The state government will invest $650,000 over two years into one of Adelaide’s “March madness” festivals, matching private philanthropic donations to the event.
The South Australian Government has already invested $2.3 million into the festival in recent years.
The announcement of the new funding for the festival was accompanied by data on the 2025 event’s economic impact, which was valued at $62.6 million, of which $47.1 million was new money for the state, which represents a 16 per cent increase on the 2024 event.
Total attendance at the 17-day festival was 365,402, including 27,471 attendees from either interstate and overseas. These out-of-towners purchased 30 per cent of festival tickets and more than half of them stayed in Adelaide for over a week, filling 121,485 bed nights.
Meanwhile, the month-long Adelaide Fringe, the majority of which is also held in March, generated $197.7 million in expenditure, of which $144.2 million was new money to the state.
Like Adelaide Festival, visitors in town for Adelaide Fringe spend a little over a week in the city.
The Fringe festival comprised 1,532 shows across 575 venues, with 1,066,515 tickets sold.
“At its heart, Adelaide Fringe is about supporting artists, giving them a platform and helping them grow their audiences,” said Adelaide Fringe director and CEO, Heather Croall.
“More than $26 million went directly into the pockets of artists and venues this year from ticket sales.
“In addition to that, our Honey Pot marketplace generated over $6 million in touring deals, creating tangible career opportunities for artists by connecting them with national and international programmers, producers and presenters.
“It’s this marketplace that turns a festival season into a launchpad for touring, collaborations and long-term creative success.”
