New City of Adelaide Census Finds Live Music Is On the Rise
The census has found there are significantly more live music performances now than before the COVID-19 pandemic.
Image Tijs van Leur
Good news for South Australian music lovers, with a new census undertaken by City of Adelaide finding live music is on the rise.
The City of Adelaide’s Live Music Census, which is available to read online here, found live music is everywhere in the Adelaide CBD, with a whopping 129 businesses within the City of Adelaide showcasing live gigs between May 1 and May 31, 2025.
A total of 1,099 performances were hosted at these venues, with City of Adelaide estimating that around 12,000 concerts took place over the year.
The census also uncovered the West End as Adelaide’s home of music, with 57 venues, including the likes of Hindley Street Music Hall, Lion Arts Factory, ILA, The Grace Emily, Arthur Art Bar and more, hosting 547 performances.
The East End is no slouch, with 33 venues, such as The Exeter, The Austral, The Jade and more, featuring 327 performances.
In short, no matter where you are in Adelaide on any given day of the week, you can experience live music, which is fantastic news and proof that Adelaide’s music scene is moving in the right direction.
The census was undertaken as Adelaide celebrated 10 years since its designation as Australia’s first and only UNESCO City of Music, along with extensive consultation on the Council’s inaugural Cultural Policy.
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“The census demonstrates a 122 per cent increase in performances since 2019 and a 70 per cent increase in the number of venues hosting live music in the Adelaide CBD and North Adelaide,” explained City of Adelaide Director City Community Jo Podoliak.
“The City of Adelaide partnered with the national Live Music Office for Live and Local, a capacity building program created to strengthen the ecology of local grassroots live music communities.
“Key deliverables of the program included a live music industry forum, a grassroots micro-festival, professional development workshops, a music advisory working group and the live music census.”
Ms Podoliak added that Adelaide’s designation as a UNESCO City of Music honours “our rich musical heritage and acknowledges that we celebrate, prioritise and leverage culture and creativity for sustainable development. City of Adelaide’s Cultural Policy, adopted in June 2025, affirms the inherent value and importance of culture, creativity and community to our city’s distinctive identity and future prosperity.
“In addition to the high volume of live music taking place inside brick-and-mortar businesses, the City of Adelaide supports a year-round calendar of events and activations featuring live music outside to support city activation, placemaking, and business activity.
News of the census results arrives as the City of Adelaide announces Make Music Day is set to return in 2026.
The inaugural Make Music Day took place in June last year and featured more than 220 paid musicians performing across 40 venues, resulting in an increased city visitation of over 18,550 people compared to the previous year.
Expressions of interest for artists and venues for Make Music Day 2026 are now open. More information is available at experienceadelaide.com.au.
