For a fortnight or so within the first quarter of each even-numbered year, the city of Adelaide has given full meaning to South Australia’s monicker: The Festival State.
Starting in 2012, the festival — running in 2012 from March 2 to 18 — becomes an annual event.
It is at this time that South Australia’s premier festival, the Adelaide Festival, brings together some of the best of the visual, writing and performance arts not only from within Australia but also from overseas.
Renowned in arts circles
The Adelaide Festival is renowned not only throughout Australia's arts circles but also in many cultural centres in other parts of the world.
In fact, it seems to have been pretty much a model of the various city arts festivals in a number of Australian states.
For quite a long time, whenever one thought of Writers Week or Writers Festival, one inevitably thought of the Adelaide Festival.
Adelaide arts centre
An added advantage of Adelaide in mounting its arts festival is the closeness of the various venues involved.
The city’s arts centre is actually a close conglomeration of buildings and grounds along or within striking distance of North Terrace close to the banks of the Torrens River.
The Botanic Garden, scene of a number of outdoor performances, is at the eastern end of North Terrace.
Heart of festivities
Cross Frome Rd to the west and you find the Art Gallery of South Australia, the South Australian Museum and the State Library, each of them a usual festival participant.
On King William St, just off North Terrace and close to the South Australian Parliament, lies the Festival Centre, with its theatres and other peformance spaces, on the southern bank of the Torrens River.
This is the real heart of the festival and the cultural centre of South Australia and its festival city.
