The Adelaide Entertainment Centre (AEC) is an

indoor arena An arena is a large enclosed venue, often circular or oval-shaped, designed to showcase theatre, Music, musical performances or Sport, sporting events. It comprises a large open space surrounded on most or all sides by tiered seating for specta ...

located in the

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a States and territories of Australia, state in the southern central part of Australia. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories by area, which in ...

n capital of

Adelaide Adelaide ( , ; ) is the list of Australian capital cities, capital and most populous city of South Australia, as well as the list of cities in Australia by population, fifth-most populous city in Australia. The name "Adelaide" may refer to ei ...

. It is used for sporting and entertainment events. It is the principal venue for concerts, events and attractions for audiences between 1,000 and 11,300. It is located on Port Road in the suburb of Hindmarsh, just north-west of the

Adelaide city centre Adelaide city centre () is the inner city locality of Adelaide, Greater Adelaide, the capital city of South Australia. It is known by locals simply as "the City" or "Town" to distinguish it from Greater Adelaide and from the City of Adelaide l ...

. With modern architecture and acoustics, function rooms and catering, the Adelaide Entertainment Centre provides a live entertainment venue for hundreds of thousands of people each year. In 2010 the Adelaide Entertainment Centre completed a $52 million redevelopment with a new entry and theatre complex.

History

The AEC was established by the

Government of South Australia The Government of South Australia, also referred to as the South Australian Government or the SA Government, is the executive branch of the state government, state of South Australia. It is modelled on the Westminster system, meaning that the h ...

in response to rising demand from the people of South Australia (primarily Adelaide) for a suitable venue for international and local popular entertainment and sport. The 3,500 capacity Apollo Stadium, which had been Adelaide's primary entertainment and indoor sports venue since 1969, was increasingly considered to be too small to meet this need and by the end of the 1980s many international music acts were bypassing Adelaide (especially in the winter months) on their Australian tours due to the lack of a suitable indoor venue (the only other viable indoor venues in Adelaide were the Adelaide Festival Centre or the Thebarton Theatre, both of which only held 2,000 which was even less than the Apollo's capacity). To meet the demand for a new indoor venue that could hold upwards of 10,000 people, the AEC was announced in late 1989 and would be built at a cost of AU$44 million. Building for the venue began in early 1990 and involved the excavation of 75,200 tonnes of earth and the pouring of 36,480 tonnes of concrete, the largest concrete pour in South Australia at the time, as well as over 750,000 hours on construction. The Main Arena floor is 65.4 metres by 42.1 metres and the roof height is approximately 20 metres from the Arena floor (approximately the height of a 5-storey building). The clear span of the Arena is 85 metres, the 8 roof trusses weighed a total of 216 tonnes and 980 tonnes of structural steel was used in the construction. The Adelaide Entertainment Centre was officially opened on 20 July 1991 by

John Bannon John Charles Bannon (7 May 1943 – 13 December 2015) was an Australian politician and academic. He was the 39th Premier of South Australia, leading the Australian Labor Party (South Australian Branch), South Australian Branch of the Australia ...

, the then

Premier of South Australia The premier of South Australia is the head of government in the state of South Australia, Australia. The Government of South Australia follows the Westminster system, with a Parliament of South Australia acting as the legislature. The premier i ...

. Before the AEC was built it was generally believed by the people of Adelaide that it would also be the new home of the

Adelaide 36ers The Adelaide 36ers are an Australian professional men's basketball team in the National Basketball League (NBL). The 36ers are the only team in the league representing the state of South Australia and are based in the state's capital of Adela ...

who played in the National Basketball League as they played their home games at Apollo and a move there when it opened seemed natural as ticket demand for the 36ers was more than twice what the old stadium could hold. This speculation was also fuelled by the success of other teams in the NBL, namely the

Brisbane Bullets The Brisbane Bullets are an Australian professional men's basketball team in the National Basketball League (NBL) based in Brisbane, Queensland. They competed from 1979 to 2008, and returned to the league in 2016. Brisbane were one of ten NBL ...

