Gather Round: Norwood Food and Wine Festival sees 70,000 visitors

It was shut down in 2012 because of drunk crowds but police were singing a different tune when the Norwood favourite came back to life on Sunday.

• Gallery: Norwood wine fest

It is usually one of Adelaide’s most popular retail strips bustling with people enjoying a serene day out.

On Sunday, The Parade was instead jam-packed with tens of thousands of Gather Round visitors revelling in the first Norwood Food and Wine Festival in more than a decade.

The state government estimated more than 70,000 people quaffed wine and dined on some of the state’s best produce along the 1.6km eastern suburbs strip that was closed between Fullarton Rd and Portrush Rd.

Police praised Sunday’s crowds at the festival after it was shut in 2012 amid complaints of drunken anti-social behaviourthat left local businesses annoyed.

Authorities reported “no significant incidents” at any Gather Round event.

The mood was one of good spirit and frivolity – especially if you were a St Kilda fan, with the Saints beating Richmond by seven points at the nearby Norwood Oval.

Kara Hanna, 12, of Whyalla, was a little disappointed. As the only member of her family who supports the Tigers, she had to endure good-natured ribbing from mum Natasha, 44, dad Shaun, 47, and sister Chloe, 15 who all support the Saints.

Gallery: Gather Round spills into Norwood wine fest

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“There’s been a lot of banter today,” Kara said.

The Hanna family wasn’t the only family of rivals in the sea of red, black and yellow at Norwood with the Moll family in a 50-50 spilt.

Dad Ross Moll and son Jordan barrack for St Kilda, while mum Janine Moll and daughter Tayla are Richmond supporters. “It’s the father-son rule,” Mr Moll said.

From Melbourne, the family were happy to bring their rivalry across the border – and for Mr Moll, it was his second time at Gather Round.

The family have visited Hahndorf and Glenelg while they’ve been in SA. “It’s been fun, it’s exciting,” Ms Moll said.

The family said they wanted Gather Round to stay in Adelaide for many years to come.

“It’s accessible to every state,” Jordan said.

Ms Moll said Adelaide had a “community feel” that wouldn’t be as easily replicated in places such as Sydney or Brisbane.

“Perth is too far away, (Adelaide) works well,” Mr Moll said.

Natasha and Shaun Hannan with daughters Kara 12 and Chloe 15 from Whyalla at the Richmond v St Kilda match at Norwood oval for Gather Round. Picture: Brenton Edwards.

Janine and Ross Moll with their kids Jordan 19 and Tayla 15 from Melbourne at the Richmond v St Kilda match at Norwood oval for Gather Round. Picture: Brenton Edwards.

While Richmond and St Kilda went head-to-head on the field, tens of thousands of people were eating and drinking at the Norwood Food and Wine Festival.

The football games were broadcast on big screens along The Parade and in venues.

Musical acts took multiple stages along the boulevard, including multi-ARIA award-winning rock band The Temper Trap.

Many festival-goers took to The Parade as an escape from the footy mania, including Meagan Thompson who welcomed a “girls day out” with her closest friends.

“It’s great vibes,” the 45-year-old said. “We came when we were younger, and it’s great to see it back.”

The Golden Grove mum and a group of her best friends spent the day at the festival drinking wines and gin and snacking on a variety of food while their husbands and kids were at the football.

Norwood, Payneham, St Peters Mayor Robert Bria, whose council wants the event to return next year, hailed the “incredible day”.

“The atmosphere at the game was absolutely electric,” he said. “The crowd at The Parade for the Norwood Food and Wine Festival has been absolutely incredible with more than 100,000 people enjoying great food and wine on a beautiful day.

“We expect last year’s hospitality spend of $2.2m in Norwood will be surpassed.

“The council has made a unanimous decision to lobby for Gather Round at Norwood in 2025.”

Dustin Martin of the Tigers and Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera of the Saints and Callum Wilkie of the Saints during the 2024 AFL Round 04 match between the Richmond Tigers and the St Kilda Saints at Norwood Oval on April 07, 2024 in Adelaide, Australia. Picture: Sarah Reed/AFL Photos via Getty Images

The musical numbers at the festival were a massive hit with guests especially for 40-year-old Stella Bella, from the Adelaide Hills, who was able to put her six weeks of line dancing practice to the test.

Taking centre stage on the intersection of The Parade and George St, Ms Bella danced the day away. “It’s a lovely day out,” she said.

Ms Bella, who works as an event organiser, said the entire festival was “awesome” and would be keen to see its return next year.

On Sunday night, at Adelaide Oval, Hawthorn and Collingwood were facing off.

Daniel Down came from Horsham, Victoria, to see his team, the Pies, play in the Gather Round.

“The city is pretty electric,” he said. “A lot of people are around, enjoying themselves.”

Mr Down said keeping the Gather Round in Adelaide would be best for AFL as it “makes the most sense”.

Danielle Bowden, a Hawthorn supporter from Gawler, went to two Gather Round games last year and loved it so much she bought tickets to six games this year.

“The atmosphere is electric, not just at the games but around the whole city,” she said.

While SA has been winning, the same cannot be said for the state’s Premier who lost a game of Lou’s Handball on Sunday against AFL chief executive Andrew Dillon – who went on to break the game’s record.

Ending on a total of 72 points, Peter Malinauskas lost to Mr Dillon who took the victory with 88 points.

Originally published as Gather Round: Norwood Food and Wine Festival sees 70,000 visitors