Celebrate Christmas in South Australia

Christmas Pageants are a South Australian tradition. It all began in 1933, when the first Adelaide Christmas Pageant took the city streets. Since then, the National Pharmacies Christmas Pageant has grown to become the Southern Hemisphere’s biggest public parade. Kids chalk the bitumen in rainbow patterns while families cheer from the sidelines. Clowns juggle through the crowd, fairytale characters wave from floats and everyone holds their breath for the finale - Father Christmas making his grand entrance. We like to think of it as Australia’s official welcoming party for the man in red. From Glenelg to Norwood, Blackwood to Port Broughton, and regional towns like Lobethal, Barmera and Stirling - nearly every local council across the state has some kind of Christmas parade. It’s a simple tradition that makes the season feel like it belongs to everyone.

Christmas lunch is more than a meal — it’s a celebration of place and the people who call it home. Long lunches and festive dinners draw on the season’s best: oysters plucked from nearby waters, sun-ripened vegetables from local farms and wines poured with ocean views. For a Christmas day lunch in Adelaide, hotels and restaurants such as the Hilton, Pullman, Sofitel and Stamford offer spreads to share with friends and family. In the regions, countryside estates and coastal retreats set the scene for a slower, brighter kind of Christmas. Wherever you celebrate, there’s room for all.

Adelaide lights up when the clock counts down to a new year. Live music drifts across Elder Park as the Riverbank fills with picnic rugs and laughter, while eskies thud onto the sand as friends and family stake their spots for the fireworks. Each year, Adelaide New Year’s Eve events turn the city into a celebration, from family-friendly city gatherings and rooftop parties with skyline views, to beachside concerts and long-table feasts at local favourites. And for many, the celebrations start early with the buzz of BBL cricket at Adelaide Oval — a summer staple in its own right. No matter where you are, the collective countdown at midnight is impossible to miss. Find the perfect way to ring in the new year with these New Year’s Eve celebrations.