Keep things playful with Optik, the interactive installation by The Urban Conga, presented by Creos. Get ready to manipulate the movement and reflection of light, while each unit becomes a different musical instrument. This work invites you to engage with those around you and create sparkling interactions!

Optik is created by The Urban Conga in collaboration with Serge Maheu, produced by Init, and powered by Creos.

Embrace by Beamhacker is a playful, interactive audiovisual experience celebrating human connection. Inspired by paper chains, glowing life-sized silhouettes light up when you touch and join hands. When the full circle connects, music and lights intensify, culminating in a spectacular finale that symbolises the ripple effect of unity and the beauty found in fleeting moments of connection.

Stand beneath a glowing cloud of fluffy white sheep, a surreal and whimsical sight illuminated against the night sky. For generations, counting sheep has gently shepherded us into slumber, the meditative rhythm bridging the gap between unease and calm, between waking and dreaming. The Dream Herd by Amigo & Amigo pays homage to this nightly ritual and the beauty of rest, blending light, storytelling, and imagination.

Music Composer Mie Nakazawa and Angus Stuart

Swan Lake? More like Rymill Park Lake! CYGNUS by Berlin-based Loomaland is a stunning water installation featuring 12 life-sized swans performing a mesmerising ballet across the still waters. Gliding in graceful symmetry and delicate pirouettes, it’s a poetic, enchanting display turning the lake into a stage for one of nature’s most elegant performances.

Piano Walk by Amigo & Amigo is a musical adventure where you’re the star! With 40 interactive keys to play, jump on the oversized piano and create beautiful music with your fellow City Lights adventurers. Every 5 minutes a new original composition plays, making this collaborative experience a fun journey for everyone involved.

Music Composer OTIS and John McHugh

Keep an eye out for our large inflatable friends scattered across the City Lights twinkling trail. This collection of larger-than-life, glowing nocturnal animals that come alive after dark, invites viewers to explore the beauty and mystery of the night. Catch the wise owls, mystical fox, quiet mouse, and enchanted hedgehog along North Terrace and down to Rymill Park.

Eight workout figures. Tight straps. Big feels. Under Pressure by Pavol Truben is a striking light and sound installation that flexes, strains and glows with irony. It playfully explores stress, work pressures, and society’s obsession with “healthy fixes” like exercising, for example modern yoga, while ignoring the systematic solutions that prevent burnout.

Rarrirarri is an immersive experience from The Mulka Project, a collective of practising multimedia artists, cinematographers, sound engineers, and post-production technicians based in Yirrkala, North East Arnhem Land. The installation brings to life the botanical, animal, and spiritual designs of the internationally acclaimed late Yolŋu artist Mulkuṉ Wirrpanda, led by her sister,  senior artist Muluymuluy Wirrpanda and grandson Ishmael Marika. Rarrirarri captivates animation and sound, pushing the boundaries of contemporary First Nations art, while paying respect to the late master artist’s spirit. This work from The Mulka Project collaborates with Mrs Wirrpanda’s artwork along with songlines and audio scape sung by her family members and community.

Commissioned by RISING Melbourne & Illuminate Adelaide 

M Wirrpanda, The Mulka Project Rarrirarri 2023, fiberglass, plaster, projections, sound, 3000 x 4700 x 8000 cm overall dimensions, duration: 00:10:00 min

Art Gallery of New South Wales, Mollie Gowing Acquisition Fund for Contemporary Aboriginal Art 2025 © the artists and The Mulka Project, Yirrkala

Watch Government House  come alive as renowned artist Miguel Chevalier’s epic video mapping floods its iconic façade with swirling cells and animated organisms in vibrant colour.  A constructivist universe of pixels where biology meets digital magic, The Origin of the World  plays directly with the architecture of the building before your eyes. With original music by Jacopo Baboni Schilingi  adding rich and sonic dimension to the experience, witness the city’s most prestigious building pulse, morph, and dance.

Music : Jacopo Baboni Schilingi
Software : Cyrille Henry 

Step into Pixel Waves at Bonython Hall by renowned artist Miguel Chevalier and become part of this playful artwork where every minute, the scenes change to plunge you into a new universe in motion. Walk, wander and watch glowing patterns ripple beneath your feet as pixels scatter, symbols dance, and colour waves respond to every move, turning the floor into a generative and interactive light show that you control.

Music : Jacopo Baboni Schilingi
Software : Cyrille Henry, Antoine Villeret

Take a moment to put your feet up amongst the lights with these dazzling neon benches. Placed in special locations across the City Lights trail, ...please have a seat! comes straight from light art studio lichtbankobjekte by M+V in Heinsberg, Germany to provide the perfect spot to recharge and appreciate the spectacle around you.

River of Lights is a playful installation forming a 50 metre river of light overhead made of 160 glowing tubes. Woven through the tree canopy, it guides you along the City Lights path to discover surprises ahead after dark in Rymill Park. This immersive LED experience pulses with dynamic programming, shifting colours, and an atmospheric soundscape by South Australia sound designer Sascha Budimski.

