Thursday, March 18, 2010

Adelaide Life - End of the Festival Season



The 14th of March signaled the end of the Fringe and the Adelaide Festival, and just like every other time it comes to an end I find myself wishing I'd gotten more involved. This year I actually went to more things than I ever have before. I saw Adam Hills, Josh Thomas, Josh Earl and Ross Noble. They were all great and very funny but they were only the tip of the Fringe iceberg that I could have experienced. So here is a list of the things I wish I had seen. 


The Garden of Unearthly Delights
I did go to the garden, twice, but I spent my time lined up to see Josh Thomas or Adam Hills. I didn't go trawl through all the hippie stalls. I didn't buy corn on the cob (delicious, delicious corn). I didn't go through the freak show tent. I didn't sit down and have a drink and take in the beautiful place that the garden is transformed into. This is one of my favourite things about the Fringe and I'm kicking myself for not spending a night just to take it in. Especially since Kirby has never been before (except for our line experience) so that would have been a great excuse to go!


The Northern Lights
Once again, something I've already seen before but stuff that I can always go again. I didn't actually see the lights until Tuesday night when we were driving past the festival centre and I noticed them on one of the buildings. So apart from witnessing the giant black boxes out the front of uni I really missed out this year. The lights completely transform the buildings on North Terrace and while they aren't too exciting it would have been nice to just take some time out and have a look at them.


Plays
I don't even know if there were any plays in the Fringe that I would have wanted to see in particular, but the Fringe is a great excuse to go see some acting and I didn't even bother. My goal in general is to go see more theatre productions but I going to see some during the Fringe would have been really great.


Writers' Week
I did go to writers week, for the first time ever, but I just wish that I'd seen more writers. I missed out on Richard Dawkins and Irvine Welsh and lots of other authors I'd never heard of but who would have probably been interesting to hear speak. It's a lovely atmosphere just sitting on the lawns listening to people speak, so next year I'm definitely filling up my writers' week schedule!


Format Festival
I've never been to the Format Zine Shop, but I think I'll have to get there soon, and truthfully I don't know a lot about what they do but I really wish I had gone to something to try and get a better idea. This is what Format say about themselves "We put on arts events in and around Adelaide such as the annual Format Festival (including the Academy of DIY, Adelaide Zine Fair & the Street Dreams urban art festival), the art show Big! and Renew Adelaide. We are now also running the Format Zine Shop in the centre of Adelaide city." They sound pretty cool right? Well I just wish I'd had a look and seen what they were all about rather than just constantly getting updates on facebook telling me that I really should be checking out what young creative people in Adelaide are doing. 


Rundle Street
It's not really a particular even of the Fringe, but I just wish I'd spent more time down there. It's a completely different atmosphere down there when they close off the road to the lower half and it's almost impossible to move along the sidewalk. It's just really exciting being amongst so many people who are in town at night not to get drunk but to have coffee or gelato or to eat tea or just to go see a show and it's something that you don't actually get to experience in Adelaide very often.


So that is my list, and there are probably more things. I just wonder does anyone else find themselves at the end of festival season wishing they'd gone to so much more?

1 letter(s) to the editor:

Katrine said...

Oh my goodness - you SO make me wanna go back to Adelaide RIGHT NOW! When I first arrived in Adelaide to study in 2008 the Fringe festival had just kicked off and my boyfriend and I spent a lot of time exactly in Garden of Unearthly Delights, Rundle Street and North Terrace. SO great - all of it. Thanks for reminding me!