From world-class sports, to the very best in music and culinary delights, here’s all you need to know about an incredible 2025 in SA. And don’t delay – tickets for LIV Golf go on sale this week.
Whether you’re a sports nut, a music fan or just someone who loves a good time, South Australia’s got you covered next year. Mark your calendars, set your alarms, and get ready for an epic 2025 that’s not just about good vibes, but also about great economic results.
LIV Golf brings summer heat
LIV Golf Adelaide is moving to a prime summer slot from 2025, teeing off from 14-16 February at The Grange Golf Club. The new dates put the event front and centre on LIV Golf’s global calendar, promising an even bigger spectacle for the official World’s Best Golf Event. Hospitality tickets drop 3 October, while ground passes go on sale from 24 October.
Tennis Star Kokkinakis serves up excitement at the Adelaide International
Homegrown hero Thanasi Kokkinakis has just become the first player to commit to the Adelaide International, which is set to kick off 2025’s major sporting events calendar at The Drive from 6-11 January. This tennis extravaganza will feature a WTA 500 and ATP 250 combined event, featuring around 150 of the world’s best tennis stars.
Tickets are now on sale, and start at just $10, with kids going free during selected sessions. The expanded Pinky Flat experience returns with live entertainment, a family zone and an array of food trucks to enhance the tennis atmosphere.
Tour Down Under: A quarter century of pedal-powered thrills
The stages are set for an epic 25th anniversary of the Santos Tour Down Under. With 1,198km of thrilling action from 17-26 January, the race routes have been unveiled, featuring nostalgic nods to the event’s rich history and exciting new challenges.
Highlights include the women’s peloton tackling two climbs up the iconic Willunga Hill for the first time, and the men’s race returning to Adelaide’s CBD for an exhilarating final stage.
From new start and finish locations to picturesque routes through South Australia’s stunning landscapes, the 2025 Santos Tour Down Under promises to be an epic celebration of world-class cycling. Tickets for premier packages are on sale now.
Opera, dance and drama collide for Adelaide Festival’s star-studded lineup
Supported by an additional $2.3m state government investment, Adelaide Festival has announced its first three shows for 2025, giving a taste of the spectacular 28 February – 16 March festival program to come.
Tickets are on sale now for:
- Innocence, an Australian debut opera directed by Simon Stone, performed in nine languages by the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra and local choirs.
- Club Amour, Pina Bausch’s Tanztheater Wuppertal’s return with a triptych of groundbreaking works, including the iconic Café Müller.
- A Quiet Language, a world premiere by Artistic Director Daniel Riley as Australian Dance Theatre celebrates its 60th anniversary.
WOMADelaide: Early birds get the tunes
WOMADelaide 2025 has locked in its Monday night headliner, the incredible Khruangbin. Fresh off their biggest year yet, including a standout performance at Coachella and a sold-out US tour, this Texan trio is set to bring their genre-defying mix of funk, disco, soul, surf rock and dub to Botanic Park when WOMAD transforms it into a global village from 7-10 March.
The first release tickets dropped this month. Given the band’s rising popularity and WOMAD’s global reputation as an awesome place to come together and party, these tickets will sell fast.
Adelaide’s 2025 Calendar: A non-stop celebration
And that’s not all! Here are more events to look forward to in the new year:
- The Adelaide Fringe, the largest open-access arts festival in the Southern Hemisphere, will transform the city with over 1,200 events across 300+ venues from 21 February – 23 March.
- Footy fans can look forward to the AFL Gather Round, where all 18 AFL teams will play nine matches over four days, turning Adelaide into a football mecca from 10-13 April.
- Tasting Australia presented by RAA Travel, our premier food and wine festival, returns from 2-11 May. This culinary extravaganza showcases the best of SA’s produce.
- The dazzling Adelaide Cabaret Festival will see some of the world’s biggest acts sashay across the stage at venues throughout Adelaide in June.
- The fun doesn’t stop when temperatures drop! Australia’s newest winter major event, Illuminate Adelaide is a city-wide spectacle to light up your winter with a program of art, light, sound and imagination throughout July.
Why these events are more than just fun and games
Sure, these events are a blast, but they’re also serious business for South Australia’s economy. Let’s break it down:
- Tourism boom: March 2024 saw an all-time high of 8,687 rooms on average occupied each night of the month across greater metropolitan Adelaide, plus April recorded the strongest ever monthly revenue, with an average nightly revenue of $2.1m, helped driven by events like LIV Golf Adelaide and AFL Gather Round.
- Job creation: The 2024 Adelaide Fringe created 13,553 direct and indirect jobs, a seven-fold increase from 2014.
- Visitor nights: LIV Golf Adelaide 2024 alone generated over 79,000 visitor nights in Adelaide.
- Regional impact: While Adelaide gets a lot of love, major events also encourage tourism statewide, with regional visitor expenditure worth $4.3b for the year ending March 2024.
- International exposure: LIV Golf Adelaide 2024 had a broadcast global reach of more than 500 million across 80 territories.
The bottom line
South Australia’s 2025 stacked events calendar isn’t just about sports and entertainment – it’s an economic powerhouse. With each event, from the tennis courts to the golf greens, Adelaide is cementing its place as Australia’s premier destination for world-class experiences.
For more info about what’s on in South Australia, click here.
