Entertainment

MallFest set to hit Rundle Mall with extended trading hours and festive vibe

Rundle Mall will come alive this festival season with Mallfest, promising an electrifying atmosphere of DJs, pop-up bars, extended shopping hours and more.

Adelaide’s the place to be as the festival season draws near. To celebrate, MallFest is returning to Rundle Mall, with more time to shop, live entertainment including world-class street performers and music, and an array of vibrant festivities.

This year’s MallFest promises an electrifying atmosphere, with DJs spinning your favourite tunes and stores staying open an extra hour on Saturdays ‘til 6pm all Festival Season, so you’ve got extra time to shop before and after the Fringe and Adelaide Festival.

To top it all off, you can enjoy an espresso martini and soak up the vibes at the MallFest Bar which is popping up in the Gawler Place Canopy from 11am every Friday-Sunday during the Festival Season. The perfect place to relax, unwind and enjoy a cheeky cocktail or two!

If last year’s MallFest is anything to go by, this year’s going to be a blast – foot traffic doubled in the Mall during the extra shopping hours in 2023. 

And, festival and Fringegoers did their fair share of shopping too, with city retail spending going up 14% to a whopping $127 million during 2023’s Festival Season. 

“South Australians, and our interstate and international visitors, want to shop for longer and later in Rundle Mall when there are festivals, sports, and other major events happening in the city,” remarked Andrew White, Executive Manager of Rundle Mall at the Adelaide Economic Development Agency. “Last year’s success has prompted us to bring back the extended shopping hours on Saturdays and MallFest activations for 2024.” 

The extended shopping hours provide an opportunity for visitors to explore the Mall before or after attending festival events, eliminating the need for multiple trips and enhancing the overall shopping and entertainment experience. 

“The extra shopping time means you can come into Rundle Mall to shop, and then head straight to a show or out for drinks and dinner, instead of going home and returning later in the evening. Likewise, we expect many Festival and Fringe-goers will come in early to first explore the Mall, when it would have previously been closed,” White says. 

Live entertainment will be a cornerstone of MallFest, with DJs performing every Festival Friday and a daily lineup of musicians, artists, and street performers adding to the festive ambiance. 

A very Instagrammable lights and lantern entry statement will be set-up at the Pulteney Street entrance of Rundle Mall, to help welcome or farewell Rundle Mall shoppers and visitors as they make their way from the Mall to the East End action. 

HEXADECA, the architecturally-designed aural playground, will make a return this year, inviting passersby to interact with custom-built spinner seats while experiencing a unique musical journey. 

Cotton On, H&M, Myer, JD Sports, rebel, Sephora, David Jones, Kmart, QBD Books, and Nike Adelaide are among the stores staying open longer. 

Nike Adelaide Store Manager, Chris Fleming, expressed excitement about the opportunity to engage with customers during this bustling period. 

“Foot traffic and sales were strong during the last Festival Season, particularly during the extended trading hours on Saturdays,” said Fleming. “We are thrilled to offer our customers the chance to shop late again this year and make the most of all the excitement happening in Rundle Mall and the city.” 

City retailers will be able to trade one hour longer until 6 pm each Saturday throughout the Festival Season, thanks to an exemption granted by the State Government for the second consecutive year. 

MallFest 
Where: Rundle Mall Adelaide 
When: Rundle Mall will open till 6 pm on the following Saturdays: 
Saturday 17 February 
Saturday 24 February 
Saturday 2 March 
Saturday 9 March 
Saturday 16 March 
More info: Click here 

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