5 great shows to catch in South Australia’s parks, gardens and heritage sites this festival season

From the CBD to some of South Australia’s most mem­o­rable out­door and her­itage spaces, fes­ti­val ener­gy spills well beyond the usu­al stages.

If you’re look­ing to expe­ri­ence the fes­ti­vals a lit­tle dif­fer­ent­ly, here’s where to catch a show in our nation­al parks, icon­ic her­itage sites and beau­ti­ful gar­dens across South Australia.

1. A Con­cise Com­pendi­um of Wonder

20 Feb – 15 March
Ade­laide Botan­ic Garden

Don’t miss these world pre­mière the­atre pro­duc­tions by Slings­by in Ade­laide Botan­ic Gar­den. As part of the Ade­laide Fes­ti­val, step inside The Wan­der­ing Hall of Pos­si­bil­i­ty on the Gar­den’s leafy Plane Tree Lawn to dis­cov­er a trio of imag­i­na­tive worlds, each con­tain­ing a time­ly and time­less tale. Three new sto­ries, inspired by clas­sic fairy­tales, inter­twine to form an unfor­get­table triptych. 

2. Dupang Fes­ti­val 2026

20 — 21 March
Dupang — Long Point — Coorong

A three-day cel­e­bra­tion of cul­ture, Coun­try and com­mu­ni­ty on Ngar­rind­jeri Lands at the Coorong water­front. Host­ed by Uncle Moogy Sum­n­er and the Tal-Kin-Jeri Dance Group, the fes­ti­val brings togeth­er Abo­rig­i­nal dancers, artists, weavers and knowl­edge keep­ers from across Aus­tralia to share their skills and sto­ries. Join cul­tur­al work­shops in weav­ing, carv­ing and dance, explore the First Nations mar­ket­place plus much more.

While you’re in the area, why not explore oth­er events hap­pen­ing in and around Coorong Nation­al Park as part of our Park of the Month pro­gram for March. 

3. Self-Guid­ed Twi­light Tours

26 Feb­ru­ary – 21 March
Ade­laide Gaol

Step into the Ade­laide Gaol after dark with their spe­cial lim­it­ed-time Self-Guid­ed Twi­light Tours.
Explore the grounds at your own pace and uncov­er the hid­den sto­ries that linger with­in these his­toric walls. As dusk set­tles and shad­ows stretch across the yards, the Gaol’s past feels clos­er than ever; cre­at­ing an eerie, atmos­pher­ic expe­ri­ence you won’t soon forget.

4. Yield Strength: Ade­laide Bien­ni­al of Aus­tralian Art

27 Feb­ru­ary – 8 June
Ade­laide Botan­ic Garden

In a free exhi­bi­tion run­ning as part of the Ade­laide Fes­ti­val, Yield Strength reveals how mate­ri­als, self­hood and soci­ety are test­ed — and trans­formed — under pres­sure. The exhi­bi­tion fea­tures 24 artists who push and reshape their medi­ums to cre­ate rich, lay­ered expe­ri­ences across the Art Gallery of South Aus­tralia, Sam­stag Muse­um of Art and in two loca­tions with­in Ade­laide Botan­ic Gar­den.

5. Edi­acaran Expe­ri­ence Tour

14 — 29 March
Black­smith Shop at Nilpe­na Edi­acara Nation­al Park

Explore the ancient world of the Edi­acaran peri­od on a 2‑hour guid­ed tour of Nilpe­na Edi­acara Nation­al Park. Vis­it the his­toric wool­shed and enjoy the immer­sive audio-visu­al dis­play in the restored Blacksmith’s Shop. Here you will see the Edi­acara ani­mals come back to life via the world-class 20-minute ani­ma­tion, and be able to touch the 9‑metre long Alice’s Restau­rant Fos­sil bed that was painstak­ing­ly relo­cat­ed from the fos­sil research site.

Explore South Australia’s icon­ic places in a new way

As Mad March lights up Ade­laide and beyond, there’s no bet­ter way to expe­ri­ence fes­ti­val sea­son than in the places that make South Aus­tralia spe­cial. From world-class art and the­atre in the Ade­laide Botan­ic Gar­den, to cul­tur­al cel­e­bra­tions at the Coorong, after-dark sto­ries at Ade­laide Gaol, and ancient dis­cov­er­ies at Nilpe­na Edi­acara Nation­al Park, this sea­son invites you to see famil­iar places in a new light. Gath­er your friends, plan ahead and make the most of this fes­ti­val season.

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