The festival club returns to the Festival Plaza after 11 long years
The Courtyard on the Festival Plaza is your new oasis from the chaos of festival season.
The year was 2013 and March in Adelaide was searing from the sharp prick of a summer heat refusing to give way. Temperatures were smashing the monthly average by a whole 2°C. The heat failed to deter eager crowds from packing into the CBD, though, to taking full advantage of the Adelaide Festival becoming an annual event.
Set amongst the Otto Herbert Hajek’s concrete City Sign sculptures protruding across the Festival Plaza, the 2013 festival club, Barrio, was a huge draw card for young people.
“It was like nothing else Adelaide had ever seen. It was crazy, like a city within a city that had several different bars,” says Anne Wiburg, producer of this year’s festival club.
She describes Barrio as being an experimental space with queues of people every night. It played host to weddings, funerals, roving performers and even a small zoo.
Anne is referred to in festival circles as the Club Queen having been at the helm of Barrio then, leading Lola’s Pergola the year after and now The Courtyard in 2025.
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The introduction of The Courtyard ends the 11-year hiatus of the club’s separation from the plaza.
Anne says The Courtyard will have its own flare, transforming the grey concrete vibe into a European piazza with a lush garden of vibrant colours and nooks filled with lounges.
“It’s an international flavour but very much a local place. We’ve got lots of music every night,” Anne says.
The Courtyard is free to enter – no need to bring a sacrifice like at Barrio – and is open Wednesday to Sunday from 5pm till late.
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The environment is free-flowing, being a space to meet friends and stay for the night or grab a bite before attending a ticketed show and returning for an après-show cocktail.
Keep a lookout for who might be standing at the bar next to you.
“We are encouraging all our international, national and local artists to come together with our ticket buyers and the general public so we can all mix together and have some great conversations,” Anne says.
The origins of the beer, wine, gin and cocktail menu vary from the chalky plains of Northeast France to the Coopers Brewery under the South Road overpass.
“We’ll have the top range of wines but all different price levels, so if you feel like a drink of Champagne or a local glass of wine from the Barossa, Claire or the Adelaide Hills, that will be on offer,” Anne says.
Conversely, the food is sourced from just Antojitos Latinos, which offers the flavours of Latin America.
The live music and DJ program includes RnB, alternative country, indie, disco and even Cuban jazz.
“There’s no specific theme each night. The music will change from a DJ set to a live act and finish with a late-night DJ. Expect to enjoy chilled vibes and dance grooves,” Anne says.
The lineup is also enriched with local acts.
“We’ve got amazing talent and I’m such a believer in giving South Australian acts a way to be exposed,” Anne says.
The Courtyard is open until 16 March.