Limelight SA What’s On Guide…
10 Things To Do This Weekend
🎭 1. Arts & Exhibitions
Photo credit: South Australian Living Arts Festival
Celebrate SALA Festival
August is all about the South Australian Living Artists (SALA) Festival, with hundreds of exhibitions open across Adelaide and regional SA. Wander through galleries, cafés, wineries and unexpected venues showcasing local artists. Many exhibitions are free. The SALA Festival was established in 1998 to promote and celebrate the many talented visual artists in South Australia. The aim was and remains to extend visual arts audiences, and as an umbrella organisation, they have continued a policy of inclusiveness allowing all South Australian visual artists of any level and working in any medium to be part of their annual SALA Festival.
🎤 2. Theatre/Comedy Pick
The Way We Were starring Melinda Schneider
The Music & Life of Barbra Streisand
Celebrate the timeless music of Barbra Streisand in The Way We Were - a dazzling new concert event starring award-winning singer-songwriter Melinda Schneider. Backed by a live band, vocalists, and string ensemble, Melinda performs Streisand’s greatest hits from Broadway, film, and the charts. More than a tribute, The Way We Were is a heartfelt journey through the songs and stories that defined an era. Relive the magic, emotion, and power of one of the world’s most extraordinary performers in this unforgettable celebration of music, legacy, and inspiration.
🎵 3. Hidden Gem
Photo Credit: Australian Singer Songwriter Patrick James
An Afternoon With Patrick James
Experience an intimate afternoon of songs and stories with Patrick James - an Australian singer-songwriter whose heartfelt sound and honest storytelling have taken him across Australia, Europe, and the UK. After a huge run of Australian and European shows throughout 2024, including headline dates and festival appearances across Germany, the Netherlands, France, Switzerland and the UK, Patrick is back home and shifting his focus toward a new and very special chapter: regional hall concerts across Australia. Patrick’s regional hall shows create a quiet, candlelit atmosphere where the music and stories take centre stage - offering something distinctly different from traditional venue touring.
🍷 4. Food & Wine
Photo Credit: Brew & Burn at Shifty Lizard Brewing Co
Fleurieu Food Festival
Join Shifty Lizard Brewing Co for a fiery winter celebration of spice, salsa and great beer. Enjoy a welcome drink, tasty tacos or wings, live salsa music and relaxed brewery vibes. Feeling brave? Take on the Burn Ladder Wing Challenge.. A community-focused winter festival hosted by Shifty Lizard Brewing Co, celebrating craft beer, spice, and live music.
🌿 5. Outdoors & Nature
Photo Credit: Port River Cruises
Port Adelaide Dolphin & Ships Graveyard Cruise
This cruise from Port Adelaide takes you through some of the area's most unusual waterways. As you move through the Port River and its hidden backwaters, your skipper will also act as your guide, talking you through local history, famous ships and the iconic locations you pass. You can sit back, relax and enjoy the views while learning about the places you’re seeing. For the first time you can enter Port Adelaide’s unique Ships Graveyard on a guided cruise and cruise past giant wrecks, many half‑submerged, as your guide explains their stories. You will also travel through the Adelaide Dolphin Sanctuary, where you can search for dolphins from one of the only wild dolphin populations living within a city.
🧀 6. Markets & Shopping
Photo Credit: Adelaide Central Market
Adelaide Central Market Winter Weekends
With over 70 traders under one roof, the Adelaide Central Market is one of the largest undercover fresh produce markets in the Southern Hemisphere, buzzing with life and colour all year round. The Adelaide Central Market is located in the heart of the bustling Adelaide CBD – a thriving community of life, colour, culture, and aromas all year round. The Market is still a traditional fresh produce Market, offering a wide variety of artisan products, fruit and vegetables, small goods, eateries along with some of the city's most popular cafes and eateries and is navigated by colourful avenues and roadways. It remains Adelaide’s premier food destination for multicultural cuisine and fresh produce.
🚗 7. Day Trips
Photo Credit: Visit Adelaide Hills
Take a Scenic Adelaide Hills Drive
Reach the Adelaide Hills in just 20 minutes by car from Adelaide then explore roads less travelled, following winding lanes through the rolling hills. Join a tour or discover the region on foot, by bicycle, in the saddle, by horse-drawn carriage or aboard a heritage steam train. With closely spaced townships and quiet roads, the Adelaide Hills is an ideal place to explore by car. Once off the freeway, take a back road and see where it leads you – getting off the beaten track is part of the fun. If you travel for your taste buds, follow the Epicurean Way – a self-drive culinary adventure through four of South Australia’s wine regions: McLaren Vale, Adelaide Hills, Barossa and Clare Valley.
🎼 8. Live Entertainment
Photo Credit: California Dreamin 2026
California Dreamin' – The Laurel Canyon Story
In the colourful swirl of the 1960s, Flower Power bloomed and Laurel Canyon became a refuge for dreamers, rebels and artists. Tucked beyond Hollywood Boulevard, it drew hippies and visionaries from around the world. By the 1970s, it was a musical haven where creativity thrived and future icons like Fleetwood Mac, The Eagles, Linda Ronstadt, CSNY, Neil Young, Carole King, James Taylor, Joni Mitchell, Jackson Browne, America, The Byrds and The Doors chased their dreams.. California Dreamin’ stars The Beggars and their signature harmonies. With seven albums, European tours and a loyal Aussie following, they’re joined by vocalist Catlouise Johns and percussionist Steve Todd.
🚂 9. Travel & Stays
Photo Credit: The Highlander
Ride a Heritage Steam Train
The Highlander to Strathalbyn operates most Sunday’s between March and November. A short journey on behind a heritage steam or diesel locomotive from Mt Barker to Strathalbyn and return. The journey commences from Mount Barker station – a pleasant 30 minute drive from Adelaide along the South Eastern Freeway. Leaving Mt Barker mid morning, the train first climbs up to the crest of the line and then winds down the eastern escarpment of the southern Mt Lofty Ranges, passing through several long abandoned station sites which bear testimony to the importance of this branch line a century ago. Crossing the Angas River you then enter the historic township of Strathalbyn where many Scottish migrants settled in the early 1800s, influencing the early architecture which is still evident today. The town is well worth a visit to explore its well stocked antique shops and cafes.
🍰 10. Café of the Week
Photo Credit: Brett Partington
Yolk Cafe
Walkerville cafe is their flagship store and the place that put them on the map. What started as a small neighbourhood brunch spot quickly became one of Adelaide’s favourite breakfast destinations, known for creative specials, quality coffee and a menu that keeps people coming back. They’ve always loved pushing brunch forward, whether that’s introducing the latest coffee trends like cold foams, creating seasonal dishes, or constantly refining the classics. If there’s something new worth trying, chances are they’re already experimenting with it. A cafe’ well worth the visit.
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