The Hon Peter Malinauskas MP Premier of South Australia
The Hon Andrea Michaels MP Minister for Arts
The Hon Blair Boyer MP Minister for Education
The Hon Karlene Maywald Chair, Adelaide Festival Centre Trust Douglas Gautier AM CEO & Artistic Director, Adelaide Festival Centre
For fifty incredible years, DreamBIG Children’s Festival has fuelled the creativity and curiosity of over two and a half million of our state’s young people.
In doing so, it has become a touchstone for generations of South Australian children – and become the longestrunning children’s festival on the planet.
Happy half-century, DreamBIG, and thank you for introducing us to a bigger and more extraordinary world.
DreamBIG Children’s Festival provides a place for young people to connect to their community and their sense of self through world-class performances and immersive workshops.
We encourage families to explore the rich opportunities to engage with the wonderful world of arts, culture and creativity in this year’s program.
We are delighted to be welcoming young people and their families to Adelaide Festival Centre to celebrate 50 years of DreamBIG Children’s Festival. What an incredible contribution this event has made to the South Australian arts scene over generations!
In recognition of this grand anniversary, we are bringing back the beloved Opening Parade and presenting a special exhibition in Festival Theatre Galleries – 50 Years of Dreaming Big.
Adelaide Festival Centre is located on the traditional lands of the Kaurna people. We pay respect to ancestors and Elders past, present and emerging as the traditional custodians of the Adelaide Plains. We honour their cultural and spiritual relationship with their Country and we do so in the spirit of reconciliation.
Ages: 5–11
Jolyon James and NCM
IMAGINE LIVE
Based on the book Imagine by Alison Lester
IMAGINE LIVE invites you on a journey of creativity, friendship, and the wonders of our natural world.
Performers breathe life into the pages of Alison Lester’s beloved book, revealing hidden depths and unexpected adventures.
Crafted by the acclaimed team behind Robot Song, this interactive musical promises enchantment and excitement for all ages.
Dunstan Playhouse 10 & 11 May, 11.30am & 2pm 60mins
Adult: $35
Concession: $29
Child: $27
Family of 4: $105
Image | Jolyon James
Fancy
Long Legs
Join us for a brand-new glittery and vibrant musical adventure, based on the picture book by tinsel and craft icon Rachel Burke.
This uplifting story takes a sparkly and relatable look at neurodivergence, staying true to yourself and finding friends who love you and celebrate your differences.
Dunstan Playhouse 17 May, 12pm & 3pm
50mins
Adult: $35
Concession: $29
Child: $27
Family of 4: $105 Ages: 5–8
The Little Red Company, La Boite Theatre and Brisbane Festival
Based on the book by Rachel Burke
Amidst a backdrop of whimsical inventions and quirky contraptions, a lone worker endeavours to protect and preserve human stories—until they receive a visit from a rogue AI.
Combining humour, magic, and a pinch of circus, this thrilling adventure is a roller-coaster ride of fantastical objects, wonder, and puzzle solving.
Space Theatre 10 May, 12pm & 3.30pm 55mins (plus 10 minute Q+A)
Adult: $35
Concession: $29
Child: $27
Family of 4: $105
Ages: 3–8 Music
Zindzi & The Zillionaires
Play School host and hip–hop artist, Zindzi, takes to the stage during DreamBIG this May alongside her delightful pals, The Zillies.
Zindzi & The Zillionaires perform upbeat songs of friendship, confidence, joy, and
Space Theatre 11 May, 1pm & 3.30pm 45mins
Adult: $35
Concession: $29
Child: $27
Family of 4: $105
Group: $30
Trick of the Light Theatre
The Bookbinder
‘They say you can get lost in a good book. But it’s worse to get lost in a bad one...’
From award-winning Aotearoa / New Zealand company Trick of the Light Theatre comes a story of boundless enchantment. The Bookbinder weaves shadowplay, paper art, puppetry and music into an original dark fairytale full of mystery, magic and mayhem.
Institute Gallery, State Library of South Australia 17 May, 11am & 4pm 55mins
Adult: $30
Concession: $25
Child: $22
Family of 4: $95
Wonderbox
A giant puzzle, kooky carnival friends, strange tiny delights, and infectious live music.
This special event hosted by Sensorium Theatre invites children to roll the dice and set out along this relaxed, multisensory immersive theatre performance.
Wonderbox is tailored for children with a broad range of access needs and their families. DreamBIG will contact you in the lead up to the festival to discuss how the performance can be adapted to suit the needs of your child.
Concession: $29
Child: $27
Family of 4: $105
Sensorium Theatre
Big Family Weekend Outdoor Stage
The DreamBIG Outdoor Stage showcases high-energy musical acts and colourful dance performances throughout Big Family Weekend. There’s something for every child to enjoy!
