Every October, more than 1,500 historic vehicles make the journey from Adelaide to Birdwood in the RAA Bay to Birdwood, watched by tens of thousands of spectators. For five years running, Atlantic Street Band has been the live music along the way, with small acoustic bands playing at the start line, in the city and at the finish festival.
The brief
The RAA Bay to Birdwood is run by the History Trust of South Australia. Each year the team wants live music that suits a very mixed crowd: entrants warming up at the start, families, car enthusiasts and spectators spread across several sites over a weekend. The music has to work outdoors, move around the site and keep going for hours.
What we did
We play as several separate acoustic bands at the same time, so each site has its own live music. In 2025 that meant two quartets roving around the Migration Museum precinct in the city on the Saturday, then a quartet at Barratt Reserve in West Beach early on the Sunday, and two more teams at the National Motor Museum in Birdwood. Each quartet has two front-line horns (trumpet and clarinet) over banjo and sousaphone, which gives a full New Orleans sound with no stage, power or sound system.
At Birdwood the West Beach team joins the others later in the morning, and the whole band plays a 30-minute amplified set on the main stage. In 2025 we used close microphones on a seven-piece lineup to keep the stage set tight and punchy.
Why it works
With so many people spread across so many sites, a roving acoustic band can cover a large site in a way a single stage can’t. Different parts of the event each get live music, the band can follow the crowd, and when everyone gathers at the finish we can come together for one big set. It is the same idea we bring to any festival, market or council event.
Watch the band at Bay to Birdwood
On the news
The band has featured in news coverage of the event. Watch the Channel 7 News report and the Channel 9 News report on Facebook.
At a glance
- Event: RAA Bay to Birdwood, run by the History Trust of South Australia
- Sites: Migration Museum precinct, Barratt Reserve (West Beach), National Motor Museum (Birdwood), plus the Awards Judging Day at the Torrens Parade Ground in 2026
- Format: multiple acoustic quartets playing at once, with a combined set at the finish
- Years: five years running
Planning a festival or large outdoor event?
See our roving jazz band page, our council and community events page, or get in touch for a quote.