, Perth Wildcats, and

Sydney Kings The Sydney Kings are an Australian men's professional basketball team competing in the National Basketball League (Australia), National Basketball League (NBL). The team is based in Sydney, New South Wales, and play their home games at Qudos Ba ...

who had all moved into their respective cities larger Entertainment Centres and were attracting record crowds. However, both the 36ers and their then owner the Basketball Association of South Australia wanted their own venue that would provide a home for

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...

in SA, and thus the AU$16 million, 8,000 seat Clipsal Powerhouse (Renamed to Titanium Security Arena, and then to Adelaide Arena in 2019) was opened in 1992. In 2019, the Adelaide 36ers announced that the Adelaide Entertainment Centre would be the new home of the Adelaide 36ers NBL team. The Adelaide Entertainment Centre has capacity to hold 10,000 Basketball fans. The South Australian Government assigned responsibility for the management of the AEC to the Grand Prix Board in 1989. In August 1998, the Government established the Adelaide Entertainments Corporation. The first

board of directors A board of directors is a governing body that supervises the activities of a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government agency. The powers, duties, and responsibilities of a board of directors are determined by government regulatio ...

for the AEC was formally appointed on 9 February 1999. The current Board consists of seven Directors. In 2007, the Rann Government announced plans to renovate the Adelaide Entertainment Centre. The Government released the statement: "The State Government is committed to the vision of creating a vibrant entertainment and media precinct on the Adelaide Entertainment Centre Site". On 6 August 2007, the renovation plans were passed and construction began on the $52 million upgrade. Tourism Minister

Jane Lomax-Smith Jane Diane Lomax-Smith, Order of Australia, AM (born 19 June 1950) is an Australian politician and Histopathology, histopathologist serving as List of mayors and lord mayors of Adelaide, Lord Mayor of Adelaide since 14 November 2022. Lomax-Smith ...

said: "the upgrade comes on the back of a record-breaking last 12 months, with more than 370,000 passing through the centre's doors, and record profits recorded." The renovation included: major upgrades of the foyer, backstage area and corporate facilities; creation of additional car parking; new staging and curtains; renovation of administration areas; and restoration of the heritage-listed Revelations Chapel for use as a wedding and function venue. In the main arena itself 8,000 new seats were also installed. The centre not only holds music and cultural events, but hosts the occasional sporting event such as

netball Netball is a ball sport played on a rectangular court by two teams of seven players. The primary objective is to shoot a ball through the defender's goal ring while preventing the opposing team from shooting through their own. It is one of a ...

, as well as

Professional Wrestling Professional wrestling, often shortened to either pro wrestling or wrestling,The term "wrestling" is most often widely used to specifically refer to modern scripted professional wrestling, though it is also used to refer to Real life, real- ...

with the

World Wrestling Entertainment World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) is an American professional wrestling promotion. It is owned and operated by TKO Group Holdings, a majority-owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. A global integrated media and entertainment company, ...

using the venue for the Adelaide leg of their Australian tours since 2004. On 7 November 2010, the centre played host to the ANZ Championship grand final between local team the

Adelaide Thunderbirds Adelaide Thunderbirds are an netball in Australia, Australian professional netball team based in Adelaide, South Australia. Since 2017 Suncorp Super Netball season, 2017 they have played in Suncorp Super Netball. Between 2008 ANZ Championship s ...

and the

Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic are a New Zealand netball team based in Hamilton. The team were formed in 1998, following the merger of Waikato Wildcats and Bay of Plenty Magic. In 1997, Wildcats and Magic had been founder members of the Coca-Col ...

team from New Zealand. The Thunderbirds won the grand final 52–42 in front of 9,300 fans. The Entertainment Centre was chosen over the Thunderbirds home venue of ETSA Park which only holds 3,200 and their former alternate venue, Titanium Security Arena, due to its ability to hold more spectators and because ticket demand was more than the Titanium's 8,000 capacity. The centre also hosted the opening two games of the 2012 Holden Netball Quad-Series in a double header with

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

taking on

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

and

New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...

taking on

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...

. On 14 July 2013, the AEC hosted its second ANZ Championship grand final when the Thunderbirds hosted the Queensland Firebirds. The T-Birds kept their winning record at the venue when they defeated the Firebirds 50–48 in front of 9,000 fans. Since 2018, the Thunderbirds have utilised the Entertainment Centre as an alternate home venue.

