DreamBIG Children's Festival, formerly Come Out Festival or Come Out Children's Festival, is a large biennial arts festival for schools and families held in

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 ...

History

The festival began as the Come Out Festival in 1974 as part of the

Adelaide Festival of Arts The Adelaide Festival of Arts, also known as the Adelaide Festival, an arts festival, takes place in the South Australian capital of Adelaide in March each year. Started in 1960, it is a major celebration of the arts and a significant cultural ...

, becoming a stand-alone biennial event in 1975. The first biennial event was held at the

Adelaide Festival Centre Adelaide Festival Centre, Australia's first capital city multi-purpose arts centre and the home of South Australia's performing arts, was built in the early 1970s and designed by Hassell (architecture firm), Hassell Architects. The Festival The ...

, and it has been produced by the Centre since 2015. The festival's name was changed from "Come Out" to DreamBIG Children's Festival in 2017, when the organisers decided the term was no longer appropriate due to its meaning for the LGBTI community. More than 2 million children have participated in the Festival since 1974. It celebrates its 50th anniversary in May 2025.

Artists and companies

Artists and companies who have presented work at the Festival include: *

Australian Dance Theatre Australian Dance Theatre (ADT), known as Meryl Tankard Australian Dance Theatre from 1993 to 1999, is a contemporary dance company based in Adelaide, South Australia, established in 1965 by Elizabeth Cameron Dalman . The ADT was the first moder ...

* Black Violin *

Boori Monty Pryor Boori Monty Pryor (born 1950) is an Aboriginal Australian author best known as a storyteller and as the inaugural Australian Children's Laureate (20122013). Early life and family Pryor is descended from the Birri Gubba nation of the Bowen re ...

* Carclew * Circus Monoxide *

Cirkidz Cirkidz is a youth circus school based in Bowden, South Australia, Bowden, Adelaide. It was founded by Tony Hannan and Michael Lester in 1985, as a workshop project. Performances The Performance Troupe are Cirkidz participants, and create a ...

* Compagnia TPO * D'Faces of Youth Arts * Jumbuck Theatre * Kevin Lock * Slingsby * Snuff Puppets *

State Theatre Company of South Australia The State Theatre Company of South Australia (STCSA), branded State Theatre Company South Australia, formerly the South Australian Theatre Company (SATC), is South Australia's leading professional theatre company, and a statutory corporation. It ...

* Theatre Australia * The Pinjarra Project * Weeping Spoon Productions

References

External links

*
Come Out Children’s Festival: 22 – 30 May 2015
on Play and Go website {{Adelaide Festivals , state=autocollapse Festivals established in 1974 Arts festivals in Australia Festivals in Adelaide 1974 establishments in Australia