This weekend, retrace history on the Pioneer Women’s Trail Walk or head to McLaren Vale for the 25th Coriole Music Festival.
Pioneer Women’s Trail Walk
Walk in the footsteps of the state’s pioneering women at the 2025 Pioneer Women’s Trail Walk. This annual highlight of the National Trust of South Australia’s calendar recreates a section of the path travelled by German migrant women in the 19th century, who regularly made the long journey from Hahndorf to Adelaide to sell their produce. The route has also been used for thousands of years by the Permangk and Kaurna people for ceremonial and trade purposes. Around 1000 participants are expected to take part in the walk this May 18, which meanders through country lanes, an ancient stringybark forest and past historic houses. Upon arrival at the grounds of Beaumont House, there’ll be food vans, live music and much more. This event is open to walkers of all abilities, with options to walk the full 26 kilometres from Hahndorf, or shorter distances from Bridgewater or Stirling.
Pull some strings
Experience the majestic sound of chamber music at the 25th Coriole Music Festival. Taking place on May 17 and 18 at Coriole Vineyards in McLaren Vale, this festival will be curated by the Sydney Symphony Orchestra’s associate principal cellist, Simon Cobcroft, and will include three concerts featuring music by Maurice Ravel, Richard Strauss, Felix Mendelssohn, Béla Bartók and Johannes Brahms. There will also be the Australian premiere of three piano etudes by Unsuk Chin and the world premiere of Sonata for Cello and Piano by Australian composer Richard Mills. Cobcroft will be joined by acclaimed pianists Anna Goldsworthy and Mei Yi Foo, flautist Joshua Batty, mezzo-soprano Victoria Lambourn, clarinettist Philip Arkinstall, and string players Justin Julian and Elizabeth Layton. After each concert, you will also be treated to a meal paired with wines from the Coriole Vineyards. While most tickets are now sold out, you can still purchase tickets to the Sunday session, or try your luck and join the waiting list for Saturday and weekend passes.
Beauty and the Beast
It may be a tale as old as time, but this weekend you can experience Beauty and the Beast like never before. Head to the Festival Theatre for Disney’s production of Beauty and the Beast The Musical, which will be showing until July 6. Belle (played by Shubshri Kandiah) doesn’t quite fit into the small provincial town of her upbringing, where she is relentlessly pursued by egotistical Gaston (Jackson Head). After her father gets trapped in a haunted castle ruled over by a ghastly beast (Brendan Xavier), she sets out to save him. But can the beast’s cold heart be thawed? This production features music from composer Alan Menken’s famous soundtrack for the 1991 animation, with songs ‘Beauty and the Beast’, ‘Be Our Guest’, ‘Belle’ and ‘Gaston’ and more.
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Vino and Vibes
Make your way to the south of the city this weekend for Vino and Vibes. Eight hospitality venues across the district will present themed wine, beer and spirit tastings alongside live music and DJs on Saturday and Sunday from midday to 5pm. You can hop on a free shuttle bus to travel between participating venues, including A Prayer For The Wild At Heart, Cafe Troppo, Gilbert Street Hotel, Prohibition Liquor Co and the Duke of Brunswick. A highlight of this year’s festival is Acoustic Beats & Brews on Hurtle Square, where there will be live music and a pop-up bar.
Bastille Festival
Head to the Festival Plaza this May for Adelaide’s Bastille Festival – a celebration of French food, wine and culture. Stroll through more than 35 stalls serving crepes, croissants, raclette, macarons, charcuterie and more, or browse the artisan market. You can also try from a selection of 50 imported French wines, as well as enjoy more than 40 free performances across the weekend, including cabaret, DJS and circus acts. Other highlights include self-guided wine tastings and culinary tours of regional France, while you can also toast marshmallows and sip mulled wine at the Firepit Garden. Bastille Festival takes place from May 30 to June 1, with both free and ticketed experiences.
SA Spring Garden Festival
To celebrate the coming of spring later this year, the charming town of Mount Pleasant will once again be putting on the SA Spring Garden Festival on Saturday, September 20. Hannah Moloney, a presenter of ABC’s Gardening Australia, will once again return as a guest speaker, sharing her passion for organic gardening and environmental advocacy. The garden extravaganza also includes everything from garden stalls to garden-themed talks, live entertainment, a raffle, workshops and nature craft activities for children, while the nearby Mount Pleasant Farmers Market will be open with extended trading hours. Tickets to the SA Spring Garden Festival cost $12 online (plus booking fee) or $15 per adult at the gate, while children under 16 are free.
