A giant slip ’n’ slide, barmy Britons and illusionists will be entertaining Adelaideans this weekend, alongside the Tour Down Under, roots and reggae band Blue King Brown, and open-air cinema and music sessions.

Other Weekend Picks include the Harvest Festival in McLaren Vale, the Semaphore Greek Festival, a pop-up exhibition of Laneway Festival photos, Friday’s Fashion Icons evening soiree and a trip through Wonderland in Rymill Park

Horrible Histories – Barmy Britain

This touring family stage show inspired by Terry Deary’s children’s books has been described as “a romp through 2000 years of British history”. Horrible Histories Live on Stage! – Barmy Britain features four performers, 3D effects, audience participation and much hilarity, with tales of historical characters ranging from Queen Boudicca and Guy Fawkes to Richard the Lionheart, King Henry VIII and Dick Turpin. It’s at the Dunstan Playhouse for a short season, finishing January 17, with shows at 11am, 3pm and 7pm.

Tour Down Under

Cycling fans can head down to the Adelaide City Council Tour Village and Bike Expo in Victoria Square to watch race highlights on a big screen, check out an exhibition of the latest-model bikes and cycling gear, see team mechanics working on bikes and enjoy other entertainment. This weekend’s Tour action includes the Santos Women’s Tour and the People’s Choice Classic. The People’s Choice Undies Run raising money for bowel cancer will also take place on Sunday in the East End. You’ll find the full Tour Down Under events calendar here.

Giant slip ’n’ slide

This 315-metre Nova Slidestreet being set up in Bartels Road on Sunday will make your own backyard slip ’n’ slide look kinda lame. You can book ahead for sessions running from 9am through until 10pm, but note participants must be at least 1.2m tall. Watch a demo of the slide in action on the official website.

Blue King Brown – The Gov

Australian roots and reggae outfit Blue King Brown are playing at The Gov on Saturday night as part of a tour promoting their new album Born Free. Energetic frontwoman Natalie Pa’apa’a promises a “full-force live show” from the band, which has a strong track record of promoting social justice issues such as human rights abuses in West Papua. Doors open at 7.30pm.

The Illusionists 1903

The Illusionists are back with a new line-up and a show that promises to re-create “the golden age of magic – a time when conjurers were the true rock stars of the day”. The cast comprises The Immortal, The Eccentric, The Showman, The Conjuress, The Clairvoyants, The Maestro and The Daredevil (you can read InDaily’s interview with him here). The Illusionists 1903 will be performing at the Festival Theatre, Adelaide Festival Centre, until January 25.

Sempahore Greek Cultural Festival

Running across both Saturday and Sunday, this free festival celebrating Greek culture and heritage will feature bands (including Three Zorbas and AXIA Live), dance groups, DJs and traditional Greek food. It will take place on the Semaphore Foreshore Reserve, with gates open from 11am on Saturday and 10am on Sunday, and entertainment continuing until late in the evening. See the full line-up here.

McLaren Vale Harvest Festival

Cooking demonstrations by chef Cheong Liew, live music by Chris Finnen’s Electric Band and The Yearlings, master-classes, food and wine stalls and children’s activities (including pony and camel rides, a putting green and monster cars) are all part of the Harvest Festival at the McLaren Vale oval on Saturday. The festival, which seeks to highlight the food, wine and art of the Fleurieu region, runs from 11am until 8pm.

Stop! In the Name of Art! Laneway edition

A temporary art installation on Adelaide’s Francis Street this Saturday and Sunday from 11am offers a flashback to last year’s St Jerome’s Laneway Festival. Stop! In the Name of Art! will feature 10 photographs from the music fest plus a box office selling tickets for this year’s event on February 6 at Hart’s Mill in Port Adelaide. Members of the public will be able to vote for their favourite images, with the chance to win one. Adelaide artist Delana Carbone will also be creating a “live art” piece over the two days.

Feelgood Folk Festival

This free music festival in Renew Adelaide’s “Backyard” project at 116 Lipson Street in Port Adelaide on Saturday boasts an all-female line-up, including Heather Frahn, Kelly Menhennett, Courtney Robb and The Brouhaha. A BYO-alcohol event, the Feelgood Folk Festival begins at 4pm and will also include massage and reiki sessions.

