Carclew Holiday Bands: Day Mode

Holiday Bands is a four-day music intensive for young people, 13 to 17 years, who want to join a band on a Monday and play a gig on Thursday night.

A sell-out program, Holiday Bands is the unofficial front door to Adelaide’s music scene connecting young people with creative community, relevant skills and exciting all-ages opportunities.

If you love making and playing music this four-day intensive is the ultimate way to meet like-minded teens, form a band, and perform live on stage.

This October four sites (Northern Sound System in Elizabeth, Base 10 in Reynella, Carclew in North Adelaide and The Brocas in Woodville) will run Holiday Bands simultaneously and come together for a gig at The Gov with family and friends. Needless to say it's going to be huge!

Holiday Bands October 2026 Artwork by Bella Veith

Dates:

Monday 28th September - Thursday 1st October

Times:

Mon - Weds 10am - 4pm at Carclew

Thurs 1st October 10am - 1pm: at Carclew

Thurs 1st October 1.30pm - 9pm: Gig at The Gov

Cost:

$225 per participant

What’s included:

• Join a band and be a part of the Adelaide Music Scene

• Write an original song and prepare a cover to perform two songs live

• Record your original track in Carclew’s Stables Studio

• Shoot a music video and get press photos done

• Be guided from emerging and established artists currently active in the scene

• Screen print Holiday Bands Merch on an item of your choice

• Experience daily live performances from some of Adelaide's best current original acts.

• Perform live at classic Adelaide live music venue The Gov with 19 other bands across four Holiday Bands sites (NSS, Base 10, Brocas and Carclew)

A week after Holiday Bands ends you will be sent a link to download:

• Studio recording of your original song

• Press Photos of your band

• Band Business Pack: Bio, Stage Plot, Press Photo.

• Live video recording of your performance

• Live Performance Photos

Limited spots available:

• 10 tickets for first time participants (First Timer!)

• 10 tickets for returning participants (Repeat Offender!)

Note: If cost is the only inhibitor to your participation please email noconnor@carclew.org.au to discuss alternatives.

Day Mode is for First Timers and Repeat Offenders who’ll attend the program for the first or second time, get to know the program and have a wonderful experience in band land. Day Mode runs from 10am – 4pm Mon to Thurs and has a capacity of 20 participants. We require participants to be able to play a song all the way through on their instrument.

Day Mode can sell out quickly. If this happens jump in the waitlist. Places come up as situations change and it lets us see who's out there.

Night Mode is for Holiday Bands participants who've attended Day Mode twice and are looking to pathway into something more serious.

Young people ready to attend Night Mode :

• are putting in work after hours, getting better at their instrument and creating collaboratively with others to make bands that will release music and play gigs.

• have a solid sense of timing, are developing a sense of tone and have a strong commitment to tuning. 

• are communicating outside the program to organize jam sessions, are and keen to book local rehearsal spaces and studios and are looking for local performance opportunities. 

Night Mode has a capacity for 15 participants. To participate in Night Mode, a participant must have done Day Mode twice and feel they’re in line with the guidelines above. Night Mode tickets are available here.

Accessibility information:
This event will occur within Carclew's Board Room, Art room, Low Down Studios, Stables Studio and Ballroom. Low Down Studios is not wheelchair accessible due to a step and tight doorway. All other spaces have flat approaches and standard doorway widths. Ramp entrance available at rear of building. If you have any specific needs or queries please feel free to get in touch! 8267 5111 noconnor@carclew.org.au

Further information about accessibility for this venue is available on Carclew's website.