“This festival has always had a particular love for performances that pour off the stage and into the foyers afterwards,” says Adelaide Cabaret Festival’s Artistic Director Virginia Gay. “This year, we’re leaning into that, with shows that dissolve the barrier between audience and performer even further.”

Vagabond and cabaret star Davina Sowers. Photo supplied

The 2025 edition of the festival, its 25th, has been announced, with headliners including the seven-time Grammy Award-winning musician, composer and producer Jacob Collier (Her Majesty’s Theatre, 7 and 8 June), the eclectic American retro-soul/cabaret act Davina and the Vagabonds (Dunstan Playhouse, 7 and 8 June), Seann Miley Moore and Brendan de la Hay in the queer cabaret comedy Tired Ass Showgirls (Space Theatre, 7 and 8 June) and Bernadette Robinson, who brings her acclaimed solo show Divas to Her Majesty’s Theatre on 13 June.

US cabaret star Rizo, Jessica Mauboy (making her ACF debut) and musical theatre stalwart Bobby Fox also feature in a program of 77 performances over 12 nights, kicking off with the already sold-out 2025 Variety Gala red-carpet opening night at Her Majesty’s Theatre on 5 June.

Former Adelaide Cabaret Festival Artistic Director David...