Image: Silver Sharks Aerobatics Team, Credit: Emily Rose Photography
From 27th to 29th March, Minlaton will come alive with a buzzing festival celebrating the very best of the Yorke Peninsula. Pull on your dancing shoes for a weekend of live local music, bring your appetite for food trucks and fresh local produce, and look skyward as thrilling air shows and fireworks light up the sky. Plus, with a special gala dinner – make sure to bring your Sunday best (though we’d fully support a pair of cowboy boots or some cheeky Blundstones tucked beneath the gown or tux) – as this weekend is shaping up to be one to remember.
This Yorke Peninsula town is marking more than a century and a half of history, and everyone’s invited to join the party. Already being tipped as “the best event Minlaton has seen in years,” the 3-day festival will celebrate the town’s history, culture and the people who make it what it is. But not to worry – it’s not all ribbon cuttings and dusty exhibitions. Expect a weekend of dancing, drinking and indulging in Yorke Peninsula delicacies. And for families, there’s plenty for the kids, too. Once they spot the face painting and rides, chances are they won’t want to leave.
Even better, local brewery Watsacowie is releasing a special 150th Milestone ale to commemorate the barley farming history of the area. Made from 100 per cent locally harvested barley, this limited edition brew is the perfect accompaniment for the weekend. Plus a great excuse to kick back with a cold one (or a few), in support of local businesses.
Image: Watsacowie Brewing
With so much packed into just three days, we’ve put together a day-by-day guide so you won’t miss a thing.
Friday kicks things off by Honouring the Foundations, paying tribute to the agricultural roots that helped build this thriving rural community. Saturday is where things really ramp up. Bring the whole family (and maybe a Berocca or two) as Main Street Comes Alive before the celebrations roll into the Festival at the Oval. Then on Sunday, things slow down slightly with a theme of Reflection, Story & Community
Here’s the full Program:
Friday 27 March — Honouring our foundations
All Day Exhibitions & Attractions
9:00 am – 5:00 pm
Australia Post Official M150 Postmark available
Minlaton Post Office
9:00 am – 2:00 pm
Art Exhibition “Selections and Collaborations” — Alexandra Burford
Senior Citizens Hall, 45 Main Street
9:00 am – 3:30 pm
Art Exhibition “The Exquisite Familiar”
Enabling Country Hub, 23 Main Street
9:00 am – 3:00 pm
Minlaton Museum Open — National Trust SA
Explore artefacts and stories from 150 years of local life
16A Main Street
10:00 am – 4:00 pm
Patchwork & Quilting Display — Golden Harvest Quilters
Uniting Church, 36 Main Street
Community Events
1:00 pm – 3:00 pm
Minlaton District School Celebration
History projects, art displays, school memorabilia, old-fashioned games, school tours, reunions & afternoon tea
Minlaton District School, 2 North Terrace
3:00 pm – 5:00 pm
Self-Guided Cemetery Tours
Stroll the peaceful paths and honour those who shaped the town
Floral and wheat tributes available
Minlaton Cemetery, 9 McKenzie Road
Gala Evening (Ticketed Event)
5:45 pm – 10:00 pm
Minlaton Town Hall, 57 Main Street
Doors close strictly at 6:15 pm
Hosted by MC Mark Muller (RM Williams OUTBACK Magazine)
Special guests and highlights include:
- Official Opening by Her Excellency the Honourable Frances Adamson AC, Governor of South Australia
- M150 Watsacowie Beer Launch
- Moments, Memories & Milestones Book Launch
- Live music & poetry reading
- Q&A with local legends
- Historic projector display
Morning on Main Street
9:00 am – 12:00 pm
Sidewalk Shop Sales & Window Displays
Special attractions:
- Yorke Eye Centre — Pedal Car Display
- Minlaton Bakery — Maroon & White Donuts
- Minlaton Post Office — Official M150 Postmark
Exhibitions & Displays
9:00 am – 12:00 pm
Selections and Collaborations Art Exhibition
9:00 am – 12:00 pm
The Exquisite Familiar Art Exhibition
9:00 am – 2:00 pm
Minlaton Museum Open
9:00 am – 1:00 pm
Patchwork & Quilting Display — Uniting Church
Kids Activities
10:00 am – 12:00 pm
Free Face Painting & Children’s Rides
Minlaton Foodland
Live Music on Main Street
Foodland Stage
- 9:00 – 10:15 am — The Maybe Tuesdays
- 10:30 am – 12:00 pm — Just Us
Uniting Church Stage
- 9:00 – 10:10 am — Peter Cook
- 10:15 am – 12:15 pm — Kadina, Wallaroo & Moonta Brass Band
Special Morning Events
9:30 am
Vintage Cars — Hot Lap of Main Street
9:45 am – 10:30 am
Fourth Street West Commemorative Plantation Plaque Unveiling
By Governor Frances Adamson
15 Fourth Street West
10:00 am – 12:00 pm
Devonshire Tea & Golf Season Opening
Minlaton Golf Club
10:00 am – 12:00 pm
Minlaton Family Centre Open Day
Tours & activities
Yorke Peninsula Learning and Care
Watch the skies above Main Street and Town Oval.
