The 2026 Adelaide Cabaret Festival programme is here, featuring a star-studded line-up of comedy, theatre and music.
Australian comedian, singer and writer Reuben Kaye steps in as Artistic Director.
The programme showcases 79 performances over 12 nights, featuring local, national and international artists from the United Kingdom, USA, and Cuba.
Things kick off with the 2026 Variety Gala, hosted by Reuben Kaye and promising an unforgettable night with a surprise line-up of local and international talent.
Australian pop-rock group Lime Cordiale will give their ARIA chart-topping tunes a symphonic facelift, collaborating with Adelaide Symphony Orchestra in their Adelaide premiere show.
Lime Cordiale - Image © Oliver Begg
Plus, the talents behind ‘Jesus Christ Superstar’ will perform iconic songs and share behind-the-scenes stories in a one-night-only event, ‘What’s The Buzz’, featuring Reuben Kaye, Mahalia Barnes, John O’Hara, Elliot Baker, Graeme Isaako, Javon King, Peter Murphy and Michael Paynter.
Casey Donovan will treat Adelaide audiences to another one-night-only event – ‘This Is Me’ – bringing Amy Winehouse’s iconic anthems to life.
Opera and Broadway start Alfie Boe will make his Adelaide Cabaret Festival debut alongside soprano Amy Manford, performing greatest hits and songs from ‘Facing Myself’. . . And the festival is set to close with Scott Bradlee’s Postmodern Jukebox – The Future Is Vintage, transforming modern hits into a high-energy, vintage-style party.
Late into the night, audience can indulge in ‘Festival Late Nights’, featuring a different show each week and hosted by a rotating line-up of artists.
Other festival highlights for 2026 include the Adelaide premiere of Em Rusciano’s ‘Addicted To Love’, an unfiltered take on romance, validation and the myths we’re sold. . . Australian TV royalty Jay Laga’aia in ‘Unscripted’, reflecting on his journey from ‘Play School’ to ‘Water Rats’. . . Mahalia Barnes performing Bette Midler’s ‘The Rose’. . . And Sarah McLeod getting up close and personal, sharing songs and stories from 30 years on stage.
Mahalia Barnes - Image © Jarrad Seng
There will also be plenty to do without the price of a ticket: cabaret icon Dr Trevor Jones will delight at the Quartet Bar. . . ‘Rags To Riches’ will celebrate cabaret’s glamour and grit. . . And Festival Talks will be a series of candid, intimate conversations unpacking the art, history and style of cabaret.
“Join us at the upgraded Adelaide Festival Centre to see cabaret icons and rising stars alike for Adelaide Cabaret Festival,” Adelaide Festival Centre CEO Kate Gould says. “Enjoy the comfort of our refurbished theatres, pre or post show dining at our new Angry Penguin restaurant, and the ease of QR code ordering for quick interval drinks and snacks.”
“This year's programme is a smorgasbord of perfectly balanced chaos and craft. We're thrilled to be bringing yet another year of superb performances to Adelaide and look forward to welcoming you all back to Adelaide Cabaret Festival this winter.”
Adelaide Cabaret Festival 2026 is on from 4-21 June.
