It’s the City of Churches, home to world-class wineries and a thriving food scene, where getting anywhere takes “20 minutes”. It also might have you scratching your head at the mention of Stobie poles, fritz sandwiches and Kitchener buns.

Indeed, Adelaide holds its own Aussie uniqueness and a place in the heart of the Sydney Swans – we have SA to thank for Will Hayward, Bella Smith, CEO Tom Harley, chairman Andrew Pridham and club greats including Adam Goodes, Michael O’Loughlin, Jared Crouch and Heath Grundy.

This week, the Sydney Swans will be heading to Adelaide for a showdown with West Coast at Mt Barker on Saturday, April 6, as part of the AFL’s Gather Round. Find out what's on this week at Gather Round.

For now, we thought we’d take the chance to highlight five things that we love about #Radelaide.

1. It’s the Festival State

Yes, Adelaide LOVES a festival. Whether it’s the Adelaide Fringe, the Adelaide Festival or WOMADelaide, the Tarnanthi Festival, Feast Festival, or the Adelaide Guitar Festival, or cultural festivities like Glendi, Schutzenfest, or the Adelaide Italian Festival (formerly Carnevale) – it seems there’s always a festival in Adelaide.

2. Wine, wineries, and wine regions

Adelaide (ok SA.. it’s not quite 20 minutes) is home to world-famous wine regions that produce some pretty incredible drops. Think big bold reds like Shiraz or Cabernet Sauvignon, through to white varietals such as Riesling and Chardonnay. There’s Barossa Valley and McLaren Vale have long been favourite stopovers, while the Adelaide Hills is a newer – and very worthy – region to explore. Giving a shout out here to our friends at Bird in Hand who are located at Woodside in the Adelaide Hills. Go see them and say the Sydney Swans sent you.

3. The food scene

This might sound contradictory for a place that serves the humble meat pie in a bowl of pea soup – maybe more so given the ‘pie floater’ as it’s known has been recognised by the National Trust of Australia as a South Australian Heritage Icon. BUT … trust us when we say Adelaide’s food scene is thriving. In the CBD Leigh and Peel Streets are home to an emerging laneway culture with speak-easy style bars and hip eateries. And a trip to Adelaide wouldn’t be complete without a visit to the Central Markets, which is one of the biggest undercover fresh produce markets in the southern hemisphere and home to an abundance of high-quality foodie delights, from vintage cheeses to fresh seafood, sweet stores and bakeries. Mark it down for a visit during Gather Round.

4. Sunsets over the beaches

Ok – so if you’re reading this in Sydney you’re probably thinking, ‘Hey – we have some of the best beaches in the world’. And yes – we absolutely do! But Adelaide’s beaches are not only also awesome, they’re also a beautiful place to watch the sun set due to the western aspect of the city’s coastline. Whether you’re perched along the marina at Glenelg or sitting on the jetty at Henley Beach, watching the sunset over the ocean is a wonderful way to welcome in the evening.

5. It holds the world record for a turnout to greet the Beatles

Yes, you read that right – world record. It was June 12, 1964, when the Fab Four touched down in Adelaide to be greeted by a sea of 300,000 people in the heart of the city. It’s estimated that represented about a third of the city’s total population at the time. John Lennon described it as “the best reception ever” and indeed the Adelaide turnout is noted on the walls of the Liverpool Beatles Museum in the UK.

Almost 60 years on and Adelaide’s commitment to turning out and supporting an event is still evident, with sell-out crowds at Gather Round this year. We’re hoping next year’s round of footy down south will be even bigger and better – and we hope to see you there.

Gather Round 2024
Sydney v West Coast
Saturday, April 6 at 1pm (local time)
Summit Sport & Recreation Park, Mt Barker