Entertainment Guide to Adelaide

South Australia is known as the Festival State and its main city, Adelaide, has plenty to celebrate. A thriving arts scene, more restaurants per capita than any other state in Australia and a climate conducive to most sporting activities combine to make Adelaide an entertaining place to spend time in.

Every Thursday the daily newspaper The Advertiser publishes a lift-out guide listing the week's entertainment, focusing mainly on pop and dance. Community radio stations such as 5UV Radio Adelaide offer an insight into local affairs and free street tabloids such as DB Magazine and The Adelaide Review carry details of the music and arts scenes.

The South Australian Tourism Commission has a well stocked Travel Centre in King William Street, Adelaide's main thoroughfare, and offers assistance with general information about local events.

Pubs and Bars

The city center alone has 91 different clubs and pubs offering food and entertainment. Pubs with an Irish theme have made an impact on the city and many of them, such as PJ O'Briens and Finn McCool's, offer rollicking entertainment as an accompaniment to their fine range of ales. Adelaide's temperate climate is conducive to outdoor entertaining and many pubs have beer gardens or outdoor areas with live music on weekends.

Rundle Street and North Terrace's cosmopolitan mix of Asian and European style restaurants which feature tables on the sidewalk, are the setting for Adelaide's executives to unwind after the working day. The Universal Wine Bar, created by Michael Hill-Smith, Australia's first Master of Wine, is the place to go for serious wine lovers, while the Oyster Bar is just that, with a buzz of conversation thrown in. Cafe Tapas offers Spanish style food and wines, with a live flamenco show adding color on Saturdays. Over in Hindley Street, Quiet Waters is the place for belly dancing. Enigma Leisure Lounge and Bar features regular live local rock and DJs.

Live Music

A vigorous local music scene exists in Adelaide, with one of the top venues, The Governor Hindmarsh Hotel, featuring shows or jam sessions every night. Jazz, bluegrass, folk, blues or rock—they are all at "The Gov."

The pubs of Rundle and Hindley Streets are hip spots for new music. Adelaide University usually has a good selection of alternative bands in the "Uni bar" or the Cloisters. For the folkie in us all, the Folk Center of South Australia offers a range from world music, blues and Celtic, to acoustic and dance, as well as a series of workshops and events for the more dedicated.

Looking for something a bit more classical? The Adelaide Festival Centre features symphony concerts, opera and popular musicals. If you are keen on chamber music, try the Elder Conservatorium at Adelaide University—they often hold concerts in Elder Hall. For the "blockbusters", rock spectaculars and grand classic concerts check out Adelaide Entertainment Centre.