June is set to be a month of mead, music and medieval marvels. The South Australian Museum brings a bold splash of Norse culture to the city as it launches a month-long Viking Festival, celebrating the internationally acclaimed Treasures of the Viking Age: The Galloway Hoard exhibition.
Running in tandem with the Adelaide CBD’s vibrant Winter Festival season, the Viking Festival offers a series of free after-hours events that blend history, culture and craftsmanship. The festivities will culminate in VikingFest—a weekend-long celebration held at the Museum on 28–29 June.
From Friday 6 June, the Museum opens its doors from 5pm, inviting guests to immerse themselves in themed evenings, starting with Music and Mead—an atmospheric event featuring live performances by local musicians and mead tastings from a South Australian meadery.
Throughout the month, visitors can expect a thoughtfully curated experience that includes arts and crafts stalls, artisan workshops, Norse storytelling, rune readings, medieval music and even combat demonstrations—sourced directly from the Museum’s own Viking specialists.
For those keen to delve deeper into the past, the festival will also host a range of expert-led talks and demonstrations, with researchers and academics in medieval history, archaeology, and artifact conservation sharing their insights.
Viking Festival dates:
- Friday 6 June (5pm–8pm)
- Friday 13 June (5pm–8pm)
- Friday 27 June (5pm–8pm)
- Saturday & Sunday 28–29 June (10am–5pm)
At the heart of the festival is the Galloway Hoard—a breathtaking collection hailed as one of Europe’s most significant archaeological discoveries of the century. Unearthed in 2014 near Balmaghie in southwest Scotland, the Hoard features over 100 rare objects buried more than a thousand years ago, around AD 900. The exhibition showcases an exquisite array of Viking jewellery, including silver arm rings, brooches and beads.
Information and tickets for Treasures of the Viking Age: The Galloway Hoard exhibition—which will be open during all Viking Festival events—are available via the South Australian Museum’s website.
