Aida confirmed in Australia. The Arena di Verona will be in Adelaide in February 2027

Giuseppe Verdi’s majestic AIDA, in the legendary staging designed by Franco Zeffirelli, will head to Australia in February 2027. After the postponement announced a few months ago, the new event dates have now been confirmed: on Friday 26 and Saturday 27 February 2027, at the Adelaide Oval, Fondazione Arena di Verona will stage the ‘queen of opera’, as part of the 2027 Adelaide Festival.

Twenty-five years after its debut at the Arena (which took place in the summer of 2002), Maestro Zeffirelli’s staging will leave Italy for the first time and head Down Under, alongside all the artistic and technical forces of Fondazione Arena di Verona. This historic event will see an entire Italian theatrical production depart for Australia. A truly international project to celebrate one of the most iconic symbols of Italian cultural excellence: opera singing, now included on the UNESCO cultural heritage list.

Originally scheduled for February 2026, the production was postponed due to delays caused by complications in the export and transport of the 28 containers containing costumes, sets, tools and technical equipment. The confirmation of the new dates, one year in advance, will enable compliance with the time frames for the realisation of the show.

The production will involve 389 international artists and technicians from Fondazione Arena di Verona, supported by 300 local professionals, including the chorus of the State Opera South Australia. Meanwhile, 106 musicians from the Fondazione Arena di Verona Orchestra will appear in the pit. Franco Zeffirelli’s vision will be brought to life by Stefano Trespidi, his longtime collaborator. The event will be produced by TEG Live with the support of the Government of South Australia, the Adelaide Economic Development Agency and the City of Adelaide, in collaboration with the State Opera South Australia, and has been officially included in the 2027 Adelaide Festival programme.

Set in ancient Egypt, AIDA will come to life under the stars of the Adelaide Oval, with stunning sets, sumptuous costumes and cinematic spectacle, offering Australian audiences an unparalleled operatic experience.

Tim McGregor, Head of Global Touring at TEG: “AIDA is one of the most significant cultural events to come to Australia. Presenting Zeffirelli’s iconic production in Adelaide for the first time is a landmark moment for live performance”.

Cecilia Gasdia, General Manager of Fondazione Arena di Verona: “We are proud to bring Maestro Zeffirelli’s art to the world. His staging will feature during the 2026 Arena Opera Festival, with the sets and costumes then leaving Verona and arriving in Australia after three months at sea. For the first time, an entire continent will be able to witness this impressive staging outside of Italy. It will be an extraordinary event. Institutional interest is already very high; we have a year to write a new page of the history of Italian opera”.

Stefano Trespidi, Deputy Artistic Director of Fondazione Arena di Verona: “We will be part of one of the most important international performing arts festivals in the southern hemisphere. This is a marvellous opportunity that we have been preparing for years – a tribute to opera and to Maestro Zeffirelli himself. Obviously, slotting in all the pieces needed for such a complex trip was not easy. We now have a year to turn a dream into reality: to become the first Italian opera house in Australia”.

Matthew Lutton, Artistic Director of the Adelaide Festival: “We are pleased to welcome AIDA as an early addition to the 2027 Adelaide Festival programme. It will be an epic companion to the suite of the world’s best international opera, theatre and dance productions currently planned for the 2027 festival programme”.

Tickets are on sale now at www.aidaadelaide.com.au.