Adelaide’s Umbrella – Winter City Sounds announces 2018 dates, expanded format

Music SA announced Umbrella: Winter City Sounds will this year be staged July 13 – 29 where 300 live music events will take over 100 venues in the Adelaide’s central business district.

This year the event will also expand to shows in the suburbs.

Umbrella project coordinator Jessi Tilbrook told TMN, “We’re still in discussions with various councils so it’ll be hard to put a figure until we announce the full program in June.

“However, I can say that we expect at least five councils to be involved, and probably 50 more shows.”

Umbrella has been designed to extend Adelaide’s cultural activity past Mad March, in the colder months of June, July and August.

Event registration opensonline on March 26for artists, hotels, music venues, local councils and promoters wanting to register their gigs to be included in the Umbrella: Winter City Sounds printed program as well as the digital Online Program on the Umbrella website.

For more registration details, Music SA is holding a free information session at St Paul’s Creative Centre on Monday March 26.

Music SA is also bringing back Scouted, a showcase of South Australia’s best unsigned original talent, as part of Umbrella on July 27 staged in numerous venues in the city’s West End.

Those wanting to showcase should submit an Expression Of Interest form here.

Last year’s inaugural event saw 15 acts play the East End, across five stages at Crown & Anchor, Producers Bar and an outdoor stage in Tam O-Shanter Place.

The idea is that these acts will perform before hundreds of nation-wide and international executives who’ll be in the city as part of the AIR Awards and Indie-Con conference.

Scouted is the official closing event of both of these.

The 2017 Mad March set new attendance and gross takings records.

Among these were Adelaide Festival which drew 284,000 people over its 20 days, leading to a $4 million box office take, a 44% rise from the year before, and made it the most successful of its 57 year history.

Adelaide Fringe set a new record with 655,541 tickets sold.

Adelaide Writers’ Week attracting its biggest crowd of more than 134,000.

WOMADelaide also performed well after setting a new attendance record in 2016 of over 95,000 over two days.