Illuminate Adelaide to stage interactive Augmented Games

Illuminate Adelaide will stage Augmented Games at the Ridley Centre in Adelaide Showground, marking the Australian debut of Moment Factory's interactive arcade format.

Presented by RAA as part of the wider Illuminate Adelaide program, the Adelaide-exclusive attraction will run across eight play areas in what organisers describe as the largest version of the format to date.

Augmented Games turns a physical venue into a multiplayer gaming arena where participants use body movement rather than hand-held controls. Using motion tracking, projection and game mechanics, players navigate challenges including memory tests, mazes and speed contests.

Unlike conventional gaming venues, the installation does not rely on screens or headsets. Sessions run for 60 minutes, with tickets priced from $15 to $30.

For Illuminate Adelaide, the launch extends a working relationship with Montreal-based Moment Factory, which has previously created festival works including Light Cycles and Resonate. The studio has more than two decades of experience in immersive and interactive productions.

The Adelaide season also reflects a broader push by cultural festivals to combine entertainment, technology and social activity in paid indoor attractions. The venue is being positioned not only as a place to play, but also as a spectator setting where friends can watch from the sidelines and buy food and drink.

Interactive format

The installation is designed to appeal to a broad audience, including families, adults, seniors and people with disabilities. That broad positioning matters for festival operators seeking to widen attendance beyond traditional arts audiences and create attractions that work across age groups and social settings.

Competitive socialising has become a significant segment of the leisure market, with venues mixing games, hospitality and group participation. Augmented Games fits within that trend, replacing activities such as bowling, darts or arcade cabinets with a digitally tracked, floor-based experience.

Moment Factory has built its reputation on large-scale multimedia environments, often combining projection, sound and responsive design in public and ticketed spaces. Bringing that model into a game-room structure gives Illuminate Adelaide another format that sits between art installation and commercial entertainment.

Adelaide has become an important market for that approach as festivals increasingly seek installations that can attract local residents as well as tourists. Indoor attractions also offer organisers greater operational certainty than outdoor works, which are more exposed to weather and crowd-management constraints.

Illuminate Adelaide's broader program has helped establish the event as a winter drawcard for the city, with support from the State Government through the South Australian Tourism Commission. In that context, ticketed installations such as Augmented Games help balance free public programming with revenue-generating experiences.

RAA's role as presenting partner underlines the importance of sponsorship in underwriting ambitious festival installations. Brand-backed experiences have become a common feature of major cultural events as organisers seek private funding alongside public support.

Festival partnership

The relationship between Illuminate Adelaide and Moment Factory dates back to the festival's first edition. That continuity gives the Canadian studio a familiar platform in the South Australian market and provides the festival with a recognised international creative partner.

Illuminate Adelaide co-founders and creative directors Rachael Azzopardi and Lee Cumberlidge highlighted that partnership in a joint statement.

"We have worked with the geniuses from Moment Factory since the very first iteration of Illuminate Adelaide in 2021, and Adelaide audiences have loved everything they have created for us," said Rachael Azzopardi and Lee Cumberlidge, co-founders and creative directors of Illuminate Adelaide.

They also described the design and intended audience response for the new installation.

"Augmented Games combines physical activity and digital gaming to deliver a cutting-edge, interactive experience. Strap in and get ready to move, laugh, compete and repeat while the room comes alive beneath your feet!" they said.

The event will operate daily, with sessions available every 30 minutes. Friday and Saturday trading will run slightly later than the rest of the week, extending the attraction's reach into the evening visitor market.

By making players the controllers, the installation offers a form of gaming built on movement in shared space rather than isolated play on personal devices. The eight-zone set-up is the largest version yet.