Festival Plaza 10 & 11 May, 11am – 5pm
See DreamBIG website for set times and list of performers FREE EVENT
String Symphony
String Symphony is the story of Leor, a giant marionette made of over one kilometre of woven rope, waiting to be brought to life by DreamBIG’s audience.
Follow Leor as he explores his place in the world, with select young people having the opportunity to puppet Leor each performance.
Festival Plaza 10 & 11 May, 11am, 12.30pm, 3pm & 4.15pm
45mins
FREE EVENT
Spare Parts Puppet Theatre
Everybody NOW!
Tin Can Radio
Tin Can Radio is a pop-up radio station for the young and young at heart.
Kids are invited to take over the Tin Can Radio station with their very own segments. From fictional news, to random reviews, love advice, fashion tips, radio rants, and interviews. All ideas are welcome!
Festival Plaza 10 & 11 May, 12pm – 4pm Drop In
Threshold
Glow Lounge
Glow Lounge is a gentle and immersive space that invites families with babies under 12 months to connect through movement and music, a little sanctuary among the busyness of Big Family Weekend.
With mellow lighting, subdued colours, and chilled rhythms, this gentle, immersive experience encourages families to ebb and flow together, finding their shared rhythm through movement and gesture.
Access Information
John Bishop Room, Festival Theatre 10 & 11 May, 11am – 4.30pm
Glow Lounge is a drop in event with sessions starting every 15 minutes (Closed between 12.30pm–1pm and 2.30pm–3pm)
FREE EVENT
Glow Lounge is a calm, sensory-friendly space designed for families with babies. Wheelchair and pram accessible, it features low lighting, soft surfaces, and gentle sounds to ensure comfort. Please speak to facilitators if you need assistance or additional support during your visit.
The Museum of the Everyday
The Museum of the Everyday have been tasked with the mission of collecting items for a time capsule that tell the story of our time.
Pop in to meet the museum’s enigmatic curator and embark on a quest to create a time capsule that carries our hopes, dreams, and reflections.
Festival Plaza 10 & 11 May, 11am – 5pm Drop In FREE EVENT
10 & 11 MAY 2025
Drop
in to our
free events during Big Family Weekend
Massive Maker Space Festival Plaza
Climbing Tree’s huge pile of junk is back in 2025! Get creative, and make anything you can imagine!
Playbook
Festival Plaza
Eight acrobats from the incredible Gravity & Other Myths, in collaboration with students from Para Hills High School, will take over Festival Plaza in a roving performance not to be missed!
10 May, 1.45pm & 2.45pm 11 May, 12.30pm & 2pm
Adelaide City Library at DreamBIG!
Space Theatre Foyer, Dunstan Playhouse
Join Adelaide City Library as they hold some fun activities. Check out the website for more details.
10 May, 11am – 1.30pm
DRE AMBIG CHILDREN’S
Lolly Jar Circus Festival Plaza
Run away to the circus, learn new tricks in a fun, hands-on environment. This is your chance to join the circus and unleash your creativity!
Scribble Zone
Station Foyer, Dunstan Playhouse
You are formally invited to make a mess! In this exhibition children are encouraged to draw on the walls, ceiling and floor, creating one collaborative room of art!
Curious Creatures
The Galleries, Festival Theatre
Join the crew from Curious Legends on a creative journey to unveil your inner bird, dragon, joyful jester or perhaps something else entirely. In this workshop, participants have the opportunity to craft their very own one-of-a-kind creature and bring it to life through the magic of theatre and performance!
DreamBIG’s Birthday Party
Banquet Room, Festival Theatre
It’s DreamBIG’s 50th Birthday and you’re invited to party with us! Come celebrate by creating a decoration in our party room.
Image | Maisie Cohen
Image | Judy Bowden
Kidtrepreneur
Discover your new favourite young entrepreneur at DreamBIG’s Kidtrepreneur, where every stall is filled with unique goods created and sold by young people!
The Galleries, Festival Theatre 10 & 11 May, 11am – 5pm
Be a DreamBIG explorer
Can you do all of the following during your time at DreamBIG?
Make music with a plant
Meet a DreamBIG Tour Guide
Spot a painted bird
Play a giant board game
Find a DreamBIG face that matches how you feel today
See a performance
Draw, dance, create, or learn something new
Tick all of these off to earn a stamp from a DreamBIG Tour Guide!