10:15 am — Historic Aircraft Flyover (Main Street)
11:45 am — Silver Sharks Aerobatics (Main Street)
1:30 pm — Historic Aircraft Flyover (Town Oval)
1:50 pm — Silver Sharks Aerobatics (Town Oval)
2:10 pm — Parachute Jump Display (Town Oval)
From 12:00 pm | Gold Coin Entry
Hosted by MC Amelia Mulcahy (Channel 7)
Displays
- Vintage cars & agricultural machinery
- Artisan Market (Show Pavilion)
- Yorke Peninsula producers
Food Trucks
Expect plenty of local flavour including:
- Spanish paella
- Thai street food
- Slow-cooked BBQ
- Loaded baked potatoes
- Nachos
- Asian street food
- Ice cream, fairy floss & baked treats
Artisan Market
Handcrafted goods including:
- Candles & diffusers
- Jewellery
- Pottery
- Soaps
- Cushions & bags
- Wearable art
- Unique handmade pieces
Local Produce
Yorke Peninsula seafood, premium meats, gin, boutique ales and regional wines.
Family & Festival Activities
12:00 pm – Late
Carnival rides
- Trippa Ride
- Bluey Inflatable
- Wave Swinger
- Mini Ferris Wheel
12:00 pm – Last Light
Barossa Helicopter Joy Flights
1:00 pm onwards
Keen 2 Ride Pony & Horse Rides
3:00 pm – 6:30 pm
Roving Entertainers
Blacksmith & Lost Skills Demonstrations
12:30 pm | 3:30 pm | 5:30 pm
Stage Entertainment
12:30 pm — George the Farmer (Kids Show)
2:30 – 3:30 pm — Cruizn Blues
3:45 – 4:45 pm — Karina Voigt
5:00 – 6:30 pm — Just Mates
6:45 – 8:00 pm — Caleb Raymond
8:15 – 10:30 pm — The Swamp Donkeys
9:00 pm — Fireworks Spectacular
10:30 pm — Festival Close
Image: Caleb Raymond
Morning
10:00 am – 2:00 pm
Minlaton National Trust Museum Open
M150 Information Hub
10:00 am – 11:00 am
Ecumenical Church Service
Uniting Church, 36 Main Street
Official Closing Celebration
11:00 am – 2:00 pm
Minlagawi Gum Flat Reserve
Corner Gum Flat Rd & Old Port Vincent Rd
Activities include:
- Live music by David Croser (11:00 am – 12:30 pm)
- Nharangga storytelling
- Scavenger hunt
- Children’s activities & drumming
- Interactive “Paint Minlagawi” watercolours
- Collaborative community art piece
- Food & coffee vans
- Major raffle prize draw
Image: Minlaton Council
Most of us are used to celebrating the big milestones — an 18th, a 21st, maybe even a 50th. But a 150th? That’s a whole different ball game. The team behind Minlaton’s sesquicentennial celebrations have risen to the occasion, pulling together a weekend that well and truly does this iconic town justice.
Serving as a central hub for the surrounding Yorke Peninsula, this small town packs a remarkable punch – a community and history you can feel, even as a passing traveller heading further south. Settled by agricultural pioneers in 1870, drawn by ideal conditions for barley, wheat and sheep farming, Minlaton has grown into what locals proudly call the barley capital of the world.
For those outside of the town, this three-day festival is more than enough reason to pack the car and pay homage to a small but mighty township that holds an iconic place in South Australian history. Grab your picnic blanket, pull on your farm boots, and get on down.
Minlaton 150th Birthday Celebration
Where: Several locations across Minlaton, Yorke Peninsula
When: 27th – 29th March 2026
For more information, click here.