Kylie Minogue Kylie Ann Minogue (; born 28 May 1968) is an Australian singer, songwriter, and actress. Frequently referred to as the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Princess of Pop", she has achieved recognition in both the music industry and fas ...

performed here for the first time on 25 and 26 April 2001, during her On A Night Like This. Minogue returned on 30 November and 1 December 2006 as part of her Homecoming Tour. Kylie performed again 18 June 2011 as part of her Aphrodite: Les Folies Tour and 17 March 2015 during her Kiss Me Once Tour. She returned on 11 March 2019, during her Golden Tour. On 18 February 2025, she will perform as part of her Tension Tour. On 23 July 2007, Irish vocal pop band

Westlife Westlife are an Irish pop group formed in Dublin in 1998. The group consists of members Nicky Byrne, Shane Filan, Kian Egan and Mark Feehily. Brian McFadden was a member before leaving in March 2004. The group disbanded in 2012 and later reun ...

held a concert for The Love Tour supporting their album The Love Album. On 3 April 2010,

Lady Gaga Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta (born March 28, 1986), known professionally as Lady Gaga, is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Known for her image reinventions and versatility across the entertainment industry, she is an influ ...

performed at the arena as part of her The Monster Ball Tour. On 4 October 2014,

Miley Cyrus Miley Ray Cyrus ( , born Destiny Hope Cyrus, November 23, 1992) is an American singer, songwriter, actress and director. Regarded as a contemporary pop icon, Cyrus has been recognized for her evolving artistry and image reinventions. She is ...

performed in the ''Entertainment Centre'' during the Bangerz Tour for the second time since her last sold-out show in 2011 during her Gypsy Heart Tour. On 9 October 2018,

Cher Cher ( ; born Cheryl Sarkisian, May 20, 1946) is an American singer, actress and television personality. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Goddess of Pop", she is known for her Androgyny, androgynous contralto voice, Music an ...

performed at the arena as part of her Here We Go Again Tour. On 28 July 2022, British virtual band

Gorillaz Gorillaz are an English virtual band created by musician Damon Albarn and artist Jamie Hewlett in London, England in 1998. The band primarily consists of four fictional members: (vocals, keyboards), Murdoc Niccals (bass guitar), Noodle (gui ...

performed at the arena as part of their 2022 World Tour and as a part of

Illuminate Adelaide Illuminate Adelaide is an annual winter event held each July in Adelaide, South Australia. It includes free and ticketed events presented by local, national, and international artists and companies, encompassing "art, light, music, and technolo ...

. On 14 November 2022,

Dua Lipa Dua Lipa ( ; born22 August 1995) is an English and Albanian singer, songwriter and actress. List of awards and nominations received by Dua Lipa, Her accolades include seven Brit Awards and three Grammy Awards. Lipa worked as a model before v ...

performed at the arena as part of her Future Nostalgia Tour. On 18 October 2023,

Paul McCartney Sir James Paul McCartney (born 18 June 1942) is an English singer, songwriter and musician who gained global fame with the Beatles, for whom he played bass guitar and the piano, and shared primary songwriting and lead vocal duties with John ...

performed at the arena for the first show of the Australian leg of his Got Back Tour. On 11 January 2024, the Adelaide 36ers set their all time home attendance record when 9,580 fans saw them take on reigning NBL champions, the

. On 11 February 2024,

Blink-182 Blink-182 is an American Rock music, rock band formed in Poway, California, in 1992. Its current and best-known line-up consists of bassist and vocalist Mark Hoppus, guitarist and vocalist Tom DeLonge, and drummer Travis Barker. Though its so ...

performed at the arena on their reunion tour. On 17 April 2024,

Bring Me the Horizon Bring Me the Horizon are a British Rock music, rock band, formed in Sheffield, England in 2004. The group currently consists of lead vocalist Oli Sykes, drummer Matt Nicholls, guitarist Lee Malia and bassist Matt Kean (musician), Matt Kean. T ...

performed at the arena as part of their Nex_Gen World Tour After the centre's success, the number of regular plays and musicals decline in 2010s, as the Adelaide Festival Centre opposite the Adelaide Oval took over with musicals such as

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang ''Chitty Chitty Bang Bang'' is a 1968 children's film, children's Musical film, musical fantasy film directed by Ken Hughes and produced by Albert R. Broccoli. It stars Dick Van Dyke, Sally Ann Howes, Lionel Jeffries, Gert Fröbe, Anna Quayle, ...

The Sound of Music ''The Sound of Music'' is a musical with music by Richard Rodgers, lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II, and a book by Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse. It is based on the 1949 memoir of Maria von Trapp, '' The Story of the Trapp Family Singers''. ...

and Matilda (shown in 2014, 2016 and 2017). On 3 August 2024, the AEC's sports attendance record was set when 9,694 fans saw the Adelaide Thunderbirds win their 6th national title defeating the

Melbourne Vixens Melbourne Vixens is an netball in Australia, Australian professional netball team based in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, Victoria. Since 2017 Suncorp Super Netball season, 2017 they have represented Netball Victoria in Suncorp Super Netball. B ...

