Adelaide Festival Centre celebrates 40 years of SOMETHING ON SATURDAY

Something on Saturday is back for another fun-filled year with the best entertainment for children aged 0 - 10 years from 23 April - 26 August 2017. This year's program is a celebration of 40 years of the Adelaide Festival Centre's commitment each year to delight and entertain thousands of people, providing an affordable opportunity to beat the winter blues with many South Australian children enjoying their first theatrical experience.

This year's 40 year celebratory program features 43 stand out shows over 19 weeks.

Adelaide Festival Centre believes in investing in the future and vibrancy of arts in the state. Something on Saturday is one of the Centre's key platforms for engaging with children and their families, reaching over 15,000 people annually with inspiring programs that will create future generations of arts lovers.

The 2017 program has something that appeals to all tastes and covers everything from physical theatre, slapstick humour, puppetry, live music, storytelling, ballet, circus, classic children's literature brought to life on stage, acrobatics, gala's, magic, African drumming, jazz, pop, rock, symphony orchestra, science, juggling, comedy, cabaret, literature, theatre, singalongs and rhyme. Kids are encouraged to sing, dance and have good old fashioned fun as Something on Saturdaypresents artists from all over Australia.

Adelaide Festival Centre CEO and Artistic Director Douglas Gautier says, "Adelaide Festival Centre has been committed to introducing children to the joy of live performances for the past 40 years. More than three generations have been thrilled, laughed out loud, clapped their hands and stomped their feet during the perennially popular Something on Saturday season. Make sure you're not just sitting on the sports sidelines this winter and head to the Adelaide Festival Centre to find out what real entertainment is all about."

This year's program will kick off with party games and a cake at A Peter Combe Extravaganza, Peter is one of Australia's best known and most loved children's performers and is a long time past performer and advocate of Something on Saturday he'll be rockin out the stage performing all of his favourite hits including the perennially popular Newspaper Mamma and Spaghetti Bolognaise along with some newbies from his new album.

Combe says, "I am honoured to be kicking off the Something on Saturday party, having featured in many seasons throughout the programs 40 year history I was of course only 2 at the time. I can't wait to sing Happy Birthday on stage and wish SOS another 40 years of family fun".

Program highlights include:

We're Going On A Bear Hunt, based on the award winning book by famed children's author Michael Rowen. Join a brave family of adventurers on their quest to find a big scary bear.

Kids can let their inner rockstar shine in So You Think You Can Sing Along? features a rocking live band playing all the hits from Frozen to Pharrell. Tessa Waters will release their inner rock legends in How To Be A Rock Star.

DreamBIG Festivals' Big Family Weekend is a fun and joyous trail of art and wonder for the whole family.

Australia's most sought after kids comedians The Listies are back in The Listies 6D (*it's twice as good as 3D).

Mr Stink based on the most popular children's author today David Walliams (Little Britain) and brought to you by the team behind The 13-Storey Treehouse Live On Stage.

SOS wouldn't be complete without ballet and this year's program features Australian Classical Youth Ballet's The Night Before Christmas and Aladdin and the Genie of Unlimited Wishes by South Australian Children's Ballet Company both companies have been regulars in the SOS program throughout its 40 year history.

The season will finish on with 26 August with BEEP featuring Windmill Theatre Company's trademark design, gentle storytelling, music and puppetry.

Each week families can take advantage of the FREE Foundation Kids Corner Workshops. Each week an art and craft activity complements and is themed to each week's paid performance on offer. The workshops are committed to inspiring and stimulating young people and are funded by the Adelaide Festival Centre Foundation. The Foundation raises funds for projects that nurture young people at Adelaide Festival Centre, thereby inspiring young people through the arts, and it is for this reason the workshops are free.

Tickets are from $12 per person when purchasing tickets to four or more Something on Saturday performances (plus a $8.95 transaction fee per booking, not per ticket), and single tickets are from $15 per person (+ transaction fee).

Check out the program http://www.adelaidefestivalcentre.com.au/whats-on/something-on-saturday/