OzAsia Festival 2024 returns to Adelaide Festival Centre

Audiences can expect brilliant musicians, engaging conversations, hilarious comedians, delicious cuisine and astounding visual arts when OzAsia Festival, Australia’s leading contemporary arts festival engaging with Asia, returns to Adelaide Festival Centre from 24 Oct to 10 Nov.  

OzAsia Festival 2024 Artistic Director – Joon-Yee Kwok (Photo credit: Naomi Jellicoe)

This year’s dynamic programme features more than 300 local, national and international artists from 12 countries, and includes 7 world premieres, 4 Australian premieres and 9 Adelaide premieres.   

On OzAsia Festival’s opening weekend, more than a dozen giant lanterns will light up Tarntanya Wama/Pinky Flat for the beloved Moon Lantern Trail. This free, family-friendly event features roving performances, giant puppets, interactive workshops and delectable food from 24 – 27 October.  

OzAsia Festival 2023 – Moon Lantern Trail (Photo credit: Xplorer Media)

OzAsia Festival 2022 – Moon Lantern Trail (Photo credit: Xplorer Studio)

After an extended sold-out season in Singapore, it’s Adelaide’s turn to celebrate Por Por’s Big Fat Surprise Wedding. Starring Crazy Rich Asians’ Koh Chieng Mun as the spirited, 70-year-old Por Por (whose groom is a mystery to everyone including her own family.) Revel in the surprises of this unforgettable and hilarious dinner theatre performance which includes a four-course Indian meal and a glass of sparkling wine on arrival.

Por Por’s Big Fat Surprise Wedding

Experience the romance, action and melodrama of a big Bollywood film live on stage, in the internationally acclaimed A Passage to Bollywood. In this Australian premiere, breathtaking dance routines by renowned Bollywood film choreographer, Ashley Lobo, blend classical with contemporary styles to celebrate the vibrancy and magic of India. 

A Passage to Bollywood

After captivating Swifties across the globe, Tik Tok superstar Taylor Sheesh brings The Errors Tour to Dunstan Playhouse for two nights only. With stunning choreography, dazzling outfit reveals, and a Meet & Greet after each show, Taylor Swift fans won’t want to miss this!  

Taylor Sheesh

In an Australian exclusive, Chisato Minamimura brings Scored in Silence to Space Theatre, unveiling the hidden perspective of deaf survivors of the 1945 atomic bombs in Japan. Performed in Auslan with English surtitles, Scored in Silence combines innovative technology, meticulous research and heartfelt interviews in a poignant portrayal of history and resilience. 

Chisato Minamimura (Photo credit: Mark Pickthall)

Returning for its fourth year, The Special Comedy Comedy Special brings together a stellar bill of hilarious Asian Australian comedians hosted by ABC Radio Adelaide’s Jason Chong. Featuring Harry Jun, Jennifer Wong, Kushi Venkatesh, Lawrence Leung, Lizzy Hoo, Sashi Perera, Takashi Wakasugi and Urvi Majumdar for one night only in the Dunstan Playhouse. 

Harry Jun at Sydney Comedy Festival Gala 2024 (Photo credit: Ben Sanford)

At Space Theatre in the final week of OzAsia Festival, award-winning Afghan composer, instrumentalist and producer Qais Essar will perform an evening of emotional and thought-provoking music on the rabab; and electronic musician, singer and cabaret artist Dyan Tai will present Permaisuri, a live music and performance art project, exploring queer identity and the diasporic migrant experience in Australia. 

Qais Essar

At Nexus Arts, South Australian hip-hop artist Kultar Ahluwalia’s multidisciplinary performance The Mixed-Race Tape blends hip hop with old recordings, family interviews, and spoken word, exploring themes including identity and fatherhood. In a celebration of playfulness and experimentation, drummer Chloe Kim offers an expressive and masterful performance of solo drumkit. Punjabi Australian vocalist and Adelaide’s own Parvyn (from popular band The Bombay Royale) will launch her second album Maujada blending contemporary rock, disco, and jazz with rich Sikh Punjabi folk traditions.  

Parvyn (Photo credit: Harry Webber)

For families, The Story of Chi is a captivating, coming-of-age tale that explores the bonds uniting us across generations through a combination of theatre, puppets and shadow puppetry. In a hands-on, art adventure perfect for families, interactive installation Tanabata: Star Village, invites audiences to make origami and contribute wishes to an evolving galaxy of wishes, in Dunstan Playhouse foyer, inspired by the vibrant Japanese star festival. 

The Story of Chi

OzAsia Festival favourite, Lucky Dumpling Market, returns to Elder Park serving up a delicious range of cuisine from the best local vendors accompanied by free live entertainment on the OzAsia Festival stage. 

OzAsia Festival 2021 – Lucky Dumpling Market (Photo credit: Xplorer Studio)

A vast array of visual arts will be on display throughout the festival, including the enchanting and dreamy solo exhibition Hello, how am I? by South Australian OzAsia Festival 2024 brochure cover image artist Jessie Hui, and the fantastical Wish you were here by Hong Kong’s Vivian Ho, evoking solitude and yearning within surreal, urban landscapes.  

Flinders University’s Discipline of Archaeology explores underwater cultural heritage from the Maritime Silk and Spice Route in the world premiere of Reuniting Cargoes. In a contemporary cross-cultural expression of Australian identity, South-Asian Australian slow fashion house Saree Selections will showcase their collaboration with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists on their latest collection of sarees, on display in Festival Theatre Foyer.  

With plenty of free workshops, masterclasses, and talks also on offer, stay up to date on programme details at www.ozasiafestival.com.au