The DreamBIG Children's Festival is an iconic arts festival for children and young people held every 2 years in South Australia.

The festival was originally known as Come Out Children's Festival, and started in 1974. Since then it's become an important part of South Australia's preschool and school calendar.

The festival includes:

• a poster competition, where the winning entry is used in festival materials
• an opening event involving around 2,000 children
• performances
• workshops
• statewide projects
• activities
• film
• exhibitions
• storytelling experiences
• teacher professional learning opportunities.

The festival has:

• a schools program, where kids take part in events and performances through their school
• a general public program for families.

2021 DreamBig Festival poster competition

Create a piece of art to inspire the DreamBIG Children’s Festival 2021 poster!. Students are invited to participate in the design competition for the next DreamBIG Children’s Festival. One winner will have their design used throughout the 2021 DreamBIG Children’s Festival, including their artwork being professionally incorporated into the festival poster.

To enter use these resources

• poster competition design brief, theme, entry requirements and selection criteria (Word 170KB)
• poster competition consent form (PDF 163KB).

Entries must be received by 4pm Friday 3 April 2020 (Term 1, Week 10)

When and where

The next festival will be held 19 to 29 May 2021. The festival ties in with the UNESCO International Arts Education Week, which is 24 to 30 May 2021.

Events will be held all around the state, including at the Festival Centre, Elder Park and throughout Adelaide.

Festival teaching and learning resources

A teaching and learning resource is produced by the Department for Education to support each DreamBIG Children’s Festival. Each resource is deliberately designed to be used any time of year and not only alongside the festival. 

Using a learning design approach, resources are aligned with the arts section of the Australian Curriculum, the general capabilities including literacy and numeracy, and the artistic program of the festival. They contain many learning experiences, all based on each festival’s theme.

Each resource (and the school’s program) becomes available towards the end of term 3 in the year before the festival year, eg around September or October 2020.

• People together (intercultural understanding) – DreamBIG 2019 (PDF 6MB)
• People together (intercultural understanding) – DreamBIG 2019 accompanying notes – music years 3 to 4: food beats (PDF, 218 KB) – from page 30 of the People together DreamBIG 2019 resource
• Feed the mind (critical and creative thinking) – DreamBIG 2017 (PDF, 14 MB)
• Building bridges (literacy: metaphor vs literal) – Come Out 2015 (PDF, 3.8 MB)

Become an arts ambassador

Arts ambassadors are educators in schools and preschools in South Australia who are interested in or are teaching the arts.

They receive email news with up-to-date information about DreamBIG, teacher professional learning, events, and the arts section of the Australian Curriculum.

Registration is free.

To register, email your name, school and contact details to education.DreamBIG@sa.gov.au.

Contact