos, race raptors, and dig for fossils while encountering iconic species like the Triceratops and T-Rex. Created by Erth and A Blanck Canvas, this thrilling dino experience blends puppetry, light, and interactivity into one epic nighttime expedition.

City Lights | Thu 04 – Sun 20 July 2025

A fan favourite of Illuminate Adelaide, City Lights returns with 17 nights of free illuminated wonder across Adelaide’s CBD. From the East End to Festival Plaza, the city comes alive with stunning projections, interactive installations, and captivating performances by world-class artists. Perfect for all ages, this self-guided adventure invites families to rediscover the city in the glow of creativity and colour.

How to book tickets Online – You can book tickets online here. Simply click the BOOK button next to each event to be directed to the authorised ticket seller.

Where to park – Illuminate Adelaide events are scattered throughout the city. It is advisable to plan your itinerary thoughtfully and select the most suitable Wilson Parking site based on proximity and accessibility for your event.

Public Transport – To navigate your movement across Illuminate Adelaide events scattered throughout the city, Adelaide Metro provides a specialised network of buses, trains, and trams. You can access the Adelaide Metro planner to obtain timetables and tickets and select the option that best suits your requirements. Or you can utilise the Free City Connector bus and tram services, which operate on a continuous loop throughout the city and North Adelaide. These services run every 15 minutes on weekdays and every 30 minutes on weekends.