Polo in the City tickets to be refunded after Victoria Park event cancelled

Polo in the City was only weeks away from being held at Victoria Park, but has been cancelled due to conflicting schedules.

International Polo in the City guest, Nano Gracida, who is part of the Gracida polo dynasty, with Amy Rowley and horse Missy in 2019. Picture: Matt Turner.

A prestigious horse event in the Adelaide CBD has been axed by organisers due to conflicting schedules with the state government’s new VALO Adelaide 500 event.

Polo in the City was returning to Victoria Park on Friday, December 9 – after a two year hiatus due to Covid – and only days after the December 1-4 car race.

“For 17 years, we’ve always occupied the same Friday in the calendar in December but our event would be during the bump-out period of the race,” Urban Polo Association Limited founding director Janek Gazecki said.

“Until recently, we still thought we’d be able to coexist ... but despite the council’s best efforts we weren’t able to locate another venue that would work.”

Port Adelaide football players enjoy the Polo in the City event at Victoria Park in 2016. Photo Naomi Jellicoe

Mr Gazecki said ticket sales for the event, which was part of a national tour, went on sale well before the VALO announcement and would be refunded.

General admission tickets cost $83, while packages ranged from $246 to $366, and corporate marquees were $3883-$4603.

“The (car race) decision was kind of flagged late in the piece as it was an election promise and we’d been selling (tickets) for quite a long time before that,” Mr Gazecki said.

“We understand the economic importance of an event such as the V8s, but our event is not insignificant. It would have been nice to have been reached out to about how it was going to affect us.”

Mr Gazecki was hopeful the event would return to the city next year, after attracting 2800 people to its last event in 2019.

The council’s city shaping director, Ilia Houridis, said they had liaised with organisers to find an alternative location, as the preferred site was unavailable “due to events beyond their and our control”.

“We had found a solution for the event to be held in nearby parklands, with our horticulture team already starting to prepare the turf for the horses, however, the organisers ultimately decided not to go ahead with this year’s event,” Mr Houridis said.

Treasurer Stephen Mullighan was at Victoria Park on Thursday to announce free public transport to VALO event, alongside Bathurst 1000 winner Shane van Gisbergen.

When asked about the polo cancellation, Mr Mullighan believed it had been a decision of the Adelaide City Council.

Tensions between the council and the government have been at an all-time high this week, after the council did not sign off in time on a land swap agreement to allow the Botanic High School expansion to go ahead.

It will be discussed by the council at a special meeting tonight.

“I can’t tell you how frustrating this habit is becoming of the Adelaide City Council seeming to sit on their hands when there is opportunity after opportunity to bring major events here to our city and to our state,” Mr Mullighan said.

“It’s disappointing that an alternate location or date couldn’t be worked out between the organisers and the Council.

“It’s critical that our city and our state is seen as being open for business and to events like these, to bring people and spending to the city.

“The Government remains committed to doing what we can to put our city on the national and international stage, and our expectation is that the Council will do the same.”