Trinity Sessions

Singer-songwriters Kaurna Cronin and Myles Mayo are playing at the Trinity Sessions tonight (Friday), with all profits being donated to the SA Bushfire Emergency Relief Fund.  The Trinity Sessions are held in the beautiful church at 318 Goodwood Road, Clarence Street.

Fashion Icons Up Late

A disco dance floor and photo booth will feature as part of the Living in the 70s theme for tonight’s Art Gallery of South Australia’s Up Late event. To coincide with its spring-summer exhibition of Parisian fashion, Fashion Icons, the gallery is hosting after-hours events every Friday this month, with live music, tours, food and wine from 5.30pm until 10pm. Other Up Late themes are Fashion in the ’80s – from Punk to Power Dressing (January 23) and ’90s to Now (January 30). Fashion Icons comprises some 90 haute couture garments from the collection of the Musée des Arts Décoratifs and will run until February 15, 2015.

Follow the White Rabbit

Take a trip to Wonderland with this Espionage Gallery event at Rymill Park Island on Saturday, where artworks from around 40 Australian and international artists will be on display. Described as a homage to John Dowie’s Alice statue, which overlooks the lake, Follow the White Rabbit will also feature a gypsy jazz band, Chess Life, art workshops and “a hookah-smoking caterpillar or two”. It runs from 10am-6pm.

Moonlight Cinema

Gone Girl, the film adaptation of Gillian Flynn’s best-selling thriller about a man suspected of foul play after his wife disappears, is screening on Sunday night at Adelaide’s Moonlight Cinema in Botanic Park tonight (Friday). Read our review here. You can also see new comedy The Wedding Ringer tonight (Friday) and Horrible Bosses 2 on Saturday. All three films are rated MA15+. Entry to the cinema is via Plane Tree Drive; gates open at 7pm and screenings start at sundown.

More summer outdoor movies

The latest version of the family drama Annie will be showing tonight (Friday) on the lawns of Auchendarroch House in Mt Barker, along with free kids’ entertainment, as part of Wallis Cinemas summer open-air film program. Saturday’s film will be the action-thriller Taken 3, starring Liam Neeson. Films begin at 9pm.

In Modbury, the City of Tea Tree Gully is showing free family films on Fridays in Civic Park, opposite Westfield Tea Tree Plaza. Tonight (Friday) you can see animated film Frozen at 8.30pm; there will also be a kids’ market from 5pm.

Summer Scoops – Mercury Cinema

The first Iranian vampire western (A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night) will be screened at the Mercury Cinema on Saturday night as part of its Summer Scoops mini film festival. The movie is one of four selected from New York’s Museum of Modern Art’s New Directors New Films Festival, with the others to be shown on Sunday alongside a special afternoon barbecue event. Summer Scoops continues until March 1, with the full program online.

The River Deck Live Music Sessions

Adelaide Festival Centre is hosting a series of live performances by South Australian musicians throughout January at its new riverside bar The River Deck, overlooking the Torrens and Adelaide Oval. Tonight’s line-up is Andy Salvanos (6-7pm), Animal Shadows (7.30-8.30pm) and Pilot Record DJs (9-11.30pm). On Saturday night, you can hear The Percolators, followed by Matt Bate and Ric Kuipers.

Adelaide Noir @ The Blue Room

Photographer Alex Frayne will be signing copies of his new book, Adelaide Noir, at a meet-the-author event at Wakefield Press (16 Rose Street, Mile End) between 4pm and 6pm on Saturday. You can find more info in the event on Facebook and read InDaily’s interview with Frayne about the book here.

Iridescence – SA Museum

This exhibition at the South Australian Museum features beetles, bubbles, shells, fossils and myriad other items that illustrate the beauty of iridescence, “where colour is seen despite the absence of pigment”.  Exhibits have all been drawn from the museum’s own collection, and will be on display until March 15, 2015. “Iridescence is unique as it spans objects and specimens from across the museum’s collections and beyond,” says museum director Brian Oldman. “It is a phenomenon that few of us ever stop to consider, yet we have always marvelled at its beauty.”

On screen

See InDaily’s reviews of the latest films screening in Adelaide:

Taken 3
Birdman
The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies
Disney’s Big Hero 6
The Water Diviner