Adelaide may be Australia’s festival city, but there’s plenty of arts and culture to enjoy all year round. Brian Donaldson rounds up some of the places to visit and events to attend for a strong fi x of culture
ADELAIDE
HEAPS GOOD
Adelaide Oval
Other major events throughout the city include the LGBTI festival Feast, world music festival Womadelaide, biennial food and wine extravaganza Tasting Australia, and the Royal Adelaide Show agricultural fair. As a nod to the city’s Euro- diversity, there’s Schützenfest (a German cultural festival), and Glendi (translated as ‘party’) which has been celebrating Greek culture in Adelaide since 2013 and is the largest ethnic festival in South Australia. For art-lovers, there’s the Art Gallery of South Australia which holds over 30,000 works, Tandanya National Aboriginal Cultural Institute (featuring indigenous art, storytelling and music), and ACE Open which was the result of a merger between the Contemporary Art Centre of South Australia and the Australian Experimental Art Foundation in 2017, while the South Australian Museum combines a natural history museum with a public library, and the Migration Museum deals with South Australia’s immigration and settlement history.
‘D esigned for Life’. As a slogan for a city, it rather neatly captures the Adelaide way. People there have a strong sense of place in a city that celebrates both heritage and forward-looking ambition. The capital of South Australia and the fi fth most populous city in the entire country, Adelaide’s city centre is truly unique in being surrounded by parks, and is renowned for its festivals, sporting events, food, drink, and long beachfronts.
While the original design of many cities can be a hindrance when they expand through the centuries, Adelaide’s position between the hills and the sea has allowed it to grow in balance with nature. Designed in the 1830s by Colonel William Light, South Australia’s fi rst Surveyor-General, his vision was to create a city of the future: which celebrated the surrounding landscape and prioritised quality of life. The grid-like pattern of broad streets, tree-lined terraces and public squares is enveloped by the wide open spaces of the Adelaide Park Lands. Adelaide’s beautiful botanic gardens are also bang in the heart of the city, while Adelaide Central Market is one of the largest undercover produce markets in the Southern Hemisphere (the city is also home to the National Wine Centre of Australia).
Adelaide is a delight all year round, but truly comes to life in the fi rst half of the year, when festival frenzy hits and the population swells. Adelaide’s arts scene fl ourished in the 1960s with that decade’s opening year ushering in the Adelaide Festival of the Arts and Fringe Festival. The Adelaide Festival Centre, Australia’s fi rst multi-purpose arts venue, was constructed throughout the 1970s and now hosts a number of events including the Adelaide French Festival in January, the Adelaide Cabaret Festival in June, and the Adelaide Guitar Festival a month later. Top: HQ Complex, Bottom: Tandanya National Aboriginal Cultural Institute
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For live music fans, there’s the Adelaide Oval (home to Aussie rules football and cricket) which has played host to David Bowie, Madonna and AC/DC, and the Adelaide Entertainment Centre (Kylie, Miley and Westlife have strutted their stuff in there), while the more intimate Thebarton Theatre has hosted diverse acts such as Arctic Monkeys, Public Enemy and Miles Davis. For nightlife, HQ Complex that regularly features international DJs. The city has also played host to touring music festivals such as the dance-oriented Creamfi elds, and the indie / rock-shaped Laneway. Dance addicts will be happy to note that Adelaide is home to two of the country’s leading contemporary dance companies, Australian Dance Theatre and Leigh Warren & Dancers. is a mega-club
1 Jun–31 Aug 2019 THE LIST 61