Seven major events in six months: South Australia’s enviable festival calendar
Electric events calendar reinforces Festival State’s global stature
Entertainment
Don't miss out on the headlines from Entertainment. Followed categories will be added to My News.
Hosting an incredible seven major national and international events in just six months has firmly re-established South Australia’s reputation as the country’s Festival State.
Since November last year, thousands of visitors from across the globe have flocked to South Australia to watch some of the world’s best performers light up the state. From music to theatre, sport to technology, the state’s comprehensive festival calendar has delighted and entertained eventgoers of all ages.
The return of a much-loved racing spectacular and two new sporting events were major drawcards for visitors to Adelaide. November saw the highly anticipated return of the VAILO Adelaide 500 – the first time since 2020. The city’s East End reverberated to the sound of roaring engines as its streets hosted the final round of the 2022 Repco Supercars Championship season. Shane van Gisbergen, Nick Percat and Chaz Mostert were just some of the superstar drivers behind the wheels, while The Killers, Jimmy Barnes and Amy Shark filled the nights with music over the four-day event which attracted crowds of more than 258,000.
In April, footy lovers around the nation turned their attention towards South Australia as the state hosted Gather Round. AFL fans from across the country came together to celebrate the sport as all 18 clubs descended on South Australia for an entire round of matches. Games took place at the world-renowned Adelaide Oval as well as the historic Norwood Oval and at Mount Barker in the Adelaide Hills, giving fans who attended plenty of opportunity to get out and explore the state.
“The inaugural Gather Round was an overwhelmingly successful event. A snapshot of that includes all nine games sold out, 268,000 fans attending matches across the Adelaide Oval, Norwood Oval and Mount Barker in the Adelaide Hills, tens of thousands of fans attending the footy festival on the banks of Torrens, 1000 player appearances across local football clubs and schools, seminars for community club volunteers and umpires and 10,000 footballs provided to regional clubs in SA,” AFL chief executive Gillon McLachlan says. “South Australia really turned it on. Gather Round and all the activity across the state, the nine matches, the footy festival and the community football engagement has been some of the best days and events the AFL has ever delivered.
“It has been a success because everyone in football got behind the idea, clubs, players, corporate partners and, most importantly, our fans, to deliver an extraordinary few days.”
More recently, South Australia made world headlines when it became the first state in Australia to host LIV Golf. Fans in more than 180 global territories watched as an all-Australian team captained by reigning Open champion Cameron Smith led the charge at The Grange Golf Club against international golfers Talor Gooch, Chase Koepka, Phil Mickelson and more.
Nick Haslam, managing director of Performance 54, responsible for the delivery, management and promotion of LIV Golf Adelaide, says Adelaide’s propensity and legacy of hosting major international events made it easier to organise an event than it would have been in another city. “There are a number of existing stakeholders and suppliers who have worked on or continue to work on Adelaide’s catalogue of major events who assisted us during planning and helped ensure the event delivery was a success,” he says.
The triumph of the inaugural event has secured the return of LIV Golf Adelaide to The Grange Golf Club once again next year. “There is no doubt Adelaide will continue to be a spectacular host for the event, with LIV Golf Adelaide quickly becoming a destination event on the global LIV Golf League schedule,” Haslam says. “The city has cemented its position in the Australian landscape of major international sporting events.”
But it’s not all about the newcomers: staple events including the Santos Tour Down Under, Adelaide Fringe, Adelaide Festival and WOMAD-elaide were all crowd pleasers in 2023. In January, an estimated 780,000 people attended the 10-day Santos Tour Down Under, with millions of households across 190 global territories tuning in to watch top competitors race through iconic South Australian tourism destinations.
And the state’s Mad March reached new heights of festival success. With comedy favourites Ross Noble, Danny Bhoy and Reuben Kaye taking to the stage, the Adelaide Fringe became the first Australian festival ever to sell 1 million tickets, with more than 3 million attendances over the four-week event.
The Adelaide Festival and WOMADelaide also drew impressive crowd numbers, with almost 240,000 people snapping up tickets – 25 per cent of whom were from interstate.
A display of Andy Warhol’s photography and social media at the Art Gallery of South Australia, a spellbinding adaptation of the Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde and a collaboration between Spinifex Gum and the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra were popular with festival-goers; while headliners Florence and the Machine, The Proclaimers, Bon Iver, Soul II Soul and Youssou N’Dour ensured the entire four-day allocation of tickets for WOMADelaide sold out before a note was sung or a guitar tuned.
Major events drive economic stimulus
South Australia’s strong events calendar has propelled the state’s hospitality, hotels and tourism sectors to record-breaking levels over the past six months.
The arrival of the inaugural Gather Round set a state hotel occupancy record, attracting $6.8m in hotel bookings and with 91 per cent and 92 per cent hotel occupancy citywide for the Friday and Saturday nights – an average of 9640 rooms a night, according to the South Australian Tourism Commission. WOMADelaide also generated a surge in demand for hotel bookings, with accommodation at an average of 90 per cent occupancy over the Mad March long weekend.
Statistics estimated a spend of $128 million by intrastate, interstate and international visitors over three days, with 94 per cent of Adelaide accommodation booked out for the Saturday. “It has been quite extraordinary – since Harvest Rock and then the VAILO Adelaide 500, records were being hit right through the mad summer of the Tour Down Under, Fringe and WOMADelaide,” says Ian Horne, CEO, Australian Hotels Association SA.
“Then there was Gather Round and LIV Golf, which was just a sensation – we again hit record figures in terms of capacity, occupancy and return for the venues. The Saturday of Gather Round now ranks the highest-ever revenue for a single night on record for Adelaide accommodation at $3.5 million in takings, and the Friday ranks the second-highest on record at $3.3 million. The buzz in town was just extraordinary. It gives our members confidence to invest in their businesses for the future.”