Checkmate turns chess into a bold, playful public spectacle on the South Australian Museum lawns. Monumental Bauhaus-inspired pieces invite all ages and cultures to play, think, and connect. Each piece follows its own rules, sparking curiosity, strategy, and imagination as you step into a larger-than-life game that celebrates art, design, and competition.

Music Composer OTIS

Giant illuminated birds roam the streets, soaring overhead, steered by mysterious figures. Humans are ignored. Another dimension collides with ours. Why have they arrived? Skeletal, otherworldly and illuminated, these epic creatures reach 7m high and 4m wide. A spectacular roving experience by the Netherlands' Close-Act Theatre, backed by 34 years of fearless artistic adventure.

Roving times coming soon

Step into a glowing Dog Park inside Rymill Park, where playful neon pups gather to light the night. A colourful collection of radiant canine installations invites wandering, selfies, and smiles. Volter International’s neon light art installations are bright enough to liven up the greyest of Adelaide’s nights during Illuminate Adelaide.

Discover beloved railway legend Bob the Railway Dog riding into Illuminate Adelaide!

The State Library of South Australia Forecourt becomes a moving train, telling the true tale of the stray dog sent north in 1884 who became South Australian Railways’ most famous free-riding passenger – adored by workers across the state.

Mirror Me explores the powerful ways screens and devices shape our daily lives — and dares you to flip the script.

Step into a world where interactive roving artists tune into your energy, reflecting your vibe through spontaneous movement and dance. They entice you to choose joy, spark laughter, and awaken those feel-good endorphins. You can mirror them… or they can mirror you.

It’s a playful exchange. A living reflection. A reminder that positivity grows when we disconnect from negative messaging and reconnect with each other.

Break free. Move toward love. Let joy lead.

Roving times coming soon

Created by the Illuminate Adelaide Graduate Pathway Program 2025/26 recipient Laurence Walker, Axon Anxiety portrays the human brain using a dynamic audio and lighting system. Audiences can take control, calming or triggering anxious neural loops in an interactive exploration of how our environments can influence mental health.

The Illuminate Adelaide Graduate Pathway Program is made possible with thanks to the generous support from the James & Diana Ramsay Foundation.

Scattered throughout Adelaide's iconic East End, Rundle Illuminations displays a collection of large-scale interactive installations, roving performances, snow machines, and glowing light works. This year features Optik, the interactive installation by The Urban Conga, presented by Creos. Get ready to manipulate the movement and reflection of light, while each unit becomes a different musical instrument. This work invites you to engage with those around you and create sparkling interactions!

In addition to installations running nightly, come and enjoy the atmosphere along Rundle Street on weekends featuring late night dining, special roving performances, and the now iconic Illuminate Adelaide building uplighting by light designer Chris Petridis.

Special thanks to Maras Group and the City of Adelaide for their support of Rundle Illuminations.

AGSA_eats keeps the lights on as a City Lights Pitstop.

Located by the Art Gallery of South Australia Sculpture Courtyard and open late during Illuminate Adelaide for snacks and drinks to keep you warm and the energy high during your City Lights journey.

Make a pit stop at the State Library of South Australia Forecourt on your City Lights journey through the streets of Adelaide. Refresh on North Terrace with a curated mix of pop-up bites and treats to keep hands warm and spirits high, or step inside for a hot drink at the Library café, with cosy foyer seating, toilets, and open amenities.

While you’re inside, explore Pull Pop Push in the gallery, a playful exhibition of movable books that surprise and delight as they unfold before your eyes.

A meeting spot, or a place to take five before moving along the glowing City Lights trail.

LUMEN Bar returns to City Lights on North Terrace with a Nu theme, reimagining the space as an acid jazz playground inspired by London’s Nu Jazz movement of the 1980s. Expect a seamless blend of jazz, funk, soul, hip-hop and house brought to life by a rotating lineup of big bands featuring Elder Conservatorium alumni.

Menu by Adelaide University Waite Campus chef-in-residence Karena Armstrong and former chef-in-residence Kane Pollard, alongside a curated wine list.

Walk-ins welcome and table bookings, group gatherings and private events available.

Located in heritage listed Sheridan Kiosk in the heart of innovation district Lot Fourteen is a homely, welcoming café – Table on the Terrace. Owned by the team behind Port Noarlunga’s The Flour Store, Table on the Terrace offers crafted coffee, mouthwatering food, and warm, fantastic service with a focus on fresh, locally sourced ingredients.

Table on the Terrace will also be a part of this year’s Illuminate Host series offering up its goodies all throughout the winter festival.

Between City Lights installations in Rymill Park, make a pitstop at the newly renovated Rymill Kiosk – the long-awaited revival of a much-loved lakeside destination has been brought to life by the team behind Peter Rabbit Café.

This Illuminate time, get a sneak peek of what’s to come at Rymill Kiosk, which is set to open officially open in the Spring 2026. The space will transform into the perfect grab and go location; sit by the lake during your City Lights walk, grab a bite to eat and enjoy the wintery experience.