The Adelaide Festival Centre is getting a $35 million upgrade, including fire safety measures and a lift to improve accessibility.
The centre is the city's main arts venue, and celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2023.
The works were initially announced in the South Australian government's budget review in December, with arts minister Andrea Michaels outlining the scope of the project on Tuesday.
Switchback ramps that provide access to the plaza from the riverbank promenade will be replaced with stairs, with one new lift to provide access for people with prams and in wheelchairs.
"It will make it a lot more accessible for families, I've done the ramps behind me with a pram and it's not very pleasant," Ms Michaels said.
The centre is hosting several summer holiday shows in January, including Alice in Wonderland and The Very Hungry Caterpillar, bringing small children to the venue in droves.
Ms Michaels played down suggestions that having a single lift would leave people waiting too long, if they're unable to take the stairs.
"It's certainly sufficient for what we need it to do," she told reporters.
The previous state government had known fire safety upgrades were needed when the centre underwent upgrades costing $90 million in 2017-18, according to treasurer Stephen Mullighan.
"If I can put it as euphemistically as possible, I was pretty surprised that those works didn't occur when it was closed for that extended period," he said in December.
At least one of the theatres in the complex will remain open during the works, while the city's Walk of Fame (which includes Roy Orbison, Olivia Newton-John, Dame Edna Everage and Cate Blanchett) will not be affected.
Fire compliance measures are also part of the project, although the government says the centre meets current fire safety standards.
It's hoped the works will be completed in the first half of 2026.
