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Image: Roy VanDerVegt
Premier Peter Malinauskas has announced that Adelaide will host the Australian premiere of Bluebeard’s Castle at the 2027 Adelaide Festival. This world-class opera by Hungarian composer Béla Bartók will be shown in conjunction with the epic AIDA, and comes with a direct investment in the arts by the State Government that exceeds $200 million.
Presented at the Festival Theatre, Bluebeard’s Castle will run for four nights during the festival’s opening weekend. This production, directed by globally celebrated theatre-maker Romeo Castellucci, had its successful premiere at the 2022 Salzburg Festival. The Adelaide shows will be its first major professional production in Australia, providing local and international audiences with an amazing opportunity to witness this 20th-century opera on Australian soil.
The strategic scheduling of Bluebeard’s Castle with AIDA offers a unique double-bill of operatic magnificence, likely to draw significant national and international audiences. With both operas playing over the same weekend, visitors are incentivised to extend their stay, enhancing tourism and economic activity in Adelaide.
Peter Malinauskas shared, “The Adelaide Festival continues to set the benchmark for cultural excellence in Australia. It’s extraordinary that Adelaide will host both AIDA and Bluebeard’s Castle at the same time; a unique double feature that truly showcases our city as Australia’s festival capital.
“These investments support jobs, tourism and a variety of creative industries all at once. It represents a massive opportunity to showcase both the Adelaide Festival and South Australia to new audiences both interstate and overseas.”
The Adelaide Festival is a significant contributor to the local economy, with an estimated gross expenditure of $62.6 million in 2025 alone. By hosting such prestigious events, the festival attracts thousands of visitors, thereby supporting jobs and various creative industries.
Judy Potter, Chair of the Adelaide Festival, added, “Adelaide Festival is a premier destination for opera and music lovers locally, nationally, and internationally and we greatly value the support of the South Australian Government for our 2026 festival, the 2027 festival and into the future.
“That support allows us to realise our vision of bringing extraordinary international opera, theatre, and dance, to Adelaide Festival every year in a program that you can’t experience anywhere else in Australia.”
The festival’s consistent focus on presenting contemporary opera and large-scale classical music positions it uniquely in the national arts scene, drawing substantial interstate and international visitation.
As the city gears up for the 2027 festival, all eyes will be on Adelaide as it continues to present a diverse program.
