Adelaide has been gifted an extra opportunity to sip wine by the fire in the open air of the East End, as Winter Weekends extends into September.

On Friday, 24 July, fire pits descended upon the CBD, spreading warmth in several locations across the city and North Adelaide.

Traders in Topham Mall, Gilbert Place, Hutt Street, the East End, O’Connell Street and Melbourne Street made the most of the offering, opening up later and letting their patrons snuggle by the firelight.

The annual City of Adelaide initiative was scheduled to end on Saturday, 29 August, but the council has since decided to extend Winter Weekends an extra week, to Saturday, 5 September.

In the East End, this will mean Vardon Avenue will continue to be closed off to traffic and strewn with fire pits into the weekend evenings, much to the delight of local traders.

“The activation of Vardon Avenue for the winter warmers this year has been a great success,” says Patrick Madden of Mother Vine.

“It has been great to see so many people back out and about and having a good time. With the street closure Vardon avenue comes alive and people are enjoying a relaxed environment on Friday and Saturday nights.”

Keeping cosy at Mother Vine

East End café The Laneway on Ebenezer chose to extend its hours throughout the Winter Weekends event, pouring mulled wine long into Friday and Saturday evenings.

Co-owner Debra Robinson says she’s enjoyed seeing “the opportunity [the fires] provide for people to have a sense of community when sitting around the fires”.

Owner of East End Cellars and Mother Vine, Michael Andrewartha echoes Debra’s sentiments, having seen many city revellers enjoy the ambience.

“Both EEC and Mother Vine cannot thank the Adelaide City Council, Liquor Licensing, SAPOL, SA Health and the Maras Group enough for the continued support,” he says.

“Having Vardon Lane closed allowed us to offer our clients a safe and relaxed outside dining space, with great atmosphere.

“This activation has had so many great comments back from our clientele and all have been looking forward to it every week.”

There’ll be a chill in the air for a little while yet, so make the most of the opportunity to warm by the fire with a drink in hand – while seated, of course. COVID rules still apply.

Find out more about Winter Weekends here.