Nature Festival latest addition to South Australia’s events calendar

A new 10-day festival which starts in late September aims to help South Australians get back in touch with nature.

“Seed Dating” couple Brianiee Albrighton and Trysdan McEwan warm up for the Nature Festival with dancer Lyndall Kay at the Botanic Garden. Picture: Matt Turner.

Singles will have a different way to sow their wild oats through “Seed Dating” when a new Nature Festival starts across South Australia later this month.

The green twist on speed-dating will allow single gardeners and plant enthusiasts to combine their summer seed sowing with an opportunity to meet like-minded folk.

It is part of the 10-day Nature Festival, an open-access program which will include outdoor adventures, family play experiences, public talks and art installations dedicated to celebrating the natural environment in creative ways.

Dancer Lyndall Kay warms up for the Nature Festival with “Seed Dating” couple Trysdan McEwan and Brianiee Albrighton at the Adelaide Botanic Garden. Picture: Matt Turner.

“From bushfires to coronavirus, it’s been a difficult year,” said festival chair Vicki-Jo Russell.

“We could all use some celebration … and there has never been a better time to cultivate a deeper relationship with nature as a society.

“Understanding and investing in our relationship with nature is fundamental to our wellbeing and social growth.”

Among more than 50 events being held from September 25 to October 4 are an all-ages poetry slam called Be Natural, an interactive workshop on The Future of Food, and Bush Tucker Sensory Storytelling by SA’s Indigenous Warki people.

Lyndall Kay will host Dance With Nature: Weave, Dance, Connect, while Hills Folk Music will deliver a series of community performances called the Field & Forest Recordings in the Adelaide Hills.

Full program at naturefestival.org.au