Adelaide fringe is what makes Adelaide WONDERFUL. Running from Feb to March, it is the second…read morelargest fringe festival in the world next to the Edinburgh Fringe. The Adelaide Fringe is a bohemian festival of comedy, music, drama, dance and visual arts. The difference between Edinburgh and Adelaide is that Adelaide is big enough to be a wonderful international, unique open access festival that is small enough to have that sense of community. The people of Adelaide OWN this festival and it's fun loving, carefree vibe. The East End of Adelaide comes ALIVE during the fringe and it is starting to spread down Rundle Mall and into the West End, however there are fringe venues all over the state. Most people see the Fringe as the Garden of Unearthly Delights - which is a bright colourful venue - and therefore only a small part of the fringe. The Gluttony garden venue is just starting to take off across the road and nearly every store up Rundle is host to some kind of show. Rundle mall has a box office set up specifically for ticket and merchandise sales from December the year before. In the lead up to the fringe in Feb and throughout the festival, there are buskers and preview shows in the mall which gives the city an atmosphere that you just can not describe. Hundreds of local and international comedians, street performers, actors and artists flock to adelaide to experience this festival and give you a flyer for their show. Oh, dear god, I'm getting excited just thinking about it.

Bumped up from a biannual to a yearly event, the Adelaide Fringe has well and truly cemented its…read moreplace as a cultural high point for South Australia, and with good reason. Yes, it's massive and not entirely well curated (as Chloe points out), but its all encompassing and open nature is what makes it truly wonderful. Art, events and pop-up spaces fill every nook, waiting to be found. The late summer nights are full of music and light and people. It's the one time of year the city centre feels excited and energetic and new. It's a beautiful time for a sleepy city, and no matter where I am in the world I always try to get back home for the Fringe. I for one like getting caught up in the haphazard nature of the festival: this year I went from a dark German cabaret to stand-up to street art in the space of a night, getting pulled along wherever the mood took me. It wasn't all good, it's true, but that's not the point. There is something for everyone, and the atmosphere soaking potential alone makes it a magical time in Adelaide. Adelaide Fringe Festival (aka "The Fringe" for those nonnatives wanting to work the SA lingo) coincides with other events like WoMad and the Adelaide Festival of Arts - in a way it feels like we're cramming a year's worth of culture into 24 summery days, and maybe we are. I'm cool with that.

What a interesting little place. I never really noticed this place as it is right across from the…read moreNorwood Parade mall. Plenty of street parking or car park. It's next to the Norwood Concert Hall and easy walking distance. Brick and Motar creative had a special event on for and I was lucky enough to attend on of these workshop free events. This place is open 7 days a week from Mon-Sat 8.30-5, Sun 10-4. Independent design stores, creative workspaces, cafe, workshops + events. 49 George St, Norwood South Australia. I attended a ESTY Craft workshop and had to register online to get a placement. I attended a Friday night on the 17.06 from 6pm to 9pm. The theme was stationary, where each person receives free materials, instructions and guidance to make old-school paper stationery such as notepads, books, zines and notebooks, travel books, and it was all about being creative and book binding. This was a great social event, as many of us never bound books/note books by hand, it the guests and staff helped each other to complete out selected activity. I was greeted at the front door, received a name tag and greeted by more friendly and helpful staff. The place was cleaned, well situated and laid out with a workshop area and retail area and coffee/cafe area. We guests and customers and work on their projects while purchasing coffee/wine or nibbles. I made a japanese binding book and a traveller's note book, by selecting different papers, materials, stickers and then had to bind the book together with needle and thread. It was a fantastic experience and will probably do this again. It was fun if you are into arts and craft and social mingling. There are other events coming up, so head to their website as you can sign up for workshops/events to make soaps, stationary items, paper flowers etc or just come along to view the exhibitions and displays. Thumbs up! http://www.brickandmortarcreative.com.au/ .

Update- The staff have changed (same wonderful owner) and the new food and coffee fairies ‍ are…read morejust as good! Beware of delicious sugar free cakes! All products sold in the store (Brick & Mortar is also a creative art space underneath the Norwood council) are made by SA artists and craftsmen Coolest little space with arts, crafts and gifts. Not pretending to be a full cafe, and yet it is! Great coffee, fresh house made soups and salads, great simple brunch options.

Hi, I'm Rosyn and I'm stupid. When I first heard of this place, I took the title too literally and…read morethought it was going to be full of tasty jams. Well, its not quite a source of spreadable delights, but it certainly is delightful. This not-for-profit organisation celebrates all that is design, art and crafts. A well known place of excellence, the Jam Factory presents exhibitions, tours of craftsmanship, public and educational programs, shops, and helps support local talent. Whether it be ceramics, glass, furniture and metal design, this place offers an inspirational artistic experience. Expect to be google eyed wondering around the shop section!

The Jam Factory has been a South Australian icon of craft and design since its inception in 1973…read more For years they have help many artists, craftspeople and designers in developing their creative. As part of the SALA Festival I have decided to give a factory a visit. I am not much of an art person, but went I first visited this factory I was amaze at some of the creativities. The detail and the time spend to create these art works are amazing. The jam factory is divided into 4 areas; ceramics, furniture, metal and glass. As part of the SALA each area showcases some of their work to the public to see. One of my favour area is the glass studio, where you can go on a guided tour for a behind the scenes on how they make their glass work. The factory is not just a place to create great artwork but also a school to help students to learn from experiences artists. They have a 2 year cause not only teaches students the techniques of their craft but also teaches them the necessary business skills to manage their own creative practice. If you have any free time during the weekend visit the Jam Factory and be amaze at what you see.

Hugo Michell Gallery is one of the better commercial galleries in Adelaide, programmed according to…read moreMichell's younger pop-influenced taste. The stable of artists include some on the more decorative or illustrative street-art side of things (like Ghost Patrol) and then some whose work is more conceptual or involved with contemporary sculpture (like Tim Sterling). I've missed out on a few of the more recent exhibitions here - I was pretty busy in the second half of the year and don't often stop by the Norwood/Beulah Park area - but what I have seen here in the past has been good. The gallery itself is quite large and well outfitted. BIg polished concrete floor and track lighting. A much smaller gallery out the back, suited to video work. A few of the shows I've seen here have failed to fill the big space satisfyingly - there is a lot of potential for large scale/physically ambitious projects. That said, everything seems to be of a high standard of quality - I haven't ever been totally let down by a show here. Openings are always pleasantly social without being packed out. Nice beers too!

The Food and Wine Festival is free, immediately winning it heaps of points. Apart from that, the…read morename of it explains the festival perfectly- food, wine and music. There are heaps of different wine stalls, so you will definitely find numerous ones you like. I wouldn't attempt trying every wine as you won't make it to the other side of the Parade. Although the majority of people there do get a bit drunk. However, it is quite a classy event, nothing like you would see on Hindley Street on a Saturday night. The Parade has many restaurants and cafes, so the amount of food available during the festival is ridiculous. Most of the restaurants have greater seating area spread along the road and footpath. There are also heaps of stalls, often selling quite cheap food! I have never really noticed the music here, but I know that there are some bands, other instruments being played live and DJs.

I have a bit of a mixed review on this one. As a local who lives *extremely* close to the Parade,…read morethe annual Food, Wine & Music fair is both enjoyable and freakin' annoying in equal measure. Possibly more annoying than enjoyable. And here's why: PROS: - great to see a local event supporting local businesses - there's lots of yummy food to be had at the stalls set up by cafes and restaurants in the middle of the road - wine ftw - buzzing festival atmosphere - I can pop in, grab food + wine, pop back home. CONS: - my street is blocked off for DAYS - drunken, drunken idiots. Lots of people come in from other parts of town and just trash the local area and act like major jerks. I've seen some things that can't be unseen - the music. There is a stage set up down the end of my street and by the end of the day I've heard the same karaoke song about 364 times. It doesn't get better with each listening

Great new venue showcasing the new soon to be completed bridge over the River Torrens. The Blue…read moreHive host's Sunday Sessions featuring different foods and boutique wines and beers along with a chilled out area to relax it. It is kid friendly and if it is a hot day has a couple of misters in the hive creation. Just make sure you don't set yourself up to comfortably under one of these as you will get wet. So sit back listen to funky music, eat some yummy food and have a drink or two and soak up the atmosphere!

Me: "Have you been to The Blue Hive yet?"…read more The Rest of Adelaide: "Huh? No. What is this hive you speak of?" Me: "Um it's like a blue hive construction...like, it's blue and in the shape of a hive kind of...um...it's in the Riverbank Precinct." The Rest of Adelaide: *Blank look Me: Just off the footbridge on the city side, you can't miss it really, they host a stack of cool BBQ's before and after footy matches, there was a cool summer food and market series there in 2014, it's a good place for kids and has graffiti on the wall." The Rest of Adelaide: "Ohhhh..." Me: "Look it's pretty cool, just follow them on Facebook and head down to one of their events. They have a bar there too." The Rest of Adelaide: "Ooo a bar! Ok I'll have to check it out then!"

Nest is a cute little space that does all manner of good things…read more From the outside it just looks like another lovely little retail space on Magill Rd selling home-wares, and in part, it is. Nest have a small but curated collection of framed prints, textiles, accessories, clothing and the like, all with a graphic, modern aesthetic. No surprise really, considering it was started and is run by a graphic and textile designer. But more than just a cute space selling stuff, Nest has a program of art and craft classes specifically aimed at kids. Classes are around $235 for a term, and while I can't speak from experience (y'know, being sans kid), I love the idea of having a space for children to learn and draw and create. They also do parties as well, which is a great alternative to the usual fairies and clowns (which frankly freak me out). They are also involved in stuff like Writer's Week and the SALA festival, and I love the far-reaching and community-minded concept behind Nest.

We recently went to to Fringe, had food at Angler seafood. There was three of our group ate…read morethere....or tried to, the food was absolutely disgusting .We had fish and chips , it tasted like it had been pre cooked 2 days earlier and reheated sooooooo bad. while we were waiting we saw other people taking their orders back,now we know why. kind of spoilt a otherwise brilliant night.

Another year of festivals over, but one to truly remember! 2016 really did mark a big change for…read morethe Gluttony. Every year it grows and grows. But this year I was very excited to see the new venue "The Octagon". I think this really opens the doors for the Gluttony to get some bigger acts within its walls. Good move Gluttony! I was fortunate enough to see Tom Green in this Venue. I was really impressed with it's size. Kind of deceiving from outside. The chair set up in there was unusual though, the sides were facing the crowd rather than the stage. Nonetheless, great venue and well air-conditioned with a little bar. As for the rest of the Gluttony, loved to see more food on offer. The drinks lists were ok, but still costly. The set up seemed to change a lot this year and stretched out longer at the back. Which meant more space to sit and enjoy your surroundings. It was good to see the steampunk pigs again. But, I am hoping for something different next year. My thoughts are that the Gluttony has improved drastically this year in comparison to 2015. I imagine that 2017 will be bigger and better than ever!

Kensigton Gallery is a mid tier and quite conservative commercial gallery located east of the…read morecity. Housed in a Victorian style terrace building with nice large windows facing the street . The highlight of their represented artists is Greg O'leary, a brilliant painter of still life and a personal acquaintance of mine. Currently on show are works by Shirley Keene and Brian Budgen. Shirley Keene is an elderly painter working in quite a naif style working with thick paint and flat colours. Whilst the images she produces are quite pretty, there is not a lot of depth to her work. Brian Budgen again is not pushing any boundaries with his hard edged depictions of local vistas, bordering on the illustrative and certainly well within the bounds of the uninteresting. At times the Kensington Gallery can put up some fantastic exhibitions of work within the traditional genre. However it is hardly, as it claims to be, "Adelaide's leading contemporary art dealer."

Lovely! Stopped for an hour or two's lookabout. Many wonderful artworks, much of it indigenous. A…read morenice staff responded to questions with smiles. It is quite clean and well-kept. There is a cafe/eatery downstairs that was quite busy, speaking well for its fare. Room after room of many things to see. Certainly one of Adelaide's must-see spots!

I'm giving this gallery a 3.5/5. Huge bonus that it is free, even with the special exhibit from…read moreYayoi Kasuma with her famous polka dots and pumpkins, which was probably my favorite of all the works seen here. It is so unexpected and cheerful, you can't help but smile. As for the rest of the gallery, it was a bit jarring to see completely different styles and media next to each other. Maybe I just didn't appreciate the hidden themes or transitions. Not many plaques for explanations. All in all, not a bad stop for half an hour, but not a place I'd spend the whole day or even half a day in.