Adelaide & its International Guitar Competition: a guitarist's travel guide
Adelaide International Classical Guitar Competition · Adelaide, Australia
Adelaide, the relaxed capital of South Australia, is a city of festivals and fine wine, and its international classical guitar competition is the southern hemisphere's most prestigious. A member of the World Federation of International Music Competitions, it is staged at the Adelaide Festival Centre and rewards its winner with a handmade Australian guitar as well as a cash prize.
Getting there
Adelaide airport (ADL) is only a few kilometres from the centre, with flights from across Australia and some international links, and the interstate Overland train connects it to Melbourne. The Festival Centre sits beside the central railway station on the river.
Compare trains, buses & flights to Adelaide on Omio →
Where to stay
Stay in the compact city centre and you can walk to the Festival Centre, the river and the restaurant strips. Adelaide is easy and unhurried, ringed by parklands and close to some of the country's best wine regions.
An interactive map of hotels, apartments and B&Bs across Booking, Expedia, Airbnb and more, centred on Adelaide.
See stays in Adelaide →What you'll hear
The competition runs through recital rounds to a final within the wider guitar festival, and its prize, a handmade Jim Redgate guitar alongside cash and a future engagement, is a serious draw. Its recent winners are rising international names. As part of a festival, it comes surrounded by a broader concert programme, so check the official site for the current schedule.
If you play as well as listen, explore Phillip Houghton, the Australian guitar composer on Sheet Music Plus →
Where to eat
South Australia eats and drinks very well: fresh Spencer Gulf seafood, Coffin Bay oysters, and the famous local pie floater, a meat pie in pea soup. The Barossa and Adelaide Hills wines are among the country's finest.
While you're there
The Barossa Valley wine country is about an hour northeast, and the village of Hahndorf and the Adelaide Hills are closer still, with Kangaroo Island and its wildlife a longer trip. The city's own museums and markets fill easy days between concerts. A rental car makes the day trips simple, and GetYourGuide lists guided tours and tickets across the region.
Enter the pieces you play, and GuitarComp shows how your programme maps to this competition's rounds and which other events you qualify for.
See full competition details →Competition dates, deadlines and the current compulsory work change each edition, so always confirm at the official site: guitar.adelaidefestivalcentre.com.au.