DreamBIG Children’s Festival returns to Adelaide Festival Centre this May, inspiring the children of South Australia to reflect on their past, present and future with the theme ‘I Was, I Am, I Will Be’, in celebration of the festival’s 50th year.
Launched today, the family program features more than 70 shows, activities, and exhibitions across 10 days. Young people and their families can experience music, storytelling, interactive play, and more, from the program which includes 9 world premieres and 12 South Australian premieres.
To commemorate the world’s longest running curated children’s festival, the cherished Parade will return to open the festival, with students across South Australia uniting for a grand, statewide birthday celebration on May 7 with DreamBIG’s Birthday Parade on site at Adelaide Festival Centre. Teachers can also choose to host their own event at school.
The beloved and popular Big Family Weekend returns from May 10 – 11, with free events for children of all ages across Adelaide Festival Centre and Festival Plaza. Wield a giant marionette in String Symphony, collect items for a time capsule in The Museum of the Everyday, use flowers as instruments in The Plants, and draw on the walls, ceiling and floor in Scribble Zone. More exciting and interactive activities to be announced soon.
Adelaide Festival Centre CEO & Artistic Director Douglas Gautier AM: “I look forward to welcoming young people from across the state to Adelaide Festival Centre as we celebrate this grand anniversary, through the return of the beloved Opening Parade and a special exhibition in Festival Theatre Galleries – 50 Years of Dreaming Big.”
DreamBIG’s Creative Producer Georgi Paech: “This year’s festival theme, I Was, I Am, I Will Be, encourages our young audience to consider their hopes and dreams for the future. It is through this lens that we’ve put together our 50th anniversary program, which reflects on DreamBIG’s legacy, while contemplating how it might evolve in the future.”
Two Australian picture books will come to life on the Dunstan Playhouse stage with tinsel queen Rachel Burke’s Fancy Long Legs, a glittery and vibrant adventure about a spider who loves to create, and IMAGINE LIVE, an enchanting interactive performance exploring the wonders of our natural world, based on Alison Lester’s iconic bestseller. Another highlight for young audiences is Zindzi & The Zillionaires, a musical adventure featuring Play School host and hip-hop artist Zindzi and her fluffy friends The Zillies.
At the State Library of South Australia, local artist Stephen Noonan will present his award-winning, non-verbal performance The Boy and the Ball, and Omusubi Productions will fuse Japanese folklore traditions and contemporary storytelling in Little Bozu and Kon Kon, a story of self-acceptance and empathy through the unlikely duo of a raccoon and a fox.
International shows include The Bookbinder, an original dark fairytale full of mystery, magic and mayhem, from New Zealand’s award-winning Trick of the Light Theatre, and Mini SPIN, an interactive dance event from the UK, hosted by three Deaf hosts and a DJ – Deaf, Hard of Hearing, Children of Deaf Adults and hearing children all welcome.
Sensorium Theatre, Australia’s leading theatre company making work specifically designed for young audiences with disability and their friends, invites children inside the Wonderbox, an immersive multi-sensory wonderland where each child is given the opportunity to find a magical version of themselves.
In Space Theatre, Whalebone is a thrilling roller-coaster ride combining humour, magic and circus, devised and performed by award-winning clown, inventor and comedian Jens Altheimer, and The Princess, The Pea and the Brave Escapee is a stunning reimagination of the much-loved fairytale, featuring live classical music performed by Australia Chamber Orchestra musicians.
Minister for Arts, the Hon. Andrea Michaels MP: “The Malinauskas Government is proud to support DreamBIG Children’s Festival. We encourage families to explore the rich opportunities in this year’s program, and to engage their young people with the wonderful world of arts, culture and creativity.”
More than 2.5 million children have participated in the festival since its inception in 1974 (as Come Out Festival), and it remains an intrinsic part of growing up in South Australia, placing young audiences at the centre of fresh, inventive, imaginative, and inspiring arts experiences.
For more information, including age suitability, and to purchase tickets, visit the DreamBIG Children’s Festival website: dreambigfestival.com.au On sale now.
DreamBIG Children’s Festival will take place from 7-17 May 2025 at Adelaide Festival Centre.
Lead Image: The Bookbinder – Photo by Phillip Merry
