FAQs - Adelaide Festival 2026

What is the venue called?

The name of the venue is The Wandering Hall of Possibility.

Where is the venue located?

The Wandering Hall of Possibility will be situated on Plane Tree Lawn in the Adelaide Botanic Garden.

Do I need a ticket to enter?

Yes, you will need a ticket to enter the venue. Seats are not allocated (General Admission). Tickets can be booked at adelaidefestival.com.au. It is free to enter the Adelaide Botanic Garden.

Which Adelaide Botanic Garden entry do I use to reach the venue?

Ticket holders are encouraged to enter the Adelaide Botanic Garden via the Hackney Gate (access from the car park adjacent to Hackney Road), or the Main Gate, near the corner of North Terrace and East Terrace.

Refer to the Adelaide Botanic Garden map for the locations of Plane Tree Lawn (C3), Hackney Gate (C6) and the Main Gate (G3).

Please note that access through other garden entrances will be restricted on certain dates.

Is parking available?

Parking is available at the Rose Garden carpark (B6 on the Adelaide Botanic Garden map) , and along Plane Tree Drive. Parking fees apply from 8am – 10pm on Monday – Saturday. Free parking is available on Sundays and public holidays.

Please note that Plane Tree Drive will be inaccessible (no parking) from 2 – 13 March, due to the WOMADelaide festival.

What type of venue is The Wandering Hall of Possibility?

It is a pop-up venue – an enclosed, transportable, wooden building, custom-designed to contain the three productions.

What type of seating is in The Wandering Hall of Possibility?

Seats are in raised banks with cushioned seats and angled timber backs. There is limited seating at floor level. The majority of seating is accessed via stairs with a single handrail.

Is the venue wheelchair accessible?

Yes, all bookings can be made through the Adelaide Festival website.

Is the building air-conditioned?

Yes, there will be cooling.

What is A Concise Compendium of Wonder?

A Concise Compendium of Wonder is a triptych of theatre productions that includes The Childhood of the World, The Giant’s Garden, and The Tree of Light.

What is the duration of the show?

Each production is 60 minutes. There is no interval. Due to the immersive nature of each production, latecomers will not be admitted.

Can I see all three shows in one day?

Yes, a full triptych is available on weekends and on some weekdays. A full cycle is 6.5 hours, including breaks.

What happens between shows?

Depending on which performances you are attending, breaks between shows range from 1.5 hours to 2 hours. You are free to spend this time as you please. You may wish to explore the gardens, enjoy a picnic on one of the many open lawns, dine at one of Adelaide Botanic Garden’s eateries or venture further and explore the many dining options on nearby Rundle Street, or in the neighbouring Adelaide Fringe hubs.

You must exit The Wandering Hall of Possibility at the end of each show.

Do I have to watch the three shows in a particular order?

No, you can enjoy the three productions, singularly, in any order. But we do suggest the following sequence as a complete cycle: The Childhood of the World, The Giant’s Garden, and The Tree of Light.

What age group are the shows suitable for?

The shows are suitable for ages 8 and up. Some of the themes and characters in the stories might scare younger audiences.

Are there any warnings?

Depending on the production, you may experience loud sound, theatrical smoke and haze, laser lights, strobe lighting effects and strong scents. Refer to the show details for warnings specific to each production.

Who wrote the stories?

• The Childhood of the World is written by Jennifer Mills, inspired by the Brothers Grimm’s Hansel and Gretel
• The Giant’s Garden is written by Ursula Dubosarsky, inspired by Oscar Wilde’s The Selfish Giant
• The Tree of Light is written by Ceridwen Dovey, inspired by Hans Christian Andersen’s The Little Match Girl

Are the stories available to read?

The complete collection of stories – A Concise Compendium of Wonder – will be published by Pink Shorts Press and available for purchase from 24 February 2026.

How can I purchase the published book?

The published book will be available for purchase at all good bookstores, online via Slingsby’s website, and at the venue (credit card purchases only).

Is there food available to purchase?

Yes, the Adelaide Botanic Garden has a selection of food and beverage outlets. More information, including opening hours, can be found on their website.

Can I bring food and drink to the venue?

While a picnic is ideal for the Adelaide Botanic Garden, food and drinks are not allowed inside the Wandering Hall of Possibility.

Are there bathroom facilities?

Toilets are located a short distance from the venue. You will find a full list of facilities on the Botanic Gardens and State Herbarium website.

What time does the Adelaide Botanic Garden close?

During daylight saving time, the Botanic Garden closes at 6:30 pm. Audience members attending a 6:15 pm performance will be directed to exit the garden via Hackney Gate immediately after the performance ends at 7:15 pm.

Why a triptych?

A triptych is an artwork made up of three pieces or panels. The form is often used to impart narrative, create a sequence, or show different elements of the same subject matter. Each production in A Concise Compendium of Wonder stands alone as an artwork, but the works speak to each other through shared themes of environmental stewardship, climate justice, connection to nature and hope. We like to think of these stories as three leatherbound books sitting beside each other on a bookshelf; each can be experienced individually, but told side by side, a more complex and timely narrative about the natural world emerges from this collection of tales.

Seeing all three shows in one day, gives an unmatched, immersive experience to the audience member, allowing them to make detailed thematic and symbolic links between the three productions. It allows a greater understanding of the decisions the creative team have made in the context of the Compendium, as they intertwine across the three stories. Triptych audiences will also see the inner world of The Wandering Hall of Possibility reconfigure and evolve, revealing surprises with each new story.

These three productions will be performed in an enclosed, designed world that holds seeds of all three stories: the forest, the settled village, and the future city. Common threads weave the stories together, with the maternal tree figure appearing in all three productions. For example, in The Mother in The Childhood of the World could be seen as Grandmother Tree from The Tree of Light. The Childhood of the World’s Rae is a refraction of The Tree of Light’s Earth Girl, while the Lunar Girl is perhaps Ida from The Giant’s Garden. These connections are more easily made when seeing the Compendium in its entirety.

School Bookings for the world premiere season of A Concise Compendium of Wonder in 2026 are now available via Adelaide Festival’s Youth & Education page.

Reducing our Environmental Impact

Slingsby is committed to reducing the climate impact of its art making and touring. A Concise Compendium of Wonder – a triptych will help us to achieve our environmental ambition, strategically linked to our Green Touring Model, to eliminate more greenhouse gas pollution than we create.

Using a slower touring model also allows for an extended stay in each venue and for the touring artists to engage with local artists and community through a series of workshops and engagements.

A Concise Compendium of Wonder will be presented as a triptych: three productions on one set with one cast, reducing the overall climate impact. Told side by side, a more complex and urgent story about the natural world emerges from this collection of tales.

Find out more about Slingsby’s Climate Action, here.