Elder Park’s Carols by Candlelight could be extinguished unless a naming rights sponsor steps in to save this year’s event
Adelaide’s beloved Carols By Candlelight at Elder Park is in serious jeopardy unless organisers can find a major sponsor to save this year’s event.
Adelaide’s beloved Carols By Candlelight at Elder Park is in jeopardy as organisers race against time to secure a major sponsor to save the event.
The 75th edition of the city’s oldest community carols is without a naming rights sponsor less than five months out from the Christmas spectacular, which attracts more than 30,000 people annually.
The event, which raises money for charity Novita, is televised nationally.
Organisers are now making a public plea for a white knight to commit to a long-term deal that ensures the event survives.
Carols organiser Kay Lawrence said the concert was unlikely to go ahead if a sponsor was not secured by the end of August.
“That’s how important it (a sponsor) is — they (carols) are so expensive to put on and to keep free,” Ms Lawrence, the general manager of the Christmas Network, said.
“I can’t imagine what we could put on without a naming rights sponsor and I just can’t see how it can go ahead without one.
“In the end it will have to be Novita’s decision. If we can’t come to them with sponsors, it will be their decision as to what they do as it’s their event.”
The Adelaide Carols by Candlelight event — the second-oldest in Australia — has been unticketed since 1944.
Visitors are encouraged to make a folded-note donation, with money going towards Novita’s Christmas Appeal helping children with disabilities and their families.
Ms Lawrence said charging admission was not being considered. She said last year’s December 18 event, which attracted performers including Hugh Sheridan, Samantha Jade and Paulini, had a $700,000 budget.
“It’s not cheap and I think that’s hard for people to understand,” she said.
Insurer QBE ended a two-year sponsorship deal after last year’s event.
Ms Lawrence was optimistic a new sponsor would secure the event’s future, saying the Carols had an “amazing history” and provided national exposure for sponsors, community groups and performers.
Novita chief executive Greg Ward said the charity would not be able to “bankroll” the carols. “We are a charity, our focus is on supporting children with disabilities,” he said.
“I guess if we are unable to find adequate sponsors to fund the event it might be the last year of the event.”
Mr Ward said any decision to end the Carols would not be “taken lightly” but that the immediate focus was on finding a new major partner.
“We are optimistic, but we are also realistic as well,” he said. “If somebody doesn’t come forward we’ll have some difficult decisions to make.”
Mr Ward said the event helped raise much-needed funds for Novita and was integral to raising awareness of its role in the community.
“It reinforces that organisations like Novita have been an integral part of the community for 80 years,” he said.
Ms Lawrence said organisers would continue to work with existing partners to try to fill the sponsorship gap.
The State Government has a $98,000-a-year funding deal with the event, which runs until 2021.
The concert was held for the first time on a Saturday last year to avoid clashing with Tea Tree Gully Council’s carols event at Civic Park.
Meanwhile, Mitcham Council will this week review its decision to cancel its community carols, saving $45,000, following community outrage.
■ The Sunday Mail is a media partner of Carols by Candlelight