48 hours in Adelaide Throughout Fringe Pageant

Adelaide lights up during the Fringe like no other time of year. For one month, the city is abuzz with noise, colour, music and movement. It’s little wonder. The biggest festival in the Southern Hemisphere packs in more than 1000 shows across hundreds of venues statewide. If that’s not enough to keep you busy, it’s also an excellent jumping off point to explore the South Australian capital and all the first-rate eating and drinking to be done. It can be an intimidating itinerary to narrow down – but we’re here to make things a little easier. Here’s how to make the most of your visit.

DAY ONE

Morning
Bypass the city on the way from the airport and pull into My Grandma Ben (inside the lofty Plant 4 marketplace) by Masterchef alumnus Jessie Spiby. She’s upping Adelaide’s breakfast game with the likes of spelt pastry pies, carp pastrami, breakfast banh mi and roo bolognaise on house-made crumpets. Don’t leave without popping into The Lost Loaf next door for a croissant or sourdough loaf by pastry gun Emma Shearer.

You’ll quickly familiarise yourself with the east end of the city during your stay – it’s where much of the Fringe action takes place, including at festival hubs Gluttony and The Garden of Unearthly Delights. It’s also the home of Exchange Specialty Coffee – the go-to for expert brews with food to match. Or head away from the crowds to breezy cafe Sibling, which turns out consistently excellent coffee and a compact brunch menu with an emphasis on bagels and baked goods.

Afternoon
For a quick bite, hit up Kutchi Deli Parwana, the city-based sibling of Adelaide’s legendary suburban eatery Parwana Afghan Kitchen, for mantu (steamed dumplings) and bolani (pan-fried flatbread). (If you can make it to the parent restaurant during your stay, you won’t regret it.) Next door to Kutchi, Hey Jupiter serves French treats (hello, steak frites, croque monsieur and escargot) in beautiful Parisian-style surrounds. Or hop on an e-scooter (you’ll spy the purple and orange two-wheelers littered across the city) to Adelaide’s hottest new restaurant, Arkhe, just outside the CBD, for a fire-fuelled lunch by young-gun chef Jake Kellie.

From there, scoot back to the city to the Garden of Unearthly Delights, where you’ll find a pop-up playground of show tents, food stalls, bars, carnival rides and sideshows. Step inside a 40-foot shipping container for the [mind-bending new show, Eulogy, by the immersive theatre company behind Coma, Flight and Seance. Its latest sensory adventure uses binaural (3D) sound and speech-recognition technology to transport you to a labyrinthine, imaginary hotel.

Evening
A short walk from the buzzing east end, Pirie Street has no shortage of dining options. Settle into Thai favourite Soi 38, which recently relocated to a bigger, slicker space, or Italian stalwart – and one of Adelaide’s most beautiful dining rooms – Osteria Oggi next door. Nearby is Fino Vino, the city-slicker cousin of Barossa icon Fino Seppeltsfield.

Or hop on a shuttle bus to McLaren Vale for festival centrepiece Sky Song, a collaboration between First Nations artists and drone art specialists, at Leconfield & Richard Hamilton Wines. The feature-length drone show combines state-of-the-art tech with ancient storytelling and songlines. Hundreds of drones will take to the night sky with dramatic haze and lighting, hyperreal sound, poetry, music and narration by Archie Roach. (Bus tickets are $25 return and can be purchased when you buy your tickets to Sky Song. There’s also food and drink available to purchase at the winery.)

Make your way back to the city for a nightcap at Rundle Street basement bar Hellbound, before hitting the hay at one of Adelaide’s newly minted city hotels.

DAY TWO

Morning
Jump straight into the festivities with a 10am drag brunch. Taking cues from the London and New York phenomenon, Smashed – The Brunch Party gets the party started early with fierce, inclusive drag performances (and a brunch box and mimosa on arrival). If you’re in need a more substantial spread, no trip to Adelaide is complete without a visit to the Central Market, a grand, undercover haven of organic vegetables, smelly cheeses, native meats, freshly baked bread and locally roasted coffee. (You’ll also find home-style pasta, steaming laksa and fresh falafel pockets.)

Afternoon
Scoot down to the SA Museum then hop on a bike for a cycling tour through the city with Blast Theory art collective’s Rider Spoke. The interactive theatre on wheels lets you explore the streets – solo – with a smartphone on your handlebars and a guiding voice in your ear. Then grab a spot in the sunshine for a drink at one of the east end’s top wine bars: Mother Vine, East End Cellars or Loc Bottle Bar.

Evening
If you’re drinking at the latter, mosey next door afterwards to Dunfor Noodle Bar for a bowl of ramen made with ingredients by sustainable, ethical and regenerative local producers. Or drift a little further east for dinner at enduring favourites Golden Boy or Africola, then head across the road to Fringe hub Gluttony for the magical light show Borealis. The nightly installation lets you to experience the northern lights in Adelaide, with high-powered laser beams mimicking the aurora borealis, backed by an atmospheric soundtrack. Or catch the winner of the festival’s 2021 Best Music Award, 27 Club – a tribute to music legends Janis Joplin, Amy Winehouse, Kurt Cobain, Van Morrison and Jimi Hendrix featuring Aussie rockers Sarah McLeod (The Superjesus), Kevin Mitchell (Bob Evans, Jebediah) and locals Carla Lippis, Dusty Lee Stephenson and Wanderers.

Or if you’re in the mood for some local theatre, break away from the east end crowds to see You’re All Invited to My Son Samuel’s Fourth Birthday Party, which takes you to a suburban backyard for an outer space-themed birthday party against the impending apocalypse. Or watch local theatre maker Katherine Sortini’s intimate play All the Things I Couldn’t Say. It’s inspired by The Unsent Project, a collection of unsent text messages to first loves.

Then it’s time to head west for a cocktail before bed. Saunter down the Peel, Leigh and Gresham street laneways and you’ll quickly find a watering hole to suit your needs, from hidden basement bar Maybe Mae to cosy boltholes Clever Little Tailor, Proof, La Buvette and Pink Moon Saloon.

This article is produced by Broadsheet in partnership with Adelaide Fringe.