This weekend, race to the finish line at the Clare Valley Trail Run, or grab some tickets to the State Theatre Company South Australia's latest production, The Questions.

Words Charlie Gilchrist

Race to the finish line

Head to the Clare Valley this Saturday for the inaugural Clare Valley Trail Run by the Adelaide Trail Runners. The fun run is a wonderful way to experience this world-famous wine region known for its riesling and shiraz wines. Runners can choose between distances of 10km, 19km, 37km and 50km for the race starting at the Clare Showgrounds. SALIFE readers can get a $10 discount for the event by entering the code SALIFE10.

Palette pleasers

Now in its 27^th year, the South Australia Living Artists Festival is back for a celebration of our state’s best creative minds. Taking place throughout the month of August, SALA is the largest open-access visual arts festival in Australia, with exhibitions throughout Adelaide and the regions. Galleries, schools, retirement villages, city streets, libraries, councils and local businesses across the state will be transformed with everything from paintings to ceramics, photography, textiles and sculpture. This year’s SALA Hub will be at Light Square’s ILA, with food and drink options, workshops, tours and so much more. A highlight of this year’s festival is Split by the Spade at Adelaide Central School of Arts, a solo exhibition by this year’s focus artist Julia Robinson.

Red, red wines

The Adelaide Hills wine region is famous for its pinot noir red wines, which grow well in its cool climate. From July 26 to 28, you can enjoy a fragrant glass of this region’s speciality at the annual Winter Reds festival. Sit around a crackling fire and enjoy a red with your friends as you soak in the atmosphere with live music, DJs and hearty winter food offerings. With more than 30 venues participating and tickets costing as little as $20 per person, this promises to be a perfect weekend for wine lovers.

Time-honoured tradition

The Choir of King’s College, Cambridge was created in 1441 by King Henry VI of England and is known globally for its annual Christmas Eve service, A Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols, watched by millions around the world. This July 31 and August 1, experience the majesty of this all-boys choir as they perform well-known anthems and sacred works at the Adelaide Town Hall. Highlights of the night will be Igor Stravinsky’s Mass, Maurice Duruflé’s Requiem and a newly commissioned work by Australian composer Damian Barbeler, which is influenced by a text from Judith Nangala Crispin, a descendent of the Bpangerang people in northeast Victoria.

Amazing almond blossoms

The Willunga Almond Blossom Festival celebrates the blooming of the beautiful pale pink almond blossom, which flowers from early July to early August. Taking place in the picturesque Fleurieu town of Willunga, this family-friendly is held at the Willunga Recreation Park on July 27 and 28. Highlights include the INFERNO fire show, a spectacular firework display, traditional almond cracking, wood chopping, almond growing and cooking demonstrations, the famous cake baking competition and performances in the historic Show Hall.

Do opposites attract?

Head to the Adelaide Festival Centre from July 26 to August 17 for the State Theatre Company South Australia’s production, The Questions. Created by Van Badham and Richard Wise and starring Charles Wu and Chaya Ocampo, this rom-com musical centres on a nightmarish blind date between two polar opposites; she has Master’s degree in gender studies and he is a devotee of “anti-woke” guru Jordan Peterson. When an outdoor catastrophe and “shelter in place” order forces the unlikely pair into the longest first date ever, they decide to turn to a real-life intimacy questionnaire, “The Questions”.