The 2022 VAILO Adelaide 500 generated more than $51m in economic benefit to the state economy, attracting about 258,000 extra people to the city, supporting an extra 71 jobs and generating $162.8m in publicity for the state – up from $94m in 2020. And, with estimates by the Adelaide Economic Development Agency showing the AFL’s inaugural Gather Round is set to deliver $85.8m, the event is another winner on the economic scoreboard.
“We haven’t seen anything like the past few months in Adelaide for many decades in terms of the confidence and buoyancy this activity is giving the business community,” says Shaun de Bruyn, CEO, Tourism Industry Council South Australia. “People travelled from all across the planet to come to Adelaide.”
The first-ever LIV Golf Adelaide is also set to boost the local economy. Official figures are yet to be released but the event attracted an official attendance of 77,076, with about 30 per cent of ticketholders from interstate and a further 10 per cent from overseas. And there’s more to come, including the FIFA Women’s World Cup Australia and New Zealand, Adelaide Cabaret Festival, Guitar Festival and Illuminate Adelaide. “It’s a bigger picture than just the start of the year – there’s a very full calendar in South Australia looking forward,” says Andrew Kay, CEO, Business SA. “The fact we don’t just drop off a cliff after Mad March brings a diversity of tourists into the state. That diversity is really important to keep the economy going.”
Open doors to Festival State
Whether coming for the footy or festivals, visitors are guaranteed an unforgettable stay in South Australia.
Football stars took advantage of April’s Gather Round to indulge in adventures across the state. Brownlow winner Lachie Neale joined Port Adelaide’s Erin Phillips on a hot lap at The Bend Motorsport Park; fellow Brownlow medalist Patrick Cripps came face-to-face with great white sharks in Port Lincoln; and Chad Wingard met the kings of the jungle at Monarto Safari Park’s Lions 360.
Some of the world’s best golfers also took time out from LIV Golf Adelaide to explore the best of South Australia. The Great White Shark Greg Norman met his namesake while shark cage diving off the coast of Port Lincoln and Charles Howell III enjoyed a short holiday in South Australia with his family.
Locals and visitors to Adelaide in July can delight in Winter Reds, a weekend of award-winning wines set among historic towns. Settle in next to a toasty log fire and savour some of the best red wines in the world.
Take advantage of the city’s proximity to more of South Australia’s famous wine regions, including the beautiful McLaren Vale on the Fleurieu Peninsula. The home of sustainable winegrowing, the region also boasts pristine beaches and natural attractions. Jump on board to experience the Coast to Vines Rail Trail, hike through Onkaparinga River National Park or hit the waves for some surfing, fishing, diving, snorkelling and more.
Take a break from the city and spend a weekend in an indulgent five-star retreat in the Barossa, less than an hour from the city. Enjoy a chauffeured wine tour, discover the Barossa’s colourful past at local museums and witness the true glory of the region from the skies in a hot-air balloon.
Taking a longer break? Head to the Limestone Coast to explore the breathtaking Naracoorte Caves, shuck oysters in the middle of the ocean on the Eyre Peninsula, explore the Remarkable Rocks of Kangaroo Island or meander down the River Murray on a luxury houseboat.
Come for the event but stay for the experience.
Upcoming events
AMPOL STATE OF ORIGIN GAME 1
May 31
The 2023 State of Origin Series will make history when it returns to Adelaide for just the second time. Don’t miss the action as the New South Wales Blues take on the Queensland Maroons at Adelaide Oval.
ADELAIDE CABARET FESTIVAL
June 9 to 24
Take in some of the world’s biggest cabaret acts at the world’s biggest cabaret festival. From cabaret to comedy, theatre, music and talks, the event attracts hundreds of local and international performers sashaying across venues throughout Adelaide.
FRIDA & DIEGO: LOVE & REVOLUTION
June 24 to 17 September
The Art Gallery of South Australia will host this Australian exclusive. Expect iconic works by two of the most beloved and influential artists of the 20th century.
ILLUMINATE ADELAIDE
June 28 to July 30
Last year’s sensation returns bigger and brighter than before as the best and boldest in art, music, technology and invention from around Australia and the world come together to light up the city and the state.
FIFA WOMEN’S WORLD CUP
July 24 to August 8
Adelaide will host five matches of this prestigious tournament at Hindmarsh Stadium, with the FIFA Fan Festival to be held in the newly redeveloped Festival Plaza.
SALA
August 7 to September 4
Celebrate the state’s thriving visual arts community, at the South Australian Living Artists Festival. Take in sculpture, painting, photography, mixed media, moving images and installations in offices, cafes, galleries, wineries and more.
HARVEST ROCK
October 28 and 29
Let the good times rock and roll! Rymill and King Rodney parks in the heart of Adelaide will host this two-day festival, again set to feature the best in live music, wine, food and drinks.
OZASIA
October 19 to November 5
The nation’s leading contemporary Asian arts festival presents a smorgasbord of the very best in contemporary theatre, dance, music, visual art, film, literature talks and food. Events will be held at Her Majesty’s Theatre and the Adelaide Festival Centre.
VAILO ADELAIDE 500
December November 23 to 26
Start your engines and get ready as Australia’s largest domestic motorsport event returns to the streets of Adelaide. Enjoy a jam-packed weekend that includes Supercars, the Hot Wheels stunt team and FMX and BMX freestyle motocross entertainment.
Aussie rock pioneer behind Barnesy and Bon Scott dies
The Adelaide muso has been lauded for his ‘crucial role’ in guiding the careers of the legendary performers.
Isla Fisher sizzles at Bridget Jones premiere
Isla Fisher has stunned in her first red-carpet appearance since her split from Sacha Baron Cohen, as she throws herself into single life.