BIG FAMILY WEEKEND
Saturday 10 & Sunday 11 May 11am – 5pm
Festival Plaza
DreamBIG Printing Co
Lolly Jar Circus
Lucky Dip Tent
Massive Makers Space
Outdoor Stage
Playbook
String Symphony
The Museum of Everyday
The Plants
Tin Can Radio
Space Theatre
Whalebone
Zindzi & the Zillionaires
Dunstan Playhouse
IMAGINE LIVE
The Galleries
Curious Creatures
Kidtrepreneur
Banquet Room
DreamBIG’s Birthday Party
MINI Spin
John Bishop Room
Glow Lounge
State Library South Australia
Book Boogie
Little Bozu & Kon Kon
Rear Vision & Make your (book) Mark the Boy & the Ball
1.30pm 1.45pm 2pm 2.15pm 2.30pm 2.45pm
DreamBIG Tour Guides
Our zany Tour Guides will be roving Festival Plaza and Adelaide Festival Centre throughout Big Family Weekend and are here to help you.
Ages: 5+
DreamBIG Printing Co Make your own merch!
Print your own DreamBIG t-shirt!
Work with our screen-printing artists to print the DreamBIG logo in your favourite colour to create your own unique DreamBIG merch - yours to take home and show off!
Either pick up a t-shirt for $25 or bring your own for $10.
Festival Plaza 10 & 11 May, 12.15pm – 1.45pm & 2.45pm – 4.15pm (unless sold out prior)
Book Boogie
The DreamBIG clown librarians need your help as the words and pictures from all the books have gone on holiday!
This engaging experience invites young participants to let their creativity shine.
With the help of our silly yet lovable librarians, children will craft their own stories and drawings, bringing the library’s books back to life in a fun and imaginative way.
Circulating Library, State Library South Australia
10 May, 11am – 4pm
11 May, 12pm – 4pm
Drop In
FREE EVENT
Rear Vision: The Holden Collection
Family Fun
Discover fun for the whole family at Rear Vision: The Holden Collection.
Have fun while exploring the exhibition by participating in the family activities! Design and colour your dream Holden, dive into car-inspired stories in our cozy reading nook and use the ‘looking closer’ activity to delve deeper while letting the little ones play with cars on the toddler cityscape carpet.
A day of creativity and learning awaits for all ages!
Gallery, State Library South Australia
28 Feb – 22 June
Open during State Library opening hours Mon: 9am – 5pm Tue: 9am – 7pm Wed–Fri: 9am – 5pm Sat & Sun: 12pm – 5pm
Drop In FREE EVENT
Curly Fernandez and Sabrina D’Angelo
Image | Jack Mounsey
DreamBIG Children’s Festival and the SA Commissioner for Children and Young People
Birds of a Feather, A Future Together
Come and spot the many birds. Do you know which are secure, declining, or already extinct birds amongst our wooden flock?
Over 150 students art works will be on display on the lawns of the Amphitheatre overlooking the Karrawirra Parri, at Adelaide Festival Centre. Reflecting local South Australian species.
The Terrace, Adelaide Festival Centre 10 & 11 May, 11am – 5pm
Listen to Me –
The Things that Matter to SA Kids
See some of the 65,000 postcards received by South Australia’s Commissioner for Children and Young People via her annual Student Voice Postcards project.
This remarkable exhibition reveals what children aged 8–12 years have told the Commissioner matters to them most, providing an opportunity for children to have a voice and be heard.
Children’s Artspace 11 April – 24 May
Children’s Artspace is open Fridays and Saturdays from 10am – 3pm.
On 10 and 11 May, Children’s Artspace will be open from 11am – 5pm.
FREE EVENT
Bio•R
Playable Streets
The Plants
Have you ever made music with a marigold? Composed with a chrysanthemum? Listened to some lavender?
Experience The Plants, a wondrous musical installation inviting families to create their own musical compositions using unique digital instruments… Plants! It will be unlike any musical instrument you have seen, heard or played before.
Festival Plaza 10 & 11 May, 11am – 5pm
Drop In FREE EVENT
THIS IS WHAT ART LOOKS LIKE
Join us at Carclew for an inspiring exhibition showcasing artworks made in collaboration with leading South Australian artists and student artists from local primary schools. This exhibition celebrates the
South Australian Youth Forum Open Youth Workshop
Every year, the South Australian Youth Forum holds an open workshop where any young person across the state can join the forum in discussions about issues relevant to their age bracket.
The Open Youth Workshop is a chance to elevate more young people’s voices, as well as broaden the SA Youth Forum’s horizon of representation.
Carclew/Tutu Karralikanungku 17 May, 1pm – 4pm 3hrs
FREE Registration Required
DreamBIG in Prospect
DreamBIG is coming to the City of Prospect! Find out more on the website.
Children’s Walking Exhibition
Submit your artwork to be part of this colourful journey through the streets of Prospect.
