The 5th Biennial Port Festival will be held this weekend as the City of Port Adelaide Enfield celebrates its 175th anniversary. The festival brings an influx of artistic ventures alongside a host of activities and showcases for the whole family.
With live performances, markets, arts and craft workshops, water activities, and exhibitions, one day will not be enough to see it all. This year’s theme is ‘Message in a Bottle’ with the festival encouraging emerging and established artists to enter pieces with a bottle theme; paintings and photos of bottles, painted bottles, glass blowing.
The Port Festival has embraced water activities this year, offering kayaking, Dragon Boat Races, sailing and Port River Dolphin cruises. If you’re feeling up to it, you can view the Port from the skies as Barossa Helicopters will be offering tours all weekend. You can even catch a ride back to the CBD like Adelaideans did 75 years ago by hopping on a 1950s style railcar from the National Railway Museum! Kicking it old school!
The opening event on Saturday will see the arrival of the One and All Sailing Ship which will re-enact the arrival of the Guiana vessel 175 years ago. The Festival will also host a traditional ‘Welcome to Country’ dance by the Kurruru Youth Performing Arts where they will encourage participants to learn about traditional Aboriginal Dance Steps.
The Port Festival hopes to play an ongoing role in the continued revitalisation of the Port Adelaide region and help contribute to the social and economic growth over the next decade. It will be held throughout the City of Port Adelaide Enfield on the 10th and 11th of October and is an event not to miss!