This weekend, take a spin in a retro car at the McLaren Vale Vintage & Classic, laugh your head off with British comedian Dawn French, or have a real country experience at the Golden North Laura Fair.

Words Charlie Gilchrist

Classic cars and more

The McLaren Vale Vintage & Classic returns for its 18th year of celebrating classic cars, with a free community event that also showcases vintage fashion, local wines, gourmet food and live entertainment. The signature street parade, which last year attracted some 20,000 spectators, takes place on Sunday, April 14 from 11am and will travel along a two-kilometre stretch of McLaren Vale’s main road. Among the 600-plus cars will be a classic fleet of Rolls Royce cars, which will feature for the first time. On Saturday, April 13, there will be the annual charity dinner with two-time Supercars Championship race winner Cameron McConville as guest speaker.

Marijana Tadic at BMG Art

South Australian artist and sculptor Marijana Tadic will present her art creations in an exhibition at BMG Art, opening on Friday, April 19. In her art, Marijana uses the methods of layering and weaving and explores the themes of human relationships between individuals, ethnicities and the surrounding environment. The Bioluminescence: A 20 Year Sculpture Survey Exhibition + Book Launch ‘Art Made Public’ exhibition will take place until Saturday, May 11.

A light bulb moment

Early bird tickets are now on sale for Fire Gardens, which will be displayed at the Adelaide Botanic Garden from July 4 to 21. This exhibition is the creation of French fire alchemists Compagnie Carabosse and is put on as part of Illuminate. The show features more than 7,000 giant handcrafted fire pots, dazzling candlelit archways, kinetic sculptures and live music performances. 2024 will be the fourth time Illuminate has lit up Adelaide’s streets, with the full program to be announced on May 1.

ASO Symphony Series

In the third instalment of the 2024 Symphony Series, the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra will present Grandeur at Adelaide Town Hall on April 12 and 13. The performance will include Bach’s cantata Jauchzet Gott in allen Landen, BWV 51 and Handel’s Music for the Royal Fireworks. Also included in the program is the Australian premiere of Bulgarian-British composer Dobrinka Tabakova’s Barbican Glade and the world premiere of Adelaide composer Jakub Jankowski’s Before the Law, which was commissioned by the ASO. Grandeur will be conducted by Stephen Layton and will feature soprano Sara Macliver.

Prepare to laugh

Much-loved British comedian Dawn French will make her way to South Australia and will take to the Adelaide Entertainment Centre theatre stage for her one-woman stand-up show Dawn French is a Huge Twat. Best known for her comedy series French and Saunders and for her lead role in The Vicar of Dibley, Dawn French is often referred to as Britain’s Queen of Comedy and is certainly one of the country’s most beloved comedy exports. During the show, Dawn will tell “buttock clenching embarrassing stories to give Australian audiences a peek behind the scenes of my work life”. Although Tuesday’s show is now sold out, you can still get tickets to the show on Wednesday.

All’s fair

The Golden North Laura Fair returns on April 13 and 14 for a family-friendly country experience. The Laura Fair was first held in 1980 as a way to promote arts and culture in the region and is now held annually, typically attracting up to 15,000 visitors. A highlight of the weekend is the street parade, which features vintage cars and floats from the SES, CFS and local businesses. During the two-day festival, there will also be live entertainment, food and drink vans – including a licensed bar area – an art exhibition in the Old Courthouse Art Gallery, and more than 100 stalls selling various artisan and handcrafted items, plants, food and drink.

Speaking the language of the heart

Virtuoso recorder player Brendan O’Donnell and harpist Hannah Lane will be presenting Songs Without Words: Exploration Series 2 this weekend. During the performance, Brendan and Hannah mimic the human voice, transforming the audience to a time when instruments spoke the language of the heart. The pieces will span the Baroque period, with 16th-century madrigals and melodic 17th-century arias by the likes of D’India, Rognoni and Caccini. The Saturday performance will take place at the Top House at Coriole Vineyards, while Sunday’s performance is at the North Adelaide Baptist Church.