Schutzenfest: each January this shooting festival is held in Bonython Park. The historical event originated in provincial Germany, and celebrates the culture of small German towns with traditional food, beer and musical entertainment.

Australia Day: Victoria square is the venue on 26 January for this annual celebration of everything Australian. Events include Adelaide’s Citizenship Ceremony, Australian Day Grand Parade and the Lord Mayor’s Official Flag Raising Ceremony.

Rymill Park Carnevale: as in many other locations around the world, the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday is a time for revelry before the beginning of the austere Lenten period. Carnevale is celebrated with entertainment offered by singers, folk dancers and theatrical artists, and is topped off with a masked ball.

Fringe Festival: from late February through mid-March, this alternative to the official arts festival attracts an array of national and international artists and performers to Adelaide for an ambitious four weeks of events. The range of exhibitions and performances at this phenomenally well-attended celebration of the arts covers the bizarre to the serious.

Glendi Greek Festival: held at Ellis Park during March, this festival is regarded as the largest Greek celebration in the southern hemisphere. Local and international performance artists entertain, while food and drink is provided by members of the greater Adelaide Greek community.

Adelaide Festival of Arts: this three-week festival occurs every second year, and is considered the premier art and cultural event in Australia. The ambitious programme features art exhibitions, ballet performances, live music, opera and theatre as well as various forms of light entertainment.

Autumn Food and Wine Festival: is held annually in April at Wellington square, and provides visitors with the opportunity to taste many fine Australian wines from the Adelaide area and local dishes prepared by noted chefs.

Adelaide Cabaret Festival: cabaret entertainment is the theme of this Adelaide festival held in June. For 17 days, cabaret artists from Europe and the British Isles, Australia and New Zealand take part in this unique cabaret event, which is the largest of its kind in the world.

Fisherman’s Festival: visitors come from all parts of Australia to watch fishermen bring in their catch of crab, lobster, prawn and shark. The number of participants grows each year with anyone who has access to a fishing boat coming to Adelaide to take part in the festival.

South Australia Living Artists (SALA) Week: for three consecutive weekends every August, South Australia turns its attention to the contributions of more than 1,500 regional visual artists. The festival is free-of-charge to everyone, and is well attended.

Adelaide Rose Festival: every two years in October, the Rose Society of Adelaide and South Australia sponsors this festival of roses. Among the highlights of the event are displays of roses and open gardens, and shows held to celebrate the beauty of the many varieties of this flower.

Classic Adelaide: a four-day car rally is held in the Adelaide area in October on 33 public roads that are closed for the event. Participating cars compete against a stop watch, with the fastest car winning the rally.

Australian International Horse Trials: this popular four-day event features cross-country events, dressage and show jumping. An international array of competitors makes the journey to Adelaide for these prestigious trials, which draw large crowds each day.

Credit Union Christmas Pageant: Adelaide’s streets are filled with hundreds of thousands of spectators when this pageant is held. The highlight is a procession of magical floats that signal the start of the holiday season, and have carried Father Christmas into Adelaide since the beginnings of the pageant in 1933. This is now the largest pageant of its kind anywhere.

New Year's Eve Street Party: Victoria square is the venue for this free party that attracts thousands. Entertainment, foods from around the world and spectacular fireworks are all part of this popular celebration.