Illuminate Adelaide - Unley, South Australia

Corey H.

I went last year and again this year to Botanic Gardens and both were fantastic. Very well laid out and beautiful displays.

Hannes V. D. C.

As someone who attended the much-hyped Horizons drone show at Adelaide Oval, I walked away feeling thoroughly underwhelmed and disappointed. Marketed as a cutting-edge fusion of technology and storytelling, the reality was far from the spectacle promised.

Let’s start with the basics: the drones. For a show that was supposed to be a “drone spectacular,” there were multiple stretches where no drones were in the sky at all—just projections on screens and some ambient lighting. The moments when drones did appear were brief and often lacked the wow factor. The transitions between drone segments and screen visuals were jarring, and the overall pacing felt disjointed.

The pre-show? Practically non-existent. A DJ played a short set that felt more like background noise than a warm-up act. There was no engagement, no energy, and certainly no justification for the ticket price. For an event that charged $69 per person, the value simply wasn’t there.

The content of the show itself felt more like a tourism ad than an artistic experience. While the initial segment—featuring First Nations storytelling—was thoughtful and culturally significant, the rest quickly devolved into a parade of South Australian clichés. From sporting events to space achievements, it felt like a promotional reel aimed at international visitors rather than a meaningful narrative for locals. As one reviewer aptly put it, it came across as “an over-bloated tourism campaign”.

The duration? A mere 30 minutes. For the price and the hype, this was a letdown. Many attendees around me were visibly confused when the show ended, expecting more. The abrupt conclusion left the crowd murmuring in disbelief.

In short, Horizons was a missed opportunity. The technology was almost there, but the execution and storytelling fell flat. The organizers should seriously consider offering partial refunds or at least acknowledging the gap between expectation and delivery. For a festival that prides itself on innovation and wonder, this show felt like a rushed, overpriced promo reel.

Mr M.

Don't you think the bright dudes who can make drones fly in unison and make amazing shapes and patterns COULD GO TEN METRES TO THE RIGHT!!!

Sara M.

Cost $240 family of 4 and kids were bored. The drone show was made by the tourism commission. Belonged in the museum. Aussies don’t need a lesson they was entertainment. All that effort to get into the city for a 30 min show. There was no pre show as advertised.

Peter S.

We went to two events this year The first was Night Visions in the Botanical gardens. It was a good show and we enjoyed it but was shorter than previous years. It took about 10 minutes walking in low light to reach the exit and realise the event was over so soon. Disappointed that there were not more displays.
Our second event was the Horizons drone show at Adelaide oval. This was a major disappointment. 90 mins to get there and seated, even longer to get home via the slow crawl to the train station and all for an overhyped, overpriced 30 min. show. I must say the drones looked quite good but it was expensive and over way too quickly and it made us realise just how greedy and lazy Illuminate Adelaide has become in their pursuit of a fast buck. This year on display for all to see. Will we be attending in 2026? Unless there is an apology and a change in their priorities, sadly no.

Andrea T.

Horizons was a totally underwhelming experience. Pre-show consisted of a DJ on the large screens fiddling with a sound deck for 30 minutes. Zero atmosphere and to add insult we had to watch several advertisements during this pre show 'entertainment'.
Drone show in places was good but there were several times in the short 30 min show with no drones at all. The narration and music were dull and it was more a SA tourism AD than an experience.

If the event was free to get in, then fair enough, but we paid a small fortune.

Small child in front of us summed it up at the end - turned to her mum and said 'was that it?'

Deb F.

We attended two events yesterday. Eden at Light Square disappointing. $28 for 15 minutes of pretty graphics on a large screen with many other people standing in front. Fire gardens in Botanic Gardens a nice idea but didn’t deliver. We pre-booked but had to queue for 25 minutes to get with many queue jumpers as there was no control. No obvious signage of which way to go when eventually inside. Repetitive displays, would have been interesting to have variety or fire spinners - just a bit more creativity.

Kendall J.

Beautiful lights & music. Was a lovely night with my S/O. Food area needed some work though, very long waits so I'd recommend skipping the donuts lol. Overall great atmosphere.