59-57 in the 2024 Suncorp Super Netball Grand Final. On 4 September 2024,

Iron Maiden Iron Maiden are an English Heavy metal music, heavy metal band formed in Leyton, East London, in 1975 by bassist and primary songwriter Steve Harris (musician), Steve Harris. Although fluid in the early years of the band, the line-up for most ...

performed at the arena as a part of their The Future Past World Tour.

Centre features

The footprint of the site is (approx 7 acres), and includes a large foyer area, a event arena, seven function rooms, car parking, logistic facilities and administrative offices. The arena is the largest

auditorium An auditorium is a room built to enable an audience to hear and watch performances. For movie theaters, the number of auditoriums is expressed as the number of screens. Auditoriums can be found in entertainment venues, community halls, and t ...

in South Australia. The centre it is capable of operating in several different modes, including an 'intimate' mode (2,000–4,500 patrons), end stage mode (4,500–7,500 patrons) and '360-degree' mode. With a general admission floor and Corporate-level seating, the maximum capacity of the AEC of 11,300, making it the third-largest permanent indoor arena in Australia behind

Sydney Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...

's Qudos Bank Arena (21,032) and the

Brisbane Entertainment Centre The Brisbane Entertainment Centre is a multi-purpose indoor arena located in the City of Brisbane, central part of Brisbane, Australia. The centre is managed by SMG (property management), ASM Global. The centre also houses a sporting complex a ...

(14,500), and the fifth-largest Australian arena behind the Sydney Super Dome (Qudos),

Melbourne Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...

Rod Laver Arena Rod Laver Arena is a multipurpose arena located within Melbourne Park, in Melbourne, Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia. The arena is the main venue for the Australian Open, the first Grand Slam (tennis), Grand Slam tennis tournament of ...

(16,200), the

Perth Arena Perth Arena (known Naming rights, commercially as ) is an entertainment and sporting arena in the city centre of Perth, Western Australia, used mostly for basketball matches. It is located on Wellington Street, Perth, Wellington Street near the ...

(14,856) and the Brisbane Entertainment Centre (both the Rod Laver and Perth arenas are

retractable roof A retractable roof is a roof system designed to roll back the roof of a structure so that the interior of the facility is open to the outdoors. Retractable roofs are sometimes referred to as operable roofs or retractable skylights. The term o ...

venues). When in Sports Mode, usually for either basketball for the

or netball for the

or Australian Netball Diamonds, the Centre has a capacity of 10,000. As of 2025, the largest attendance in sports mode was set on August 3, 2024 for the Suncorp Super Netball Grand Final won by the Thunderbirds over the

with 9,694 in attendance. The largest 36ers attendance to date was set on January 4, 2025 when 9,588 saw the 36ers defeat Melbourne United. The AEC has a complete in-house catering operation that provides for audience food and beverage requirements, as well as banquet, function, seminar, tradeshow, corporate suites and backstage requirements. The AEC also provides corporate hospitality in the form of 31 suites that are leased on a 2–5-year basis.

Functions

The Adelaide Entertainment Centre holds various functions throughout the year for corporate clients and private hirers including gala banquets, dinners, breakfasts, conferences, weddings and wedding ceremonies. The Arena can accommodate a banquet for up to 1000 guests. The AEC is also home to the Revelations Chapel which is heritage listed and non-denominational. This venue can host both wedding ceremonies and functions.

Car parks

The Adelaide Entertainment Centre has more than 1,400 car park spaces available on site for concert-goers. Entry or exit is via Mary Street, Manton Street or Adam Street only. A$18 parking fee applies for event parking.

Transport

A tram service operates from Glenelg via the

, free of charge to and from the city. A taxi stand is situated on Port Road next to the main entrance of the AEC. Bus stops are located on Port Road and Manton Street (rear of the AEC). The Bowden railway station is located within a minute's walk from the main entrance of the AEC.

Ticketing

All tickets for concerts or events at the Adelaide Entertainment Centre can be purchased through

Ticketek Ticketek is an Australian event ticketing company. Founded in 1990, the company is owned by TEG Pty Ltd with its headquarters in Sydney. It operates ticketing operations for entertainment and sporting events in Australia and New Zealand. Othe ...

References

External links

* {{Authority control Adelaide 36ers Adelaide Thunderbirds 1991 establishments in Australia Sports venues in Adelaide Sports venues completed in 1991 Music venues in Australia Indoor arenas in Australia National Basketball League (Australia) venues Basketball venues in Australia Netball venues in South Australia Modernist architecture in Australia Boxing venues in Australia