This weekend in Adelaide, become one with your surroundings at the Nature Festival or fuel your inner fashionista at ADL Fashion Week.

Words Elisabeth Marie

An artistic influence

South Australian artist, Sir Hans Heysen will be honoured at the new Celebrate the Cedars festival at The Cedars in Hahndorf on Saturday, October 8 – the anniversary of his 145^th birthday. The festival celebrates the home, studios and gardens of the Heysen family, along with the artwork from both Hans Heysen and his daughter Nora Heysen, who was the first female artist to win the Archibald Prize. Festival attendees will enjoy a day of classical and contemporary music, entry to Hans and Nora Heysen’s studios, art workshops, a maker’s market and plenty of local food and drink.

The fabric of fashion in the city

Celebrate Adelaide’s fashion scene from Thursday, October 6 to Sunday, October 9 at ADL Fashion Week. From boutique favourites and emerging designers to couture labels and global brands, immerse yourself in the world of high fashion with a curated program of pop-up boutiques, public talks and style sessions. Guests are invited to learn more about the fashion industry with The Art of Fashion showing at the Art Gallery of South Australia on Saturday and 90 Years of R.M.Williams: A Life’s Journey hosted at the Sôl Rooftop Bar on Thursday.

Soak in sakura

Spring has sprung at the Marion Hotel with the Garden Bar transforming into a cherry blossom-inspired Hanami Garden accompanied by signature cocktails made with Roku gin. The cocktails have been designed around the four seasons and feature unique Japanese botanicals harvested at the peak of each season, including sakura flower and leaf, green tea, sansho pepper and yuzu. The Hanami Garden will be open until Wednesday, November 9.

One with nature

This October, cultivate a deeper relationship with nature in this time of climate change, bushfires and global pandemics. The Nature Festival will run from October 6 to 16 with a diverse program of more than 300 activities across South Australia, including wilderness walks, tree planting, picnics, workshops and celebrations. Exercise your green thumb or learn something new while exploring the diverse natural world surrounding us in South Australia.

Special celebration

On Saturday, October 8, celebrate the first anniversary of the Kitchen Farm Pantry in the Adelaide Hills. The family-friendly afternoon will host live music by local musician Taylor Pfeiffer, alongside plenty to eat and drink, and activities to keep the kids entertained. From midday, guests can enjoy the usual Kitchen Farm Pantry menu alongside a selection of local beer and wine, and weekend specials including cheese platters, sweet potato fries, and vanilla party cones for the kids. Soak in the spring sunshine on the lawns and cosy up by the open pit fire as evening approaches.

Art matters

A group exhibition of painting and sculpture is opening at the BMGART Gallery on Friday, October 7 featuring works by Roger Myles, Sue Ninham and Augustine Dall’ave. Roger Myles’s Painting Matter(s) explores how an understanding of abstract art can be meaningfully broadened by the inclusion of ‘non painting’ objects and materials and the extent this integration can take while remaining within the established tradition of painting. Sue Ninham’s A Dark Place is the culmination of the exploration Sue undertook in Iceland and a celebration of a darkness she has learned to embrace, while Augustine Dall’ava’s One Dialogue and Two Paradoxes is a collection of three sculptures crafted by Augustine during Melbourne’s extended coronavirus lockdown. The exhibition will run until Saturday, October 29 and artworks on display are available for purchase through BMGART.

Classics in the country

The Adelaide Symphony Orchestra will embark on a tour of regional South Australia from October 5 to 8, bringing classical music through the state’s Mid North. Community performances will be held in Clare, Peterborough and at the Bundaleer Forest Reserve leading up to a major performance at the Peterborough Town Hall. The tour will also feature works of local students with the Silos and Symphonies learning program, alongside the family-friendly show The Bush Concert being performed in Clare and Peterborough.

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