What’s on: Carols, Christmas laughs, Club Swizzle

Christmassy events to get you in the festival spirit – including Carols by Candlelight in Elder Park, A Very Kransky Christmas and A Very Potter Christmas – plus ‘Disco on the Green’, Club Swizzle, Moonlight Cinema and more.

Nov 25, 2017, updated Dec 11, 2017

Carols by Candlelight in Elder Park.

Carols by Candlelight – Elder Park

Singers Dami Im, Hugh Sheridan and Samantha Jade are among the performers who will take to the stage at the annual free Carols by Candlelight in Elder Park on Sunday. The entertainment line-up also includes actor and singer Cameron Daddo, Helpmann Award-winning musical theatre star Lucy Durack, rock musician John Swan (Swanee), country music singer Amber Lawrence and TV entertainer Sam Moran. There will be family-friendly pre-show entertainment on stage from 5pm, with the main event starting at 8pm. Details here.

Lord Mayor’s Christmas Gala Concert – Town Hall

Hosted by Keith Conlon, this year’s Gala Concert will feature violin player and guitarist Julian Ferraretto, Young Adelaide Voices, Bev Harrell, The McCall Sisters and the Adelaide University Medical Orchestra. Lord Mayor Martin Haese will also join the band for a grand finale performance of the Band Aid hit “Do They Know It’s Christmas”. The concert will begin at 2pm this Sunday; details/tickets here.

Day on the Green – McLaren Vale

KC and the Sunshine Band are bringing the boogie to the vines on Saturday, with a disco-filled Day on the Green show at Leconfield Wines in McLaren Vale. The line-up also includes the revamped Village People (with original lead singer Victor Willis), Sister Sledge and Marcia Hines. Gates open at 2.40pm and tickets were still available when we last looked.

Moonlight Cinema – Botanic Park

The comedy Bad Moms 2, new animated family flick Ferdinand and fact-based drama Detroit are showing at the Moonlight Cinema in Botanic Park this weekend. Screenings next week include Thor: Ragnarok, Blade Runner 2049, Breathe and The Snowman. Gates open at 7pm and films begin at sundown. Moonlight Cinema runs until February 18; full program here.

Cristemas by the Graduate Singers – St Peter’s / Elder Hall

Adelaide’s Graduate Singers promise “a rich and varied tapestry of sumptuous music in the finest of festive traditions” in two special Christmas performances this weekend – at St Peter’s Cathedral in North Adelaide on Saturday evening and at Elder Hall on Sunday afternoon. See the program here.

Club Swizzle – Space Theatre

The Swizzle Boys in action. Photo: Jeff Feng Photography

Spruiking a “melange of outrageous cabaret, air-defying acrobatics and infectious musical revelry”, Club Swizzle returns to the Adelaide Festival Centre from next Tuesday for a season that will continue through until New Year’s Eve. This year’s host is cabaret performer Reuben Kaye (winner of the best cabaret show award at the 2017 Adelaide Fringe), and you can take a look at what’s in store here.

Christmas Proms – Her Majesty’s Theatre

A World of Christmas is the theme of the Adelaide Festival Centre’s 2017 Christmas Proms, which will feature Adelaide a cappella ensemble The Idea of North (joined by vocal percussionist Kaichiro Kitamura), Tutti Choir, the On Stage Children’s Choir, and the orchestra under the baton of conductor Benjamin Northey. The program will celebrate Christmas all around the world, with matinee and evening performances at Her Majesty’s Theatre on December 14, 15 and 16.

A Very Potter Christmas – Bakehouse Theatre

“An unofficial, untold Christmas story, straight from the snow-dusted Potterverse.” Presented by Adelaide improv comedy group Scriptease (you might have seen their Fringe show UnPlotted Potter), A Very Potter Christmas is being presented across two nights next week at the Bakehouse Theatre – the December 14 performance has already sold out, but tickets are still available for December 15.

A Very Kransky Christmas – Dunstan Playhouse

The quirky Kransky Sisters are back for another cracker Christmas at the Adelaide Festival Centre with a musical-comedy show that blends tales of their dysfunctional family life with unusual versions of songs ranging from Christmas carols to hits from artists as varied as Enya and Daft Punk – played on instruments including cheese graters and toilet brushes. There will be three shows at the Dunstan Playhouse on December 15 and 16.

Adelaide Central School of Art Graduate Exhibition

More than 230 works by 30 emerging artists will be on show in the 2017 Adelaide Central School of Art Graduate Exhibition from tomorrow at the school’s Glenside campus. Works explore themes ranging from gender issues and mental illness, to the effects of the digital revolution and Simpsons-style escapism, with media including painting, drawing, sculpture, mixed-media, installation, textiles, film, ceramics, performance and photography. All works are for sale and the show continues until December 22. See a sneak peek here.

Tarnanthi

The Art Gallery of SA’s Tarnanthi exhibition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander art, which continues until January 28, features more than 40 new commissions, including the Kulata Tjuta (Many Spears) installation comprising more than 550 kulata hanging in a cloud formation above hand-carved piti (wooden bowls). There is a series of Tuesday lunchtime talks and tours of the exhibition throughout December (see the gallery’s events calendar for details).

Paolo Sebastian X – Art Gallery of SA

This weekend is the last chance to see Paolo Sebastian X, an exhibition celebrating the 10th anniversary of South Australian designer Paul Vasileff’s celebrated couture label Paolo Sebastian. Hand-crafted gowns from the past are on show alongside the gallery’s collection of historic European art in galleries 12–16 until December 10, with free entry.