Asiafest has gone bust with performers complaining they have not been paid for performing at the October event

THE business behind the Asiafest event in Adelaide has been placed in liquidation and artists say they have not been paid.

28.9.2015.Greg Evangelou who is the founder/organiser of AsiaFest , at Rymill Park. pic tait schmaal.

THE business behind the Asiafest event in held last year Adelaide has been placed in liquidation and several artists say they have not been paid.

And another company owned by Asiafest director Greg Evangelou, Budget Party Hire, has been placed in liquidation, with $1.4 million in debt including $575,000 owed to the ANZ bank and $224,442 owed to the Australian Taxation Office.

That business appears to still be operating in some form however, with Mr Evangelou’s company, White Marquee Event Hire - the business name of Budget Party Hire - still operating from the site at 264 Richmond Rd.

White Marquee is a minor sponsor of Port Adelaide Football Club and also provides event products for shows such as Womadelaide and Cheesefest.

Asiafest, which started in 2014, was last year expanded to a 10-day festival held in October including the controversial “Full Moon Party” held in Rymill Park.

Organisers of that event, modelled on those held monthly on the southern Thai island of Koh Phangan, had to commit to drilling holes in the bottom of buckets originally designed for drinking large alcoholic beverages.

The Advertiser has spoken with performing artists involved in Asiafest who said they had not been paid and did not hold out much hope of getting their money.

Performers included former Adelaide comedian Jason Chong, comedians from interstate and Hong Kong, and numerous performing artists.

The Advertiser has spoken to a number of artists who said they had not been paid despite several attempts to contact Mr Evangelou.

The Advertiser’s attempts to contact Mr Greg Evangelou, of Plympton Park, have been unsuccessful. The website is “currently down for maintenance”.

A spokesman for liquidator Worrells said the Asiafest matter was a voluntary liquidation, meaning Mr Evangelou had approached them for help.

An assessment of the total debts owed has not yet been made.

Asiafest last year was held from October 2-11 and included performing arts and comedy, food and cooking events and markets, all held in Rymill Park.

“Asiafest is all about the experience of exploring the diversity of Asian cultures, food and entertainment,’’ Mr Evangelou says in the promotional material.

“Walking throughout each of the highlighted Asian countries we believe will give people the feeling they are actually standing in that country. This year Asiafest will bring a huge range of diversity into the heart of Adelaide.’’

An assessment of the debts owed should be available in a week or so, the liquidator said.

The original Asiafest was held from October 4-6 in 2014.

Mr Evangelou was cautioned by Port Adelaide in 2014 for an anti-gay comment made about Adelaide supporters on social media.

Mr Evangelou posted an insult on Facebook after the Crow’s 23-point win against the Power in June of that year.

“To all my fellow 19th f*****s. Enjoy today like you’ve won a grand final ... because that’s about as good as its going to get for yas for a very long time,” he posted.

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