Music in the Square returns today, bringing an unmissable lineup of South Australia’s finest creative talent, local food and drink, and a family-friendly atmosphere to the Northeast quadrant of Mukata/Hindmarsh Square.
“I’m coming back again, I wanna live tonight.”
Although the eight-words above are actually lyrics from Sydney’s Grammy-award winning alternative electronica trio Rüfüs Du Sol’s single ‘Alive’, they matter-of-factly represent Adelaide immensely too.
South Australia’s very own Triple J Unearthed High competition winner, George Alice (real name: Georgia Mannion), performed an illustrious reimagination of the dance hit for the renowned JJJ “Like A Version” program four-years ago, it has since acquired nearly 250,000 views on YouTube alone.
Now, after a deserved break, George Alice is “coming back again” and thankfully, it is to headline the 10th Anniversary of the esteemed FREE Music In The Square event. What a way to celebrate her return, and the festival’s big 1-0!
“What can you say about George Alice??! I remember seeing George Alice perform when she was about 16-years old and I still recall her angelic voice. She was performing at an industry event early in the morning and honestly you could hear a pin drop in that room. Such a talent. First time I heard ‘Circles’ I believe. Acoustic. Divine. I’m glad you have mentioned the return and her new work. Loving what she is doing, the sass and new sounds. We were so excited to get her on board for Music in the Square.” Felicity Edwards, Strategic Project Lead from Adelaide City Council excitedly states.
Joining George Alice is the phenomenal Praise Mangena. Formerly from Zimbabwe, this magnificently multilayered performance artist entrances spectators with her dancing, spoken-word poetry, and artistic enchantment. An acclaimed highlight on the Academy Stage at this year’s WOMAD festival, Praise is beyond the classification of “must see”, she is undeniably an “essential experience”.
Also featured is Adelaide’s fast-rising R&B pop prodigy Nat Luna. This talented singer/song-writer/producer enraptures audiences with her charismatic musical fusion, which extends to hip hop and modern lounge electronica. Her compositions ‘too pretty’, conditions’, and ‘love me longer’ have seized Triple J’s attention with high rotation plays, and even though her SZA and Ariana Grande influences shine through, Nat Luna is assuredly her own musical virtuouso.
“We work as a team at the City of Adelaide. We have the privilege of programming artists ourselves and start with just bouncing ideas around, all of us music lovers with at times wildly differing musical tastes. Alex (Dearman) ultimately gets the artists on board. We originally had this event programmed for the Adelaide 500 weekend, and we felt strongly about a femme lineup, creating a place that felt welcoming, inclusive and safe on that Friday night in town. We needed to reschedule due to the weather and we are so relieved and excited that the entire lineup came with us into 2026, our 10th year! Praise and Nat had both performed at Make Music Day 2025, and we are excited about their journeys right now, both getting
recognition and cool gigs.” Felicity articulates about the enthralling line-up.
(Picture by Morgan Sette.)
For a prestigious event of this calibre, funded and produced by the City of Adelaide, which has now run for a decade, it understandably (and thankfully) owns a very rich history. With an aim of showcasing some of the best musicians and artists blossoming from our very own backyard in Adelaide, Australia’s first and only UNESCO City of Music, the Music In The Square experience is a principal event not to be missed.
“Over the last month, the team have delved into the image archive,s which made for a fun trip down memory lane. Highlights are hard because each event is honestly so unique. The very first one in 2016 featured Germein Sisters in Victoria Square, which has to be mentioned – they continue to be an impressive touring act. In recent memory, our jazz event, curated by Daniel Isler in Hindmarsh Square, was absolutely crammed with people of all ages. Biggest crowd we’ve had. We’d also set up so many LED candles, it felt like a vigil to jazz.” Felicity recalls, with a laugh.
She continues – “We’ve loved bringing the fire pits into the event too. You could feel the love, positivity and community, bonded over the love of music that night. When you see people stumble across Music in the Square accidentally, tourists who have just landed from overseas who tell us how much they love what we’re doing. It is a pretty cool first impression of our town. Everything we’ve done helps shape our vision, we learn lessons and try to constantly improve.”
With the help of valuable curators and partnerships facilitating and supporting the City of Adelaide with the festival, this treasured event has maintained its remarkable status, with a very bright future ahead.
“The City of Adelaide’s Music In The Square event started in partnership with Music SA, and they should be acknowledged. Curators like local musicians Matthew Hayward and Joel Byrne were with us in those early days. Special shout-out also to Malia Wearn from the City of Adelaide for her many years on the event. One of the biggest aims right from 2016 is to showcase the local live original music scene. It’s at the heart of all we do at Music In The Square. The event aims to attract new audiences, encouraging discovery and developing taste and connection to new genres and artistic approaches. Music In The Square can help unlock your new favourite band, set you up to connect with the scene and live gigs in Adelaide’s venues. If we have done that well, we’ve done our job!”
At this year’s version, there will also be an incredible selection of food and beverages from some of Adelaide’s finest hospitality venues. French bistro Le Pas Sage, The Thai guy and more will be dishing up gourmet delicacies, alongside The Griffins, who will keep the drinks flowing.
Are you ready to “live tonight”, Adelaide? The “Music At The Square” 10th Anniversary will see Hindmarsh Square / Mukata come ‘Alive’ with music and more!
MUSIC IN THE SQUARE
When: Friday, February 13th, 6:00PM – 9:00PM
Where: Hindmarsh Square / Mukata, Adelaide, SA 5000
Price: Free Admission
For more information, click here.
