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A State
of Change

In 2021, the History Festival is exploring the theme of ‘change’. From political change to social change. Changing places, changing minds, changing hearts.

View the 2021 program
1-30 MAY
2021
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Program

Search, browse and filter the full program of events.

First Nations Events

Learn more about First Nations histories, knowledge and cultures.

Poetry Takeover

Poetry Takeover 2021 entries now open!

After Dark

Not available during the day? No problem! There's plenty happening after dark.

History Festival podcast

Listen to the latest episode of the History Festival podcast.

Guided Tours

Take a guided tour and discover the hidden history all around us.

Open Doors

Explore some of South Australia’s most interesting places and spaces.

Talks

Sit back and listen to talks and conversations about the most fascinating topics.

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Upcoming events

Adelaide East
Bookings Essential Wheelchair Access Full Toilet Facilities

Weaving History With Our Hands

Workshop
Weaving History With Our Hands will take participants on a slow history journey. Aunty Lynette Crocker will begin with a storytelling session…
When: Sat 15 May, 12.30-4pm
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Free
Adelaide East
Open Doors

Roseneath in Walkerville

Self-guided tour, Open day
Roseneath is a state heritage-listed private residence, circa 1847, which has a tunnel that leads from the ground floor to the servant’s cottage…
When: Thu 6, Sat 15 & Sun 16 May, 11am-2pm
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Per Person: $5.00
Adelaide South
Family Friendly Companion Card accepted Bookings Essential Full Toilet Facilities Partial Wheelchair Access

Warriparinga History and Environment Tour

Guided tour, Workshop
This 90 minute walking workshop includes an easy walk through the Warriparinga park and wetlands. Our friendly, knowledgeable Cultural Officer…
When: Sat 8 & 29 May, 10-11.30am
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Per Person: $15.00
Adelaide West
Bookings Essential Toilets

Port Oyster Tales & Bubbles

Talk
Hear tales of native oysters living in the Port River, being stored in the river to supply oyster saloons, being pilfered and banned and now…
When: Sat 15 & 29 May, 2.30-4pm
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Per Person: $20 + booking fee
Adelaide South
Bookings Essential Full Toilet Facilities

Seacliff Heritage Walk

Guided tour
Seacliff started life as a fishing village and gradually became a popular seaside suburb and holiday destination. Join our guided tour of this…
When: Wed 19 May, 10am (approx. 90 mins)
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Adult: $7.00 Child: Free
Adelaide City
Family Friendly Bookings Essential Toilets

Playing With History: Get On Board!

Talk, Workshop
An interactive event comprising a short talk about understanding board games as a form of history, then hands-on game play session for participants.
When: Wed 19 May, 6-7.30pm
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Free
Riverland
Bookings Essential Wheelchair Access Full Toilet Facilities

Remembering Loveday Internment Camp – Barmera

Talk
The Loveday Internment Camp was established near Barmera in the Riverland during the Second World War to detain mainly German, Japanese and Italian…
When: Sun 16 May, 2-3.30pm
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Free
Adelaide City
Family Friendly Bookings Essential Wheelchair Access Toilets

Auslan Interpreted Tours of Migration Museum

Guided tour
The Migration Museum, opened in 1986, was the first museum of migration in Australia. This Auslan-interpreted tour will explore migration to…
When: Sat 15 May, 12pm (45 mins)
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Free
Adelaide Hills
Family Friendly Bookings Essential Partial Wheelchair Access Toilets

Hans Heysen: Creative Changemaker

Talk
Sir Hans Heysen, one of Australia’s greatest landscape painters, brought the Australian landscape to life in his famous artworks through his…
When: Sat 8 May, 10am-12pm & Sat 22 May, 2-4pm
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Per Person: $40.00
Adelaide City
Family Friendly Companion Card accepted Bookings Essential Partial Wheelchair Access Toilets

Drowning, not Waving

Guided tour
Join Carol Lefevre, author of 'Quiet City', on a Sunday stroll through West Terrace Cemetery’s sea of sun-bleached headstones. Many hold tragic…
When: Sun 16 May, 11am & Sun 30 May, 2pm
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Per Person: $12.00
Adelaide Hills
Family Friendly Companion Card accepted Bookings Essential Partial Wheelchair Access Toilets

Shedding Light on Peramangk Land, Has it Changed?

