Youth & Education

Adelaide Festival is dedicated to giving every young person in South Australia the opportunity to engage with the arts. Experiencing world class performances and exhibitions provides students and teachers a conduit for sharing creative conversations and engaging in critical debates on big ideas and global issues as well as motivating their creative practice.

Thanks to the generous philanthropic support of the Nunn Dimos Foundation and The Foskett Foundation, the commitment to discounted prices for students will continue in 2026 along with the delivery of teacher guides and resources for selected performances.

Now Open For School Bookings:

A Concise Compendium of Wonder
Slingsby

Step inside The Wandering Hall of Possibility to discover a trio of imaginative worlds, each containing a timely and timeless tale. This compendium of new Australian stories, inspired by classic fairytales, intertwines to form an unforgettable triptych. Experience each story individually or immerse yourself in an epic journey through the complete collection – all bound in one evolving wooden building that continually reveals new surprises.

Using Slingsby’s internationally renowned theatre techniques – shadow, light-play, miniatures, and original music – this magical theatre experience will transport you through time and space on a voyage that explores humanity’s shifting relationship with nature.

School Bookings for A Concise Compendium of Wonder are now available HERE. Sales to general public will be available in October with the full 2026 program launch.

Image: Alex Frayne

The Childhood of the World By Jennifer Mills
In a time of famine, siblings Ré and Crann are taken from their father under the guise of apprenticeships. But as they are carted away, they suspect a darker destiny. Their escape finds them lost in a forest of danger and possibility. Only by learning to read the wisdom found in their natural surroundings will they survive a perilous journey home.

The Giant’s Garden By Ursula Dubosarsky
While rowdy children climb joyfully in the branches of a huge tree, Ida tends her quiet corner of nature with her friend Quill the snail. The children scatter in fear when a giant claims the tree as their own, building a high wall to keep others out - separating Ida from Quill. As perpetual winter sets in, the children are horrified to hear the giant preparing to destroy the tree. Amid the sorrow, one small, courageous voice may hold the power to change their fate.

The Tree of Light By Ceridwen Dovey
It is the last day of the year 3099. The leader of the Moonfolk, an elder at the age of 12, asks you to pause your ceaseless survival work to join her in the giant hollow trunk of the last remaining tree on the Moon. She invites you to do something unthinkable, something that your ancestors, the Earthkind, once had the luxury to do: listen to a story that might lead you on the long journey home.

School Bookings Form

 

School Bookings & Teacher Resources

Discounted prices for school bookings will be available for select shows in 2026. Prices will be $20 per student or $15 per student for Equity (Category 1-4 DfE & CE schools). With thanks to the generosity of the Nunn Dimos Foundation and The Foskett Foundation.

Teacher resources for select shows will be available following the full program launch in October.

Youth & Education Program Partners

   

Thank you to the donors who supported Festival Connect through Adelaide Festival’s Benefactor program and End of Financial Year Campaign.