Punters priced out by Fringe Festival food and beverage costs

South Australians are paying the price to maintain their Festival State status. Here’s what a night out at the Fringe could cost hungry punters.

Antimo Iannella and Zayda Dollie

4 min read

February 23, 2024 - 3:19PM

Is the Adelaide Fringe Festival too expensive?

Lifestyle

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A night out at this year’s Adelaide Fringe can cost upwards of $150 per couple as some festival goers worry they’ll be priced out of attending the major event.

The soaring cost of living has hit South Australians hard, and it’s impacting Fringe fans, who are being slugged almost $42 a ticket on average at some festival hubs.

Pat Richards and Bryan Cocks. Picture: Ben Clark

Food and beverage prices are also causing hip pocket pain, with a burger and chips starting at $25 while the average beer or a glass of wine is about $10 each.

Festival punter Hubert Kimber said he paid $22 for a galette from La French Crepes, a vendor from the Gold Coast joining the Garden of Unearthly Delights for the first time this year.

Taco vendor Daniel Ida said all food prices had gone up, pushing the average meal out to around $22-$23 dollars.

“Last year we did one taco for $12 or two for $20, so you save $4, this year we’re still doing one for $12 but two for $22, so it’s gone up a little bit,” he said.

Friends Beaux, Claire and Courtney come to the Fringe every year and said the average cost for a night out was around $100 for them.

“By the time you watch a show and get a meal, it’s about $100 – we just brought our own water,” Courtney said.

“We also come during the week and you can get cheaper tickets on Tuesday, so it all adds up – but we love it, we come every year.”

The three friends said in 2018 a meal cost around $14-$15 but this year they had paid $25 each for their meal on Thursday night.

Carol and Thelonius enjoying a pineapple juice. Picture: Ben Clark

Coco Carol, whose husband is one of the Fringe performers, said the artists did receive a discount but she had noticed prices for everything had gone up.

Son Thelonius, 4, was the only one in the family to take advantage of the discount, opting for a cup of pineapple juice.

A spokesman for the major festival hub, the Garden of Unearthly Delights, said the East End venue’s food offerings were focused on “quality and value for money”, with pricing in line with other music festivals and live events.

“You get a whole meal when visiting The Garden, at a standard expected to be found at a restaurant, including focus on a generous serving size,” the spokesman said.

A ticket to see a show at popular Fringe hub, the Garden of Unearthly Delights in the East End, is $41.88 – a six per cent rise on last year’s $39.65 price.

Gluttony organisers declined to reveal their average ticket price when contacted by The Advertiser.

An Adelaide Fringe spokesman said the festival’s overall average ticket cost for its 1400-plus shows is just $33 – a figure which has remained steady in recent years – with over 200 performances priced under $20.

Pat Richards and Bryan Cocks. Picture: Ben Clark

In comparison, the average cost of a ticket to a show at the upcoming Adelaide Festival is $69. This ranges from $39 for In Conversation with Laurie Anderson, right up to $329 for a premium seat at the exclusive opera, The Nightingale and Other Fables.

Garden of Unearthly Delights co-creative director Michelle Buxton said the venue was striving to be as accessible as possible for everyone.

“The Garden is very aware of the cost of living pressures on everyone and always strives to ensure The Garden is accessible to everyone,” she said, with a range of free performances every night including on weekends, plus cheaper midweek tickets.

Beaux’s meal cost $25 at the Garden of Unearthly Delights. Picture: Ben Clark

Hubert Kimber paid $22 for a galette. Picture: Zayda Dollie

Ms Buxton said drink prices at the hub’s bars have remained largely the same this year compared to last, with only a small increase due to the Government’s tax hike on wholesale prices.

She added that The Garden is “not immune to cost increases” with rises of between 30 to 50 per cent on some expenses in 2024.

Gluttony co-director Daniel Michael said free filtered drinking water is available through the venue.

An Adelaide Fringe spokesman said the festival stood as a “beacon of accessibility and affordability” within the arts community.

“Fringe remains one of the most affordable arts experiences in the South Australian arts landscape, with savvy punters able to save an extra dollar through membership offers, midweek pricing and other subsidised tickets,” he said.

Tyson Wright, 18, and Sienna Marketis, 18 about to head into the Garden for a night out. Picture: Ben Clark

The spokesman urged “price conscious” Fringe lovers to look for shows within their price range.

He added that said smaller festival venues around Adelaide – with lower vendor hire fees – offered food options at “very affordable prices”.

“For example, Poffertjes are just $10 in the Migration Museum courtyard,” the spokesman said.

Uniting Communities chief executive Simon Schrapel said it is becoming harder for people to “splurge on a night out”.

“We also know festivals, like the Adelaide Fringe, are incredibly important lifelines for our arts professionals but also the broader community,” he said.

“They can create a sense of connection, they bring people together. We know that other issues such as loneliness thrive when our community doesn’t have that opportunity to connect.

Simone Walton with son Emmett, 4, are still happy to pay to watch a live show. Picture: Ben Clark

“Like many others, Uniting Communities is working to support those who need it most as well as working alongside governments to advise on levers that may ease the pressures many are facing.”

Karen Hoffensetz, SA Financial Counsellors Association spokeswoman, said a growing number of South Aussies can’t afford entertainment like the Fringe, thanks to prohibitive transport and food costs.

“Families are struggling to pay the rent or mortgage, and this time of the year, there’s school fees to pay,” she said.

“The Fringe is a good time for people to get together. For some it’s just not possible. Budgets are super tight.”