Ten years on, 2016 still feels like a cultural fault line. We lost Bowie, Prince, Leonard Cohen, George Michael – artists who didn’t just soundtrack our lives, but shaped how we moved through the world. Creating Twenty Sixteen has made us think about how Adelaide itself has evolved over the same decade – quietly, confidently, and with far more edge than it sometimes gets credit for.
So if 2016 were a city, this is how we’d explore Adelaide.
David Bowie energy lives in the unexpected – the places that reward curiosity. Start in the West End, where art spills out of studios, laneways and rehearsal rooms. The Lion Arts Factory, JamFactory, MOD. at UniSA – spaces that champion experimentation and reinvention. Bowie taught us that identity is fluid; Adelaide’s creative heart has embraced that lesson beautifully.
Prince demands intimacy. Low light, live music, bodies close to the stage. Places like Grace Emily Hotel or Arthur Art Bar still understand the power of a room where something might happen. They’re not chasing trends – they’re protecting atmosphere. Prince would approve.
George Michael belongs where joy and freedom intersect. Adelaide’s queer nightlife and community spaces have expanded and strengthened over the past decade – from Mary’s Poppin to Feast Festival’s evolution into a city-wide celebration. It’s celebratory, political, and full of heart.
Leonard Cohen asks us to slow down. To sit, listen, and feel the weight of words. Walk through the Botanic Gardens at dusk. Take in a recital at Elder Hall. Or simply linger over a glass of red in the Adelaide Hills, where reflection comes easily and nobody rushes you.
Adelaide doesn’t shout – it hums along in its own way. Like the music of 2016, it rewards those who stop and listen.
Twenty Sixteen, The Fantail (open-air) at Gluttony – Rymill Park, 19 Feb-9 Mar, 6.30pm