20 Nov, 2013

Hey sister - celebrating 30 years of sister city-hood!

Hindmarsh Square will be a buzz of food, music and entertainment with an Austin, Texas theme tomorrow from 11.30 am to 2.30 pm in celebration of Adelaide’s unique sister city relationship with Austin, Texas which is celebrating 30 years in 2013.

Hey Sister! a Splash Adelaide event was scheduled for June this year, but postponed due to inclement weather - now the rain has cleared so let the celebrations begin.

Councillor Megan Hender will be in Hindmarsh Square on tomorrow to sample food and entertainment and is encouraging everyone to join her in celebrating this milestone.

“Events like this remind people about the long term value of sister city relationships - Austin is a great example of the many benefits for both cities in the areas of trade, education and tourism.

“My son is in Austin Texas at the moment so he’ll be joining the celebrations there which include eating Australian meat pies,” she said.

Tomorrow, city workers, students, visitors, rate-payers, business owners, residents and anyone in between can help celebrate at Hindmarsh Square – and those who arrive on a bicycle will be rewarded for their efforts with complimentary gelati from mobile street vendors Giro Gelati.

People can ride the mechanical bull, see the girls from Roller Derby in action or simply enjoy the colour and activity on the Square.

Some of Adelaide’s favourite food vendors will be on hand to serve lunch, from menus that reflect the sister city theme, including Sneaky Pickle, La Cantina, and Raw Thirst, while listening to the jazzy beats of the likes of the Atlantic Street Band, and Snooks La Vie fresh from a visit to Austin Texas.

Acting Lord Mayor Michael Llewellyn-Smith AM travelled to Austin earlier in the year on behalf of Council and presented a gift to the Mayor of Austin in honour of the significant milestone and believes the 30th Anniversary of the sister city relationship with Austin is worthy of celebration.

This event is part of Splash Adelaide, a campaign by the City of Adelaide that aims to bring our city streets and laneways to life.

Now in its third season, Splash Adelaide enlivens places and spaces in the city and North Adelaide and allows people to try new things through the more than 80 events schedules over the coming months.

To find out more of what’s happening, go to http://splashadelaide.com.au/ where you can search events by date, location or even genre, or download the splash app and have information at your fingertips through your smart device.

Rebecca Draysey