South Australia Entertainment

Performing Arts. A 2min. walk north on King William Rd. from its intersection with North Terr. at Parliament House leads to the huge, armadillo-shaped Adelaide Festival Centre, the epicenter of Adelaide’s cultural life. You can pick up a calendar of events from inside the complex, access the schedule online at www.southaustralia.com, or call BASS (Centre ☎08 8216 8600; BASS 13 12 46. Centre open M-F 9am-6pm, Sa 2hr. prior to performance until 30min. after performance begins, Su 10am-4pm.) The State Opera of South Australia (☎08 8226 4790; www.saopera.sa.gov.au), the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra (ASO; ☎08 8233 6233; www.aso.com.au), and the State Theatre Company of South Australia (☎08 8231 5151; www.statetheatre.sa.com.au) all perform at the Festival Centre; it’s also the place for big-name traveling musicals and theater performances. The ASO also performs in the town hall. Student rush tickets for the orchestra are available 30min. before the show at the Festival Centre.

Festivals. As the capital of the Festival State, Adelaide hosts dozens of famous festivals, drawing Australians from all over to celebrate. January is the time for the Tour Down Under, where 100 cyclists from around the world race through 55 towns in South Australia with a finale in Adelaide. In March, the Adelaide Festival of the Arts (www.adelaidefestival.com.au), the eclectic Adelaide Fringe (www.adelaidefringe.com.au), the Clipsal 500 (www.clipsal500.com.au), and the huge WOMADelaide (www.womadelaide.com.au) take to the streets. The Adelaide Cabaret Festival (www.adelaidecabaretfestival.com) occurs in mid-June, and the Bartercard Glenelg Jazz Festival hosts jazz bands from New Orleans as well as Australia in October. The Feast Festival, a three-week long GBLT cultural festival, takes place in November.

Cinemas. Adelaide’s two best alternative cinemas, the Palace and the Nova, are across from one another on Rundle St. near East Terr. Between the two, they cover most major international and independent films. (☎08 8232 3434; www.palacenova.com. Tickets $15, students $10). Mercury Cinema, 13 Morphett St., off Hindley St., has more artsy showings. (☎08 8410 1934; www.mercurycinema.org.au. $11, concessions $9; festival ticket prices higher.) December through February brings outdoor screenings of classics at the Cinema in the Botanic Gardens. (Tickets at gate from 7pm. www.moonlight.com.au, $3 booking fee; or through BASS ☎13 12 46. $14, concessions $12, children $10.)

Tune In On Tuesdays. Most Australian theaters offer discount tickets on Tuesday nights, including the Palace and the Nova.

Spectator Sports. Australian Rules Football is played in the suburb of West Lakes (Adelaide Crows) and in Port Adelaide (Port Power). Cricket (Oct.-Mar.) is played at the Adelaide Oval, north of the city along King William St. There is a 2hr. tour of the Oval that focuses on “Cricket’s Greatest Batsman,” the late Sir Donald Bradman. (☎08 8300 3800. Tours M-F 10am, non-match days only. Tours leave from Administration Office; from War Memorial Dr., pass through South Gate. $10, concessions $5. Tickets and schedules for footy and cricket available at BASS, ☎13 12 46, or VenueTix, ☎08 8225 8888.)