Submissions open 1 Feb – 18 Apr
Walking trail open 7 May – 11 June
Mon–Fri, 9am – 5pm Sat 10am – 4pm
Sun – Closed
Maps available at Prospect Library
FREE
Community Mural Day
Join local artist Ella Dawson Scott for a community mural painting event inspired by the DreamBIG 2025 theme.
Vine Street Plaza, Prospect 10 May, 10am – 1pm
FREE Bookings Required
The Lensical
A concept by Michelle Heaven and Ben Cobham
accessible, intimate, transportable
The Lensical reimagines live performance for healthcare settings. This groundbreaking project combines dance, theatre, and immersive art to create intimate, uplifting performance experiences for viewers in hospitals.
Each captivating short work is carefully crafted to emotionally engage audiences, offering moments of reprieve and inspiration within the hospital environment.
Women’s and Children’s Hospital & Flinders Medical Centre Inpatients
7–17 May 2025, Dates and times varied
5–10min individual performances
Restless Dance Theatre
DreamBIG in the Regions
Saltbush
Follow the journey of two friends and their spiritual guide on foot as they cross diverse First Nations Country— river country, an urban landscape, desert and the sea.
Children are invited to explore, play and dance with the performers as the landscape unfolds around them, providing a unique immersive experience.
Roxby Downs, 2–4 April
Whyalla, 9–11 April
Port Lincoln, 16–17 April 40min
Visit DreamBIG website for dates and times
Glow & Tell
Blending the magic of light and simplicity of storytelling, children are placed at the centre of this engaging interactive experience. Using UV light, in a custom-built tent, the space is transformed into an intimate place, where stories and imagined worlds come alive as glowing drawings appear on the walls and floor.
Port Pirie Regional Library 17 May, 10am, 11am & 12pm
FREE EVENT
With an incredible range of family-friendly playspaces, the Adelaide Park Lands are the perfect place for kids to climb, splash, swing, and discover. From interactive water features, in-ground trampolines and sandpits, exhilarating flying foxes, thrilling slides and more; there’s endless fun waiting around every corner. Explore more at cityofadelaide.com.au/ playspaces
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Programming
DreamBIG Children’s Festival Team
Georgi Paech Festival Director
Kellie Nicol Producer
Renee Gentle Assistant Producer
Sara Zuidland Programming Coordinator
Britt Plummer Festival Coordinator
Renee Gibson centrED Education Manager
Ioanna Salmanidis Learning & Engagement Program Coordinator
We thank the wider Adelaide Festival Centre team, our wonderful DreamBIG volunteers, and the venue staff working on shows at venues across Adelaide and South Australia—we couldn’t do it without you!
Access
Every child has the right to participate in the arts. We want to make it as easy as possible to select which events are right for your children.
A full access guide, plain English guide, and easy English guide are also available online and via the QR code below
If you have a question about selecting the right event for your family, please contact the DreamBIG team at dreambig@adelaidefestivalcentre.com.au
The following symbols indicate the accessibility of each event:
Wheelchair access and stair free
Audio Description available
Auslan Interpretation available
No dialogue and minimal music
Just watch - this activity asks for the audience to sit back, relax, and enjoy the show unfolding in front of them (with little or no audience participation).
Get Involved - this activity is hands on. Participants are encouraged to get in on the action through dancing, making, or sharing their thoughts and ideas.
Noisy - This activity involves loud noises or music. It may be overstimulating for people who are particularly sensitive to loud noises.
Outside - This activity takes place outside, and participants are encouraged to dress for the weather.
Sustainability
DreamBIG is committed to reducing our impact on the environment and help contributing to a vibrant—natural world for our future audiences. We have partnered in 2025 with Bio•R to offset our ecological footprint, and contribute to the reconstruction of natural habitat in South Australia.
Learn more about Bio•R and their work at Bior.org.au
What you can do to help:
Cycle, walk, or catch public transport to the festival. There are plenty of public transport options close to Adelaide Festival Centre, including the Adelaide Railway Station, tram stops on North Terrace, and King William Road, and the Free City Connector bus. Visit Adelaide Metro to plan your journey.
Bring a reusable water bottle and reusable cup for hot drinks.
If you are bringing your own snacks, bring ‘nude food’ and avoid plastic packaging.
Use the recycling facilities on site and put your waste in the correct bin.
Adelaide Festival Centre respects your privacy and meets government policy requirements. Ticket Pricing on pages is indicative only. Concessions may apply. Eligibility for concessions will vary across events. Artist lineup subject to change without notice.
Every effort has been made to ensure that performance, dates, times, prices, and other information are herein correct at time of publication. Refer to adelaidefestivalcentre.com.au for full, updated information and terms and conditions.
