Hello everyone! It is a great pleasure to invite you to the first festival I have curated as Artistic Director.

Matthew Lutton OAM. Adelaide Festival Artistic Director.

I am proud of the many artists from around the world we have gathered at the 2026 Adelaide Festival, as well as the supported we have offered artists to dream big in South Australia. While curating this program I am always thinking about what artistic experiences I can offer that will fill you with adrenaline, be rewarding in their originality and beauty, and offer sophisticated insights into the world we are all living in. I am confident this program will deliver.

I am an advocate that our senior audience members are those who have seen the most in the world. Therefore, your opinions and views of the festival program are important to me, and I hope you feel free to share your experiences and responses.

I have just moved to Adelaide, and it reminds me of my hometown of Perth. My mother brought me to Adelaide Festival in 2002, and I can still remember the productions I saw (The Overcoat being a highlight) therefore I know the power that productions at Adelaide Festival can have on the imagination. I am pinching myself, as it is an honour to curate the Adelaide Festival - I am dreaming daily with artists around the world about what they can create in Adelaide.

Thank you for your supporting Adelaide Festival over so many years and for making Adelaide Festival be the place where every curious mind in the country wants to be in March each year. I hope you can join us once again and I look forward to meeting you.

Cheers

Matthew Lutton OAM, Artistic Director

Office for Ageing Well and Seniors Card are proud supporting partners of the Adelaide Festival. View the Office for Ageing Well’s Guide to The Festival here.

View the full 2026 program here: https://www.adelaidefestival.com.au/whats-on

More information from the 2026 Adelaide Festival edition of WeekendPlus: