The Festival State comes alive again. It’s that time of the year.
“Mad March” starts slowing in mid February and goes all the way to the middle of March. Truly a few crazy weeks of intense imbibing of culture and the arts. Food and alcohol along the way.
A Bohemian state if you must.
It’s big, very big
One of the World’s biggest celebration of culture and arts with a cast of thousands. Artistes, writers, dancers, musicians, mimes, jugglers, comedians, performers, buskers and participants descend into Adelaide in numbers.
With supporting crews and families in tow. Second only to the Edinburg Festival and their Fringe Festival..
They come from all over Australia and from the far corners of the World.
And we love seeing and hearing them perform. Food for the heart and soul. Creativity at its best.
Breaking it down
There are 4 separate events with separate organisations behind it. Each with a vision, theme and agenda of their own.
Hence the range, richness and depth that we find today. Here it is;
- The Adelaide Festival formerly called the Adelaide Festival of Arts that first began in 1960.
- Adelaide Fringe formerly called the Adelaide Fringe Festival that also began in 1960
- Adelaide Writers’ Week, yes again from 1960. Now part of Adelaide Festival organisation.
- WOMADelaide, a 4 day day festival of music, arts and dance at the Botanic Gardens. This first began in 1992.
In all, thousand over separate performances across hundreds of venues.
Staged across iconic and memorable city venues and the surrounding iconic Parklands. All easily accessible with most requiring a short walk from the middle of the city.
The Contrasting Big Two
Adelaide Festival is the more formal and conventional event and of a high standard. Though the spectrum does move frequently into the avant grade.
And isn’t Arts the creature we know so well for evolving. You can see the organisers’ hand in carefully choosing and curating the events reaching inside and outside Australia.
The Adelaide Fringe however opened a whole new World to me. Counter culture. You have see it to believe it.
Never seen anything like this before.
The expected and yet the unexpected, the usual and the unusual are probably the closest description one can make. It is clearly the most receptive to new ideas and creative thoughts and aptly called fringe ideas.
Standards are also high and certainly not at the fringe despite the name.
The pitched yet small circus tent at Rymill Park at Adelaide East End has become a symbol.
Even if you cut yourself from the media, the sight of the tent as you enter the city precinct form the East brings a smile. The Fringe is in town.
The Little Two
Don’t knock either of them. The Writers’ Week and WOMADeladie have an impressive list of luminaries.
Just scroll thru the past events and you would notice some impressive names including Nobel laureates and Booker Prize winners. And they came to Adelaide.
Visit Adelaide in Mad March
I am not going into details on some of the best events and shows as it will spoil the surprise.
Though here is a bit of trivia. The Royal Crochet Show is now big. The founders went to the same school as my kids and they are proud of their peers. I have seen these kids grow. And I too am proud of them.
Keep 2 weeks aside of your annual holidays and come over for Mad March. Make it at least a one time trip and experience where culture and arts explodes. Become the Bohemian for 2 weeks.
To feel the vibe, bring along 2 different types of clothes.
First is the gypsy-hippy retro setup. Sundresses, loose linen casual shirts, baggy pants, sandals and a frayed embroidered cloth shoulder bag.
The second is a smart casual setup, shiny shoes and the high heels for the formal night events though they are not a requirement.
Accommodation wise, find any hotel or motel in the city. Close to Centre or the East End is fine and you are good to go.
Yes, South Australia, the festival state comes alive again each year.
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