Guided tour
Celebrate the land of the Peramangk people with Elder Ivan Copley and local Sharon Pippos, on the property of ‘The Cedars’, the family home…
When: Sat 29 May, 10.30am-12.30pm
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Adult: $45.00
Adelaide City
Bookings Essential Wheelchair Access Full Toilet Facilities

Adapting Heritage Places in the City of Adelaide

Talk
From adaptive reuse to modern additions, heritage and development can co-exist. In fact, the right development can breathe life back into a heritage…
When: Tue 18 May, 6-7.30pm & Sun 23 May, 10-11.30am
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Free
Flinders Ranges & Outback
Open Doors Family Friendly Bookings Essential Toilets

Holowiliena Station History Festival Tour

Guided tour
Visit the Flinders Ranges for a tour of Holowiliena Station, owned by the Warwick family since 1852. Join us for morning smoko to hear from fifth…
When: Every Sat in May, 10.30am (approx. 2.5 hrs). Other dates and times by request for onsite guests.
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Per Person: $35.00
Adelaide City
Companion Card accepted Bookings Essential Wheelchair Access

Adelaide Alfresco: The Dunstan Effect

Guided tour, Launch
Former SA premier Don Dunstan's love for cuisine ran much deeper than his desire to publish a cookbook. Adelaide's culinary scene wouldn't be…
When: Sun 23 May & Tue 25 May, 10.30am (approx. 2 hrs)
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Adult: $30 (+ booking fee) Concession: $25 (+ booking fee)
Online
Bookings Essential

Tracing Adoption and Fostering Records in South Australia

Workshop
This workshops attempts to unweave the web of tracing adoption and fostering records in South Australia, the official documentation and processes…
When: Mon 17 May, 1-2pm
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Member: $25.00 Non-member: $35.00 Concession: $30.00
Adelaide City
Open Doors Bookings Essential Wheelchair Access Toilets

Discovering the Destitute Asylum Walking Tour

Guided tour, Talk
The Destitute Asylum housed Adelaide’s poor from 1850-1918, but most of it was demolished before 1950. The Migration Museum occupies the last…
When: Sun 30 May, 11am, 12pm & 1pm (45 min. tours)
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Per Person: $10.00

Focus Programs

Open Doors
Family Friendly
First Nations Events
Art + History
Events for Booklovers
Rainbow History
After Dark
A Taste of the Past
From Many Places
Learn Something New
Sporting Stories
Transport Yourself
Natural History
That’s Music to My Ears
Reflecting on War Histories
North Terrace cultural precinct
Healthy History
Digital Events
History in the Pub

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Adelaide City
Family Friendly Toilets

City South History Exhibition

Exhibition
The exhibition features photographs on canvas of city south streetscapes dating back to 1860 and the early 1900s, all sourced from The City of…
When: 10-29 May: Mon to Sat 7am-4pm
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Free
Barossa
Bookings Essential Wheelchair Access Full Toilet Facilities

Gawler's Pendragon: George Isaacs

Talk
Dr Anne Black will speak about George Isaacs, alias 'A Pendragon', a complex colonial character. In a life that spanned two hemispheres and two…
When: Wed 19 May, 2-3.30pm
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By donation
Barossa
Family Friendly Partial Wheelchair Access Toilets

Knuckle Bones to Techno

Display
Tucked away in the Valley of Eden is a small chapel built in 1928, and during the History Festival, this unique building will host an intriguing…
When: Every Fri, Sat & Sun in May, 10am-3pm
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By donation
Adelaide City
Bookings Essential Wheelchair Access Full Toilet Facilities

Queer Migrations

Talk, Workshop
The University of Adelaide, RMIT, and the History Trust of South Australia are carrying out a research project funded by the Australian Research…
When: Wed 26 May, 6-7.30pm
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Free
Adelaide East
Bookings Essential

Guided Tour of Historic Magill Wesleyan Cemetery

Guided tour
Subdivision for the village of ‘Makgill' in 1838 included land for a chapel and cemetery. Early European settlers, contributors to developing…
When: Sat 22 May, 11am (approx. 60 mins)
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Adult: $5.00
Limestone Coast
Toilets

Penola Terra Rossa SACWA

Self-guided tour, Exhibition
The Penola Terra Rossa Branch of the CWA has portrayed some of the women who came to the region for love, work or grew, as part of a family…
When: Every day in May, 10am-4pm
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Free
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