Ticket to fun: be among the first to make a splash at new Adelaide Aquatic Centre

South Australians have the chance to be a part of history and make an early splash at the new Adelaide Aquatic Centre, with a ballot opening to attend the first day of the Malinauskas Labor Government’s $135 million landmark facility.

Construction on the world class facility is progressing at pace, with the facility scheduled to open a day earlier on Australia Day, Monday, 26 January.

From tomorrow morning, people can enter the ballot for a unique opportunity to be among the first to experience the brand-new aquatic centre on its opening day.

Successful ballot entrants will have the chance to purchase tickets to enjoy a three-hour preview session at the centre, which is set to reshape community health and wellness.

Approximately 1500 people will get to experience the centre on its first day, with 500 spots available in each of the three special preview sessions.

Registrations for the ballot will open at 9.30am tomorrow and close at midday this Thursday, 15 January 2026. Ballot winners will be notified by email and SMS from 9am on Monday 19 January, and will be able to register for one of three sessions on 26 January, starting at 10am, 2pm and 6pm.

This first day of fun will give lucky South Australians exclusive access inside this world class facility ahead of regular operations starting Tuesday, 27 January.

An accessible space for everyone, the centre will set a new benchmark for recreational aquatic facilities nationally, with a focus on the health and wellbeing of people of all ages and diverse abilities.

More than 1500 health and wellness memberships have already been snapped up since memberships for the new centre opened in November last year, as learn-to-swim and squad enrolments pass 1800 participants.

Building anticipation for the opening event, the four waterslides are now in place.

At 13 metres high, the slides will send swimmers on a twisty ride at speeds of up to 11 metres per second, or approximately 40km/h.

Covering a combined 355 metres, the slides snake in and out of the centre, finishing in dedicated chutes in the indoor splash zone. Transparent sections and coloured lighting effects will add to the fun.

The slides complement more than 40 fun features packed into the splash zone, with a rain curtain, 5 metre-high eagle ray, giant jelly fish and water jets set to delight children of all ages.

The indoor 50 metre, warm water/rehabilitation and dedicated learn-to-swim pools are all now filled with water and undergoing final testing ahead of operations.

Work is progressing on the landscaping of community spaces and the carpark, with planting underway of the 355 new trees that will green the site. Some of these trees have been growing in a local nursery since 2023.

To safely allow for improvements to the surrounding shared use trails in the northern Park Lands, some temporary detours for cyclists and pedestrians are in place.

There will be a thorough testing period in the lead-up to the doors opening to ensure all centre systems are functioning effectively and to allow for staff training.

The new centre, which will be operated by YMCA Aquatic, is supporting more than 1500 jobs during construction and features welcoming spaces with natural tones to reflect its Park Lands setting.

South Australians can register for the opening day ballot from 9.30am tomorrow at this link.

New timelapse vision of the slides being installed is available here.

More information on becoming a member can be found on the Adelaide Aquatic Centre website.

Quotes

Attributable to Peter Malinauskas

The new Adelaide Aquatic Centre is going to be incredible and I’m thrilled to announce it will now open on the Australia Day public holiday.

We know there’s going to be huge excitement and anticipation for the opening, so there will be a ballot to allow some lucky South Australians to be the first to experience all the fun and features of this world class centre.

Attributable to Emily Bourke

This will be an incredible community asset and I strongly encourage all water loving South Australians to enter the ballot from tomorrow morning to be a part of history when this centre opens.

Construction has supported 1500 jobs with the facility to feature more than 300,000 tiles, over a kilometre of underground plumbing and four million litres of water across the six pools.

Attributable to Rhiannon Pearce

This centre will reshape health, wellness and water recreation in South Australia, providing a sustainable, accessible and welcoming environment for all.

Memberships are already proving popular with more than 3000 people signing up to enjoy this brand new $135 million facility.

Attributable to Member for Adelaide Lucy Hood

This is an exciting moment for our local community, with the new Adelaide Aquatic Centre set to open its doors a day earlier than anticipated.

Soon we’ll see former and new members along with visitors enjoy everything the amazing new facility has to offer.