The 2023 Adelaide Cabaret Festival has kicked off so get along to see a show, or engage with nature at the Planting Festival and Gutsy Kangaroo Island.

Words Elisabeth Marie

Go all out

The Adelaide Cabaret Festival returns for its 23rd year with a 12-day celebration of music and the arts from June 9 to 24. Held across the Adelaide Festival Centre and Her Majesty’s Theatre, this year’s festival promises an extravagant celebration of all things joyous, beautiful, edgy and glamorous. Festival highlights include a new show by Michael Griffiths called It’s a Sin: Songs of Love and Shame; RocKwiz Salutes Adelaide, a live version of the popular music television show with a focus on South Australian artists from the past 50 years; Adelaide Tonight with Bob Downe and Willsy; and a heartfelt tribute to Elvis Presley, Edge of Reality. 

Nourish the soul

Take to the shores of Kangaroo Island from June 8 to 12 and warm your body and soul at Gutsy Kangaroo Island. Across the weekend, spirits and wine will flow freely, hearty meals will fill up plates and bonfires will burst to life. All across the Island, venues will throw their doors open and offer up everything from retro ’70s parties and cooking masterclasses to foraging adventures and banquets under the stars. On the final day of the event, cleanse yourself before your return to reality with a swim in the winter waters at Penneshaw Beach.

Reconstructing nature

Conservation group, BioR is hosting the first day of its 2023 Planting Festival at Frahns Farm on Saturday, June 10 so volunteers can help work on the project. Established in 2015, Frahns Farm is BioR’s major project where volunteers are reconstructing the 550-hectare property near Monarto into a woodland habitat to support declining woodland birds and establish research and monitoring projects. So far, 75 hectares of land has been regenerated, creating an environment for the key threatened species in the area: the Southern Whiteface, Brown Treecreeper, Restless Flycatcher and Western Pygmy Possum. This year, BioR is aiming to reconstruct another 20 hectares of wildlife habitat with 40,000 seedlings.

Under the sea

The Ocean Film Festival World Tour will be showcasing a three-hour celebration of the ocean at the Victa Cinema in Victor Harbor on Sunday, June 11. The collection of short films from around the world documents the ocean’s beauty through topics of ocean adventure and exploration, the oceanic environment, marine creatures, ocean-related sports and coastal cultures. The films aspire to convey a deep respect and appreciation for the world’s oceans and the creatures that call them home through moving footage, touching interviews and insightful narratives.

Curiouser and curiouser

Due to popular demand, Catherine Truman’s exhibition The Arrangements: assembling nature will have an extended viewing season, running until Friday, June 30. Shown at Carrick Hill, the exhibition explores the impact of climate change, loss of biodiversity and the fragility of the natural world. Featuring curious objects, hybrid plants, vessels and moving images, the works are integrated into the domestic spaces of Carrick Hill’s house museum. Positioned alongside the estate’s art collection, the exhibition disrupts, challenges and converses with the space and its guests. 

Take a tour

On Sunday, June 11, join art historian Georgina Downey at Carrick Hill House Museum for a guided tour through the decor and art collection where visitors will explore the house as a reflection of dual identities. Learn more about the Haywards and their ease of negotiation between public and private pleasures. More than a personal and social history, the tour uses the artworks and decor in their collection to explore themes of taste, lifestyle and service.

For more of what’s on around South Australia this month, pick up the June issue of SALIFE, which is on sale now.