This weekend, make your way to the McLaren Vale Distillery for the Neat Sips Fortified Festival 2024, or learn to how to make your pot plants thrive at Markus Hamence's Spring Has Sprung workshop.

Words Charlie Gilchrist

Fortifieds are back

Head to the McLaren Vale Distillery this weekend for Neat Sips Fortified Festival 2024. Neat Sips is a sweet new fortified festival on a mission to prove fortifieds are back in a big way. Expect a broad range of fortified tastings from South Australian producers, including Seppeltsfield, Yangarra Estate, McLaren Vale Distillery and Pfeiffer Wines (Rutherglen, VIC). There will also be plenty of food offerings, wine, beer, cocktails, non-alcoholic drinks, educational masterclasses, daily Q&As and live music to enjoy by the open fire pits. Neat Sips is on from 11am to 5pm on August 24 and 25.

Losing the pot

Self-described “botanic enthusiast” Markus Hamence (a.k.a the Botanic Designer) will be sharing his passion for pot plants at his Spring Has Sprung plant workshop this spring. Markus’s love of indoor plants was nurtured from childhood and his home now boasts over 400 of them. Taking place at Unley Town Hall on Saturday, August 24 from 11am to 12.30pm, Markus will be sharing his wisdom on how to make your pot plants thrive this season. The hour-long workshop promises to be informative, fun-filled and entertaining and will conclude with a pot plant sale. Bookings are essential, so get in quickly.

SA’s gardening heritage

Experience the beauty of our state’s glorious gardens at Cornucopia: gardens and gardening in South Australia. This exhibition features garden manuals, seed catalogues, diaries, records, photographs, maps and vintage toys from throughout the history of South Australia’s gardening heritage. Highlights include a display of South Australia’s first gardening and viticulture book from 1843, as well as a 1947 silent film by Hubert Wicks with rarely seen footage from Flower Day and vibrant South Australian springtimes. Cornucopia is showing at the Treasures Wall of the Spencer Wing at the State Library of South Australia until August 31.

Draw the line

Head to the Art Gallery of South Australia for Brent Harris: Surrender & Catch, which runs until October 20. This survey exhibition features 150 paintings, drawings, studies and prints from New Zealand-born, Melbourne-based contemporary artist Brent Harris spanning his career from 1987 to 2022. Harris is known for his surrealist art that explores themes such as morality, trauma, eroticism and childhood. The exhibition is curated by AGSA curator Maria Zagala and is co-presented with the TarraWarra Museum of Art.

Opera in the pub

Opera was once the preserve of kings and queens in the great opera houses of Europe. This winter, the State Opera South Australia is bringing its Opera in the Pub series to pubs around Adelaide. Enjoy pub food and a cold beer as you listen to this cabaret-style performance of opera’s “greatest hits”. The free performances will feature Adelaide-based soprano Jessica Mills and pianist Josh van Konkelenberg. Opera in the Pub will be performing at the Alma Hotel in Norwood on August 25.