Adelaide Prepares Slew of Spring Cultural Festivals

Next year will see a return of a number of high-profile events and attractions to the South Australia city of Adelaide, which could provide a reason for many UK travellers to start booking their cheap holidays Down Under right away.

Adelaide is home to the country’s largest arts festival, the Adelaide Fringe, which will be celebrating its 52nd year next year. The festival takes place between 24 February and 18 March, and will literally feature a cast of thousands. Last time, around 3,500 artists took part in nearly 5,000 shows at 325 different venues around the city.

The festival dovetails with the equally comprehensive Adelaide Festival, which takes in all forms of arts, whether that be theatre, cabaret or opera, book readings, outdoor spectaculars and dance. It takes place between 2 March and 18 March and this year features such attractions as a production of the classic Harold Pinter play The Caretaker, starring Jonathon Pryce and a concert in Elder Park headed by legendary film composer Ennio Morricone – perhaps most famous for his theme to The Good, The Bad And the Ugly.

This itself then precedes the highly popular WOMADelaide outdoor music festival, which celebrates its 20th anniversary next year between 9 March and 12 March. The festival is being held in the city’s Botanic Park, and will feature a host of bands and artists covering a range of musical styles from around the world, with the headline acts including Aboriginal star Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu, Aussie folk rockers Jinja Safari and The Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain.

All in all, the first few months of 2012 will provide a perfect opportunity for arts and culture-loving Britons to experience the best that South Australia holidays have to offer, while enjoying the winter sunshine in the region. Maybe it’s time to start seeking out those cheap holidays in Australia now?