culture
Adelaide CBD Venues Earn September 2024 Live Music Designation, Honor Kaurna Heritage
The September 2024 live music venue designation and Kaurna naming of sites shape how visitors experience the area's venues and programs.
How we reported this
The entire Adelaide CBD was designated a live music venue area on September 11, 2024 under new legislation aimed at protecting selected live music venues.
Live Music Venue Protections
This designation covers the full city centre and supports ongoing operations of venues within the area. Visitors can attend performances at protected sites while the policy remains in place. The move builds on existing laneway activation that has supported venue activity.
Kaurna Naming of Parks and Sites
All 29 parks and significant heritage sites in the city and Park Lands carry Kaurna names. Examples include Victoria Square/Tarntanyangga and River Torrens/Karrawirra Parri. These names reflect the traditional lands of the Kaurna people, where the city centre area was originally called Tarndanya or Tarntanya. Programs that highlight these sites allow visitors to learn the names directly at the locations.
City Planning and Redevelopment Context
Adelaide was founded in 1836 as Australia's only planned capital for free settlers. Surveyor Colonel William Light designed its grid layout surrounded by 900 hectares of Park Lands. The CBD population nearly doubled from 12,215 to 20,525 between 2001 and 2009 and stands at approximately 23,000 today, supported by redevelopments including Adelaide Oval. Visitors can walk the grid streets and enter the Park Lands to see how these elements connect to current venue and heritage programs.
Practical steps for visitors include checking venue listings within the designated live music area and noting Kaurna names on signage at parks and heritage sites during visits. The Park Lands remain open for exploration alongside the grid layout established in the city's founding.