Office for Ageing Well’s Guide to the Festival

Hello everyone!

It is a great pleasure to invite you to the first festival I have curated as Artistic Director. I am proud of the many artists from around the world we have gathered at the 2026 festival, as well as the support we have offered artists to dream big in South Australia. While curating this program I am always thinking about what artistic experiences I can offer that will fill you with adrenaline, be rewarding in their originality and beauty, and offer sophisticated insights into the world we are all living in. I am confident this program will deliver.

I am an advocate that our senior audience members are those who have seen the most in the world. Therefore, your opinions and views of the festival program are important to me, and I hope you feel free to share your experiences and responses.

I have just moved to Adelaide, and it reminds me of my hometown of Perth. My mother brought me to Adelaide Festival in 2002 and I can still remember the productions I saw (The Overcoat being a highlight) therefore I know the power that productions at Adelaide Festival can have on the imagination. I am pinching myself, as it is an honour to curate the Adelaide Festival - I am dreaming daily with artists around the world about what they can create in Adelaide.

Thank you for your supporting Adelaide Festival over so many years and for making Adelaide Festival be the place where every curious mind in the country wants to be in March each year. I hope you can join us once again and I look forward to meeting you.

Cheers

Matt

Matinees

Download our full program of matinee performances HERE.

Adelaide Writers’ Week

Thanks to the Office for Ageing Well and Seniors Card, we are able to live stream Writers’ Week East Stage sessions across four days (Mon 2 Mar – Thu 5 Mar, 9:30am-6pm) for those who can’t join us in the Gardens. This live streaming service is open to libraries, community centres, schools, aged care facilities and retirement villages across Australia.

Please contact your local venue to check what days and times they will be offering live streaming, as the opening hours will vary at each location.

Seniors can access discounted tickets via the following schemes.

Concession Ticket Discounts
Concession-priced tickets. Valid identification must be provided for ticket collection and for admission to the venue.  

Tix For Next To Nix
Adelaide Festival is offering limited tickets across a selection of Festival events at just $5. We encourage first-time festival goers that would like to be part of this program to register your interest once the full program is on sale in November. Individual patrons may access a maximum of six tickets through Tix For Next To Nix.

Pay What You Can
Pay What You Can tickets are available for select Adelaide Festival shows. Tickets are available one hour prior to the performance start time. The list of shows and dates and times will be listed on our Open House page from Fri 24 Jan.

Please note: A current Health Care Card or Pension Card is required to access all three of these discounts. The Commonwealth Senior Health Care Card and Seniors Card are ineligible.

There are a number of venues home to Adelaide Festival events. Please see information below for our key venues, and head to our Venues page to view transport and access information for all venues. South Australian Seniors Card members can travel for free on all Adelaide Metro buses, trains and trams – all day, every day! Some of the most direct public transport options are listed below:

Adelaide Festival Centre

By Bus
From South – Stop Z1/Z2 (300m walk)
From North – Stop A3 (350m walk)

By Train
Adelaide Railway Station (400m walk)

By Tram
Festival Plaza Tram Stop (200m walk)
Adelaide Railway Station Tram Stop (400m walk)

Adelaide Town Hall

By Bus
From South – Stop V2 King William St (75m walk)
From North – Stop E1 King William St (75m walk)

By Train
Adelaide Railway Station (700m walk)

By Tram
Pirie Street Tram Stop (75m walk)

Her Majesty's Theatre

By Bus
From West  - Stop D2 Grote St (20m walk)
From East – Stop W1/W2 Grote Street (80m walk)

By Train
Adelaide Railway Station (900m walk)

By Tram
Victoria Square Tram Stop (250m walk)

Elder Hall

By Bus
From West - Stop G1 North Terrace (100m walk)
From East – Stop T1 North Terrace (150m walk)

By Train
Adelaide Railway Station (750m walk)

By Tram
University Tram Stop (200m walk)

Driving to your event? Visit UPark to find the closest car park to your venue.

Everyone has the right to access quality arts and entertainment. Adelaide Festival provides a number of options including: wheelchair accessibility, hearing loops, touch tours, and more. Please head to our Access page to view the full range of information.

Volunteering is a great way to get involved with the Festival, be a part of the arts community, and make new friends.

Our volunteers provide vital support for Adelaide Festival and Adelaide Writers’ Week every year and receive an AF t-shirt and lanyard, access to discounted tickets, social events, and opportunities to be part of and engage with the wider AF volunteer community.

We ask our volunteers to commit to 10-12 hours of service for each festival through a variety of roles including that support our staff, artists, venues, and individual programs.

If you’d like to get involved in 2026, register your interest when applications open here.