Elder Park New Year’s Eve

Antipodean Rock Collective – a band comprising members of Australian bands including Spiderbait, Jet, Powerfinger and You Am I – will headline the  free Elder Park New Year’s Eve celebrations. Other acts will include indie-pop artist Alana Jagt, electronic pop-rap duo China Roses, rock-punk group Donnarumma, and Indian and Bollywood dance group Mudra Dance Academy. Local musician Max Savage will also bring together Adelaide performers for what’s described as an “eclectic big band that blurs the boundaries between country, soul, cabaret and rock ‘n’ roll”. There will be bars, food trucks, and two sets of fireworks at 9pm and midnight.

North by Northwest

Photo: Jeff Busby

This stage adaptation of Alfred Hitchcock’s 1959 film North by Northwest, showing at the Festival Theatre from December 29, is described by lead actor Matt Day in this InDaily story as “a gripping thriller” that’s full of non-stop action from beginning to end. Day plays dapper New York advertising executive Roger O. Thornhill, who is chased across America after being mistaken for a government agent, while Amber McMahon is femme fatale Eve Kendall. North by Northwest will play until January 20, with a special New Year’s Eve performance including a 1950s themed after-party. 

Hitchcock: Master of Suspense exhibition

Alfred Hitchcock on set for the 1926 film The Mountain Eagle.

To celebrate the arrival of North by Northwest, Adelaide Festival Centre is hosting an Alfred Hitchcock-themed exhibition in the Festival Theatre QBE Galleries two and three. The free exhibition features a curated range of memorabilia, including original film posters, photographs and costumes, plus design sketches from the North by Northwest stage show. Hitchcock: Master of Suspense runs until January 6.

Beach Life music festival

The Kooks will headline Beach Life. Photo: Andrew Whitton

British pop band The Kooks will headline Glenelg music festival Beach Life on December 28. The one-night festival, to be held on the foreshore at Jimmy Melrose Park, will also feature funk and hip-hop band Winston Surfshirt, Brisbane indie-rock group Last Dinosaurs and Adelaide pop artist MANE. The festival starts at 4pm and is an 18+ only event. 

Adelaide French Festival

So Frenchy So Chic will return to Pinky Flat.

A selection of French-inspired music, theatre, dance, visual arts and food/wine events are planned for the three-day Adelaide French Festival, beginning January 11 at the Adelaide Festival Centre. The festival will focus on the northern France region of Brittany, with highlights including Breton fashion designer Pascal Jaouen’s embroidery collections; L’Après-Midi D’un Foehn, which sees plastic bags “brought to life by a mysterious ballet master”; contemporary dance work Mon Chi Chi by duo Wang Ramirez, and Sonic Seasoning – a gastronomic music performance featuring Adelaide’s Zephyr Quartet and The Smelly Cheese Shop (read more here). Also on at the same time is music festival So Frenchy So Chic at Pinky Flat, with an all-female line-up including Parisian pop powerhouse Camille (read her interview with InDaily here), girl band Yelle, and solo pop artists Clara Luciani and Cléa Vincent.

Moonlight Cinema

Moonlight outdoor cinema continues at Botanic Park over the Christmas and New Year period with a mix of films suitable for the whole family. They include this weekend’s screenings of The Nutcracker and the Four Realms (Saturday) and The Grinch (Sunday), which other scheduled movies ranging from Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald and perennial favourite Dirty Dancing to  Bohemian Rhapsody, A Star is Born, Robin Hood and First Man. Gates open at 7pm, with films starting at sundown. Moonlight Cinema runs until February 17. Keep an eye on Facebook for possible cancellations due to the weather.