Adelaide Festival Centre has confirmed that the Adelaide Guitar Festival‘s 2025 program will be its last, in an announcement of a new strategic direction.

Adelaide Festival Centre. Photo © Jack Fenby

Several festival events, including its On the Road regional tour program and other “guitar projects” are set to be incorporated into the Centre’s music program. The annual Adelaide International Classical Guitar Competition won’t be returning after the Centre reopens its doors in February 2026 following significant redevelopment works.

The Centre has also announced that the OzAsia Festival will be “reimagined” in 2026, while the Adelaide Cabaret Festival and DreamBIG Children’s Festival will continue to run next year.

Full programming details will be revealed next year, which includes the CentreStage program to keep Adelaide a destination for international and Australian touring acts, and the year-round Contemporary Arts Program with an “experimental focus” aimed at bringing in a younger audience.

As a part of the new strategic plan, the CEO Kate Gould said that the Centre will aim to “to deliver quality arts and cultural experiences to every South Australian school-aged child by 2035”.

Established as a sister festival to the New York Guitar Festival, ...