French masters of flame Compagnie Carabosse will open Illuminate Adelaide with their spectacular Fire Gardens display.

After a highly successful 2023 event, Illuminate Adelaide returns for its fourth iteration this July. Held throughout the laneways and gardens of Adelaide, the winter festival has announced French masters of flame Compagnie Carabosse will open festivities with their awesome Fire Gardens installation.

Running from July 4 to July 21, the historic Adelaide Botanic Gardens will be transformed into a captivating wonderland of fire. Thousands of handcrafted firepots, enchanting kinetic sculptures and candlelit arches and pathways will light up the Gardens, creating an illuminating experience that has to be seen to be believed.

Compagnie Carabosse is known for their incredible installations across the world, having set up shop in England’s Stonehenge, Kremlin Square in Moscow, and even an abandoned Moroccan prison.

Tickets for the Fire Gardens are on sale now, and to celebrate, Illuminate Adelaide is offering $35 discount tickets until midnight Sunday.

For those wanting to make a night of it, you can book dinner before or after at the Restaurant Botanic Rose Garden pop-up. Situated in the Rose Garden Pavillion, the dinner includes hors d'oeuvres, main and dessert curated by executive chef Justin James.

“The Fire Gardens experience is being designed specifically for our Botanic Garden… Compagnie Carabosse already plotting and mapping out their largest ever installation,” Illuminate Adelaide co-founders and creative directors, Lee Cumberlidge and Rachael Azzopardi said in a statement.

“Fire Gardens is the perfect way to experience Adelaide in July, and we know audiences will be blown away by this spectacle.”

South Australian Minister for Tourism, Zoe Bettison, is also pumped for the return of the festival: “Illuminate Adelaide is now etched into the calendars of many Australians. The epic scope and scale of Fire Gardens will undoubtedly draw hundreds of thousands of locals and interstate visitors to what is a truly city-wide celebration of light, art, music and cutting-edge technology.

“Alongside the experience of each incredible event, is the valuable economic injection Illuminate Adelaide generates each year, with visitors from near and far supporting our local shops, cafes, restaurants, bars, and hotels in what is a traditionally quieter time of the year for many businesses.”

The full program of events will be released on May 1.

Illuminate Adelaide runs from July 4 to July 21. The full 2024 program will be announced on May 1. You can grab tickets for Fire Gardens here.