Adelaide: Why it's the best winter trip for Kiwis

It’s time to see Australia in a new light. If you’re looking for a midwinter escape, Adelaide should be in your sights.

The South Australian capital is home to the country’s newest winter festival, Illuminate Adelaide, and it’s arguably one of the best light shows in the Southern Hemisphere.

For an entire month, the city comes alive with an array of world-class light installations, immersive art experiences, and live performances. Last year the event recorded more than 1.2 million attendances, and 2023’s event is expected to be even more popular.

With direct flights from Auckland, getting there is easy, so here are seven reasons you can’t miss this year’s festival.

The highlight of the festival is a series of light shows at the 51-hectare Adelaide Botanic Gardens.

The immersive after-dark experience leads you along a two-kilometre trail, surrounded by interactive light installations that keep you guessing around each turn.

I was lucky enough to visit last year, and walking through the garden’s light tunnel was close to an out-of-body experience. We were showered with thousands of shimmering lights, creating the illusion of being enveloped by a blanket of stars.

For the first two festivals, the show was called “Light Cycles” and hundreds of thousands of people were mesmerised by the experience. This year, it’s called “Resonate” and promises six new installations in the botanic gardens - it’s not to be missed.

Adelaide Zoo transforms into a luminous playground for the festival, with its own show called “Light Creatures.” You’ll wander through the zoo’s lush grounds, discovering a kaleidoscope of different installations like floating jellyfish and a majestic golden falcon. This event is particularly popular with kids.

One of the other major features of this year’s festival is “Mirror Mirror”, which is an interactive light show that’s currently showing in Montreal. By July, it would have made its way to Adelaide for its Australian debut.

After stepping inside, you’ll be invited to select one of three doors that will take you on a sensory light journey. Along the way, you can create your very own light show, by transforming words into displays.

This huge inflatable maze is a “luminarium”, which essentially means it’s a sculpture that you can walk inside and is filled with a kaleidoscope of light.

Inside you’ll find a labyrinth of tunnels and domes all colourfully lit and inspired by the intricate geometry of Islamic and Gothic architecture.

The displays are designed to conjure up images of “the light-dappled canopies and awe-inspiring trunks of forests around the world” and includes a soundtrack from some of the most untouched ecosystems in the world.

Aside from the feature events, the city also has more than 40 free light installations around the CBD for you to explore. Some are integrated into the city’s most iconic sights, while others are hidden and found on a map.

Some of the highlights this year are 8.5-metre dandelions, an installation that turns your voice into light, giant illuminated spiders, an 8-metre sculpture of eyeballs and lots of interactive light games.

Aside from light shows, the festival is full of live music including the popular Unsound Adelaide, a series of shows full of experimental music. This includes Ukraine’s Heinali, who streamed a concert from a bomb shelter after the Russian invasion got underway. Another highlight is “Live at the Lab 2023” where cutting-edge music and digital arts intersect.

With dozens of performances, there’s an event for every taste.

While Illuminate is a massive drawcard, Adelaide offers much more that you can’t miss.

The obvious is a trip out to the Barossa Valley, with more than 150 wineries just an hour's drive from the city. But if you don’t fancy a drive, Adelaide is also home to one of the world's few urban vineyards. Established in 1844, Penfolds is one of the country’s oldest wineries and an iconic brand.

The city is also home to more than 900 restaurants and eateries, with a thriving café culture supporting local producers. One of them you can’t miss is Lucia's Pizza Bar, which is found in the Adelaide Central Market.

The shop was opened by Lucia Rosella in 1957, making it one of the oldest pizzerias in Australia. Today it’s run by her two daughters, Nicky and Maria – who can still be found serving and making pizza dough.

Try one of their iconic pizzas before working them off with a stroll around the market, one of the largest undercover fresh produce markets in the Southern Hemisphere.

If you’re looking for an unforgettable night away, try staying in one of Adelaide’s “Lost Retreats.”

There are three to choose from, including the skyline cabin 'Lost in Mt Osmond’ - which overlooks the CBD. After a busy couple of days in the city, this is the perfect place to decompress with a book and enjoy the spectacular views.

Air New Zealand has several direct flights a week from Auckland to Adelaide, with connections across the domestic network. Qatar Airways has daily direct services from Auckland to Adelaide until September 1, 2023.

Eos by SkyCity offers rooms in central Adelaide from NZ$384 per night. See:

Lost in Mt Osmond offers an off-grid cabin just 15 minutes from the CBD overlooking the city from A$289 (NZ$309) per night. See:

Illuminate Adelaide will be from June 28 to July 30, 2023, for the full programme and tickets see:

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