See the Chihuly glass sculpture exhibition at the Adelaide Botanic Garden. Perfect for the whole family, it’s FREE to see during the day!
Chihuly’s Garden Cycle exhibition is now open at Adelaide Botanic Garden. Seattle-based Dale Chihuly, the world’s most celebrated contemporary glass artist, has selected the picturesque Adelaide Botanic Garden as the venue for his inaugural Southern Hemisphere Garden Cycle exhibition.
This Adelaide-exclusive, Australian-first exhibition also features two brand new artworks, created specifically for our iconic Garden — the Glacier Ice and Lapis Chandelier in the spectacular heritage listed Palm House, and the Jet and Crimson Fiori in the Bicentennial Conservatory.
WHAT CAN YOU SEE FOR FREE AT CHIHULY?
Garden Experience
There are 15 outdoor artworks dotted throughout Adelaide Botanic Garden, free to view seven days a week during the day.
NOW OPEN – Botanic Lodge | Adelaide Botanic Garden | Review
What is ticketed at Chihuly?
School Holiday Activities
There are school holiday activities throughout January for kids at the Adelaide Botanic Garden, with tickets ranging from $12 – $20 per child. Activities include:
- Tabletop Escape Room Games: Chandelier Heist (Ages 7-12)
- Tabletop Escape Room Games: Chandelier Heist (Ages 13-16)
- Colours of a Biome & Moore Critters workshop (Ages 7-12)
- Colours of a Biome & Moore Critters workshop (Ages 13-16)
- Whacky Wildlife and Funky Flora with Wild man!
VIEW THE ACTIVITY PROGRAM HERE
In Full Colour Dale Chihuly – Bicentennial Conservatory
Deep dive into the world of Dale Chihuly in this accompanying exhibition that explores the celebrated artist’s life, career, inspirations, epic installations, and his remarkable influence on contemporary glass art.
Groupings of Chihuly’s glass sculptures erupt from the lush rainforest inside the magnificent Bicentennial Conservatory where they appear to sprout like ‘hybrid plants’ from the vegetation within.
The exhibition offers tantalising glimpses behind the doors of the Chihuly hot shop and insights into how the towering sculptures placed through the Botanic Garden were conceived, transported and built on site.
Location: inside the Bicentennial Conservatory (10am-4pm). Cost: $14 full price | $12 concession | Free for children 12 years and under.
Chihuly Nights
From Thursday to Saturday evening, you can experience the dramatically lit artworks after dark and enjoy live music, food, and drinks.
Included in your Chihuly Nights ticket, explore the rainforest conservatory exhibition, In Full Colour: Dale Chihuly, where an additional collection of works can be found nestled in the lush botanical setting.
Head to the pavilion in the heart of the garden to enjoy live music and something delicious to eat and drink from award-winning caterers.
We recommend allowing at least 2 hours to explore this exhibition.
Cost: $25 full price | $20 concession | Free for children 12 years and younger.
Thursday to Saturday 27 September 2024 to 26 April 2024 | 6.45pm – 10pm
Book Chihuly tickets at the Adelaide Botanic Garden
Take a look at some of our Chihuly Nights photos below:
A unique program of activities will compliment the event, offering you opportunities to explore the art again and again.
PROGRAM SUMMARY:
- Garden Experience | Discover Chihuly’s 15 epic glass sculptures. Free entry to the outside exhibition during the day.
- In Full Colour: Dale Chihuly | Explore more in this special exhibition inside the rainforest conservatory.
- Chihuly Nights | Be mesmerised by dramatically lit glass sculptures at this evening event (Thursday to Saturday).
- Wednesday Wonders: Music Series | Be delighted by local artists for some mid-week magic – Wednesday evenings in October 2024.
- Wednesday Wonders: Science Talks | Explore the scientific realms of glass in fascinating Science Talks – Wednesday evenings in November 2024.
View the full Chihuly program at the Adelaide Botanic Garden
View this post on Instagram
About Chihuly
Born in Tacoma, Washington, Dale Chihuly is a celebrated artist who, for more than half a century, has been creating world-class art in a range of mediums, using both new and old techniques. His work in glass explore translucency, light and colour, creating unique organic forms that have been presented at museums, gardens and public spaces around the globe.
Uniting art and nature, Chihuly’s garden exhibitions are designed to compliment the environment they are placed in, delivering distinct visitor experiences wherever they are featured.
Inspired by his mother’s love of gardens and his own connection to nature, Chihuly embarked on a creative journey to develop massive architectural glass installations for display in botanic gardens. Since 2001, Chihuly has shown these magnificent forms in cities across the USA, as well as London’s Kew Gardens and Singapore’s Gardens by the Bay.
NOW OPEN – Botanic Lodge | Adelaide Botanic Garden | Review
Opening & Closing Hours:
Adelaide Botanic Garden is open every day of the year, including public holidays.
Opening Times
- Monday – Friday | 7:15am (all year)
- Weekends and public holidays | 7.15am (Dec to Mar) / 9am (Apr to Nov)
Closing Times:
- December to March | 8pm
- April | 6pm
- May to August | 5.30pm
- September | 6pm
- October and November | 7pm
To visit each artwork you will need to cover approximately 2 kilometres of pathways. Depending on whether you visit each artwork and how long you take to look at them, they recommend allowing at least one and a half hours for the outside experience.
This Exhibition is organised by the Botanic Gardens and State Herbarium in cooperation with Dale Chihuly and Chihuly Studios. The work displayed is protected by copyright and copying is expressly prohibited.
For more information and all enquiries please visit Adelaide Botanic Garden website.
What: Chihuly
When: 27 September 2024 to 29 April 2025
Where: Adelaide Botanic Garden, South Australia
Who: Everyone
At Play & Go Adelaide we make every effort to provide accurate information to the best of our knowledge at the time of publication. We recommend confirming times, dates and details directly before making any plans as details may be subject to change.
Image Source: photos by Play & Go September 2024
SUBSCRIBE
Follow Play & Go on Facebook and Instagram
Want to get all the latest events and activities straight to your inbox?
Subscribe to our weekly email newsletter below to keep up to date with our latest posts and find out all the best events & activities for Adelaide families. Newsletters are only sent once a week, and you may sometimes get a special offer exclusively for our subscribers only!
