Adelaide’s event scene has never been more interesting than right now. With events spanning sports, food, arts, and culture, the Adelaide calendar is packed with things to do, whether you’re up for a night out, multiple days of activities or simply something different. Whatever your interest or constraints, Adelaide has you covered.
The sheer variety of arts and culture events mean that everyone is bound to find something they’re interested in. From February to March, you’re spoilt for choice, with Adelaide Fringe, WOMADelaide and Adelaide Festival all running simultaneously. This ‘Mad March,’ is headlined by Adelaide Fringe, where over 6000 global artists perform 1400 shows across 500 venues. Comedy, music, and theatre are the typical staples, but Adelaide Fringe has more to offer, with circus and cabaret just some of the unique shows travelling from international stages to Adelaide’s humble venues. A highlight is the interactive Sleep’s Hill Tunnel, in which 377 metres of railway tunnel are lined with projections and installations uncovering its history.
Adelaide Festival has run for 40 years and grows more successful each year. Like Fringe, the Festival hosts global and local acts and their artwork, with a writer’s week for the opening of the festival. Galleries run special exhibitions for the festival, and music, dance and theatre fill the rest of the schedule. Original works feature alongside interpretations, some of this year’s notable productions being a run of the musical Hedwig and the Angry Inch, and Table Top Shakespeare by Forced Entertainment, in which the famous plays are condensed in miniatures, using everyday objects as stand-ins for the characters.
WOMADelaide (World of Music Arts & Dance) rounds out Mad March, in the beautiful scenery of Adelaide’s Botanic Park. The event is internationally acclaimed and hosts over 30 countries that travel to showcase their talent, and not just in the arts. The Planet Talks see a three-day forum for environmental and conservation discussion, and Taste The World is run out of Adelaide Botanic High’s upper plaza, where the festival artists cook food from home.
For foodies, there’s Tasting Australia presented by Journey Beyond in May. This festival is one of Australia’s longest running focused on food and drink. Their events are found regionally as well as in Adelaide, but their festival hub is Tasting Australia’s Town Square. Here, enjoy live music alongside tasting South Australian specialties. We wouldn’t go past one of the Dining Galleries for a cultured and exclusive night out. The dining spaces are lined with artwork from South Australian artists, and their menus are carefully crafted, offered just for the event.
There is no shortage of sports events in Adelaide if that’s your thing, like the Equestrian Festival in May, Liv Golf Adelaide in February, Adelaide International tennis tournament and the Santos Down Under cycling race both in January. The brand-new Gather Round is returning to Adelaide in April for a festival of footy in an exclusive event, where all 18 AFL teams face off in different venues around South Australia, with a whopping five games played at Adelaide Oval over the weekend.