Feast Festival’s Iconic Picnic In The Park Is Bigger and Better Than Ever

Picnic in the Park, the penultimate event of of South Australia’s premier LGBTQIA+ arts and culture celebration, Feast Festival, is coming back bigger and better than ever before.

With support from the Adelaide Economic Development Agency (AEDA) and the City of Adelaide, 2025’s Picnic in the Park will be entirely free, and held in its new home at Whitmore Square/Iparrityi.

The picnic is also bringing an extra two hours of late-night partying, with extended hours from 11am to 9pm.

Feast Festival CEO Tish Naughton says she believes the changes will make this year’s festival the best yet.

“There really is nothing like it on the South Australian social calendar in providing a joyful and inclusive space for people to celebrate who they are – and with the backing of AEDA and the City of Adelaide we are making it more accessible for people to attend,” she said.

“Not only will 2025 feature the return of fan favourites such as the iconic Feast Dog Show as part of our bumper picnic program, we’ve also secured a special headline live music act to close out the night.”

The picnic will bring more events, more performances, and more room for all the stories, voices, and experiences that make up the South Australian queer community.

“Whitmore Square/Iparrityi has long been a place of gathering, protest, and visibility, so it’s fitting that it is hosting this year’s Picnic in the Park,” said City of Adelaide Lord Mayor Jane Lomax-Smith.

“On the 50th anniversary of the decriminalisation of homosexuality in South Australia, it’s powerful to see our city continue to support events that speak to liberation in all its forms, celebrating identity, reclaiming space, and creating room for everyone to be seen and heard.”

Reclaiming space and living without fear

Feast Festival is South Australia’s  largest LGBTQIA+ event, with Picnic in the Park becoming a cornerstone of the Pridevember calendar, Feast Festival’s month-long celebration of queer arts, culture and connection.

Running from November 1 to 23, the festival’s theme for 2025 is “liberation”, running deeper than legal reform to encapsulate reclaiming space, telling stories, living without fear, and celebrating queerness in all its forms.

2024’s program saw more than 900 artists, performers, volunteers, and production crew coming together to produce 82 events, with headliners including bestselling feminist author Clementine Ford, international drag superstar and winner of RuPaul’s Drag Race Down Under Season 2 Spankie Jackzon, and award-winning comedians Scout Boxall and Frankie McNair.

The full Festival and Picnic in the Park program details, including the headline performer, will be revealed in the coming weeks.

Picnic in the Park is on November 22, 11am to 9pm.