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01 - 31 May 2024

South Australia’s History Festival

South Australia's History Festival is an annual event exploring the state's diverse and multi-layered history. Held throughout May each year, the History Festival explores the places and spaces, stories, collections, and ideas that make us who we are.

Details

When

01 - 31 May 2024

Event type

Exhibition, Guided Tour, Self-Guided Tour, Special Event, Talks, Workshops

Location

Adelaide
Metro Adelaide
Regional SA

Season

Autumn

Contact

History Trust of South Australia
Security House, Level 2, 233 North Terrace.
08 8151 3270
historyfestival@history.sa.gov.au

This month-long festival is dedicated to uncovering the stories that have shaped South Australian culture over the region’s rich and varied history. Learn something new (or old) on a series of walks, talks, exhibitions and workshops run by community organisations around the state.

Held throughout May each year, the History Festival explores the state’s places and spaces, stories, collections and ideas that make us who we are.

One of South Australia’s largest open-access community events, the History Festival program features hundreds of events ranging from talks to tours, walks to workshops and exhibitions to special events.

Events happen anywhere: urban and rural, towns, cities and suburbs; in museums and libraries; in boats, trains and buses and mysterious buildings; on the street, by the beach and in nature.

Hear the latest research and tales of the unusual and unknown; from amazing experts to local guides. With hundreds of events to choose from, there’s something for curious minds of all ages.

With over 400 organising groups, from state cultural institutions to grassroots cultural and community organisations, thousands of individuals come together to create South Australia’s History Festival.

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  • We should be inquisitive about our fascinating history. The festival provides an accessible, interesting way for people to learn.

    The Advertiser 2019

  • History comes alive across the entire state of South Australia.

    The Advertiser 2018

  • This community event is a must-do.

    Jetstar Magazine 2018

The local guide

Found some downtime between all the events and excitement? Here are some tips on what to see and do in Adelaide and South Australia.

In the Morning

High in the Adelaide Hills, the National Motor Museum’s outstanding collection of automobilia stretches back to the very dawn of the motor age. Antiques and unique one off vehicles sit alongside classic designs that rolled off the production lines around the world (including Holden’s Elizabeth plant), while displays explain how the evolution of auto design and Australia’s social history are irrevocably intertwined.

In the Afternoon

SA Museum is one of the most visited museums in Australia and holds collections of national and international significance. It is a leader in remote and regional community engagement, and in Australian Aboriginal heritage and scientific research. Marking its 165th anniversary in 2021, SAM, as it is affectionately called, is older than the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York and the Natural History Museum in London. And get this… the Museum houses over four million specimens and material cultural items!

In the Evening

Explore the historic, cultural and architectural artefacts of Adelaide along three trails. Learn all about its heritage places, including churches, high streets, and North Adelaide, some of which date to the early 1850s. Enjoy them by foot or bike!