Adelaide Writers' Week 2025 Program Launches

The 2025 Adelaide Festival opens today with a Global Showcase of Arts & Culture 65 events, 11 world premieres, 9 Australian premieres and 15 exclusives

Over the next 17 days the 2025 Adelaide Festival will welcome artists from across the country and around the world to participate in its milestone 40th program. Showcasing an extraordinary lineup of events throughout the city, this year's Festival highlights the transformative power of the arts in a rapidly changing world.

Celebrating 65 years of artistic excellence, the 2025 Adelaide Festival reaffirms its status as Australia's premier international arts festival, setting the benchmark for cultural innovation and global collaboration.

Adelaide Festival Artistic Director Brett Sheehy AO says “Adelaide Festival Artistic Director Brett Sheehy AO says “I'm thrilled to be back at the artistic helm of Adelaide Festival for 2025. The strength of our international program this year is, yet again, unparalleled in the nation, with the monumental opera Innocence, the epic Club Amour, and a stellar line-up of international productions and artists. Add to this our national productions and artists and we cement our 65-year reputation as Australia's preeminent multi-arts festival. My endless thanks to all of the artists joining us this year and to the Adelaide Festival team, who make the impossible happen, who never say never, and who have delivered this 2025 program to Adelaide, Australia and the world."

Chief Executive of Adelaide Festival Kath M Mainland CBE says “I'm absolutely delighted to welcome audiences to the 2024 Adelaide Festival. As Australia's premiere international arts festival, we bring together an extraordinary assembly of world-class artists from right across the globe, performing alongside the remarkable talent we have right here in South Australia. This year's program is set to challenge, inspire, and captivate in equal measure. There is nowhere quite like Adelaide in March – the city comes alive with culture, creativity and world-renowned festivals. We are immensely grateful for the support of our many donors and partners, not least the Government of South Australia for its steadfast support, which ensures that this great festival continues to thrive on the global stage.

Minister for Arts Andrea Michaels MP says: "Adelaide Festival is South Australia's premier arts festival and it's fantastic to be celebrating the opening for 2025 - the 40th program of one of South Australia's most iconic events. 

The Malinauskas Government has invested an additional $2.3 million to bring major international events to South Australia as part of Adelaide Festival and this year, that money is going toward bringing us the opera Innocence which will make its exclusive Australian debut tonight on opening night.”

In addition to Innocence, the program contains other stellar international performances, artists and authors, alongside incredible South Australian talent and I'd like to congratulate Brett, Ruth, Kath and the entire team on producing it."

OPENING WEEKEND KEY EVENTS

Audiences can dive into the festival early with two exceptional performances opening ahead of the official program. Hedwig and the Angry Inch, starring the incomparable Seann Miley Moore will have a season at the Queen's Theatre from 18 February, while Australian Dance Theatre's A Quiet Language marks a milestone 60th anniversary celebration at The Odeon Theatre from 26 February.

The highly anticipated Innocence makes its Australian premiere on the opening weekend in the Festival Theatre from 28 February following its sellout triumph at London's Royal Opera House, and immediately before its New York debut at the Metropolitan Opera. This astonishing and epic production has its exclusive Australian season in the 2025 Festival.

Legendary Oscar-nominated Irish actor Stephen Rea stars in Samuel Beckett's theatrical masterpiece Krapp's Last Tape at the Dunstan Playhouse from 27 February and just next door in the Space Theatre you can see Samuel Barnett in another solo performance in the black comedy Feeling Afraid As If Something Terrible Is Going To Happen from 26 February.

Electrifying Spanish flamenco dancer Rocío Molina will perform in Caída del Cielo (Fallen from Heaven) at Her Majesty's Theatre from 28 February and celebrated Polish pianist, composer and singer Hania Rani will perform one show at the Adelaide Entertainment Centre on 1 March as part of her national tour.

Other highlights across the opening week include the Australian Premiere of Nyilamum - song cycles with Dr Lou Bennett AM and Australian String Quartet for one performance on 27 February at the Adelaide Town Hall. Experience spine-tingling classical music in the intimate setting of Elder Hall from 28 February as the Daylight Express series presents a stellar lineup of 17 exceptional musicians. Offering world-class performances at lunchtime, this series is a must-see for lovers of classical music.

On 1 March Jess Hitchcock & Penny Quartet perform at the Adelaide Town Hall and acclaimed choreographer Lucy Guerin's One Single Action in an Ocean of Everything' opens its season at AC Arts Main Theatre. The second fairytale in Slingsby's trilogy of works-in-development, The Giant's Garden, offers a fresh reimagining of The Selfish Giant. From 28 February at Slingsby's Hall of Possibility.

Presenting the work of more than 100 designers and activists the Art Gallery of South Australia's exhibition Radical Textiles will be on display until 30 March and Carrick Hill presents The Taken Path at The Wall Gallery until 16 March.

The 40th Adelaide Writer's Week returns from 1 – 6 March to the Pioneer Women's Memorial Garden with this year's theme ‘Words Matter'. Featuring an impressive lineup of authors, with over 230 writers across more than 151 sessions, this year for the first time there will be a Schools Day on 28 February and the hugely popular Young Readers Day returns on 2 March with a jam-packed program designed for children and young people. Start the day with Breakfast With Papers then take your seat at one of the many stages in the garden. This year there are also 11 ticketed events at Adelaide Town Hall and the Drill Hall at the Torrens Parade Ground, including the new initiative Podfest.

FREE EVENTS

With a number of free events throughout the Festival audiences can experience a dynamic and diverse program, showcasing an exciting mix of artistic performances and cultural experiences accessible to all. Events include:

The world premiere of Stephanie Lake Company's MASS MOVEMENT on Saturday 1 March at 7pm, co-commissioned with The Australian Ballet. Over 1000 dancers ranging in age from 12 to 80 and representing a diverse mix of dance styles will come together for a breathtaking one-time-only performance in Elder Park.

Make your way down to Port Adelaide for The Walking Track and enjoy an immersive guided experience with six short works by local First Nations artists at Vitalstatistix.

View the visual art exhibition Shared Skin at ACE Gallery and Samstag Museum of Art will present the group exhibition Direct, Directed, Directly across their two gallery levels.

Catch up with friends at the Festival's new hub The Courtyard located on the Festival Plaza, with nightly programming of live music and DJ's from Wednesday to Sunday evenings. You can drop in early for a pre-show drink and bite to eat or stay late after seeing a show.

And this is just the first week of Adelaide Festival 2025 with myriad other events set to take place in Adelaide right through to Sunday 16 March.

Discount ticket schemes for those facing a financial barrier include continuing established Festival initiatives Tix for Next to Nix and Pay What You Can, thanks to The Balnaves Foundation, and inclusive equity program for category 1 – 4 schools, Festival Connect, thanks to the James & Diana Ramsay Foundation, SA Power Networks, Waternish and Adelaide Festival Benefactors.

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