Last weekend K and I braved the heat to check out the festivities in Chinatown in the city. The website for the event said it would be the biggest celebration since its inauguration in 2004. We wanted to see how the event in Adelaide compared to the one in Melbourne, which I remembered as hot, noisy and very busy.
Well, it was a big celebration, though not as big as Melbourne’s, and many people turned out despite the baking heat. Usually the festivities are limited to Moonta Street – the main Chinatown precinct – but this year there were stalls up and down Gouger Street.
There seemed to be a mix of stalls selling Chinese food and other goods, as well as less authentically Chinese stalls featuring lollies or ice cream. There were lots of stalls featuring societies and clubs for the Chinese community, which I found interesting to look at.
The most crowded spot apart from around the stage was Moonta Street. Little Asian cafes line this thoroughfare and business was booming on Saturday. I could have easily finished off a plate of dumplings from this little shop but couldn’t be bothered fighting against the crowd.
After a stroll down Moonta Street we came back to the stage. We had heard that George Kamikawa, who we always saw busking on Bourke Street in Melbourne and was on Australia’s Got Talent last year, would be performing. Unfortunately we missed him but we still enjoyed the happy, bustling atmosphere. Next year I think I’ll park myself in front of the stage, iced tea in one hand, fan in the other.
The Wordy Way 