“Per-square-metre” charge a stumbling block for Fringe in the parklands

Adelaide City Council concession to Fringe falls flat.

Adelaide Fringe CEO Heather Croall and Arts Minister Andrea Michaels during the announcement of the 2023 Adelaide Fringe Economic Results at Old Parliament House in Adelaide. Picture: NCA NewsWire / David Mariuz

Fringe Director Heather Croall is trying to broker a deal with Adelaide City Council to maintain the large areas that the biggest festival venues take up in the Adelaide Parklands.

Ms Croall told The Advertiser on Wednesday Gluttony and The Garden of Unearthly Delights could survive in the East Parklands, but questioned the council’s new fee structure which charged per-day-per-square metre as well as per-day.

Gluttony has threatened to downsize despite Council on Tuesday night reducing the 2024 per-square-metre fee for both venues to 2020 levels.

“Fringe is waiting to see the detail of what the fees will be - whether the amounts will be a fixed sum of what was charged in 2020 or if they will be based on a per sqm charge,’’ Ms Croall said.

Ms Croall said there were ongoing negotiations, despite the council’s new position, because of the double hit.

Gluttony is reportedly threatening to charge a fee to make up the cost of council fees.

The Garden charges a fee for people who mingle without a show ticket.

“It would be good to see council set different tiers of fees that align with the cost of entry to each event,’’ Ms Croall said.

Arts advocate and Deputy Lord Mayor Phillip Martin instigated the council backflip this week, after council faced a walkout of the Parklands by both venues.

He said what had been lost in the debate was that the council had gifted hundreds of thousands of dollars in fees waived each year during 2022 and 2023.

“Fringe 2023 was the blockbuster with one million tickets sold and all we are asking them to do is pay the fee they had before Covid-19,’’ he said.

“Both the venues will be subleasing the parklands to their performers and those (subleasing) fees will be 2024-adjusted fees not 2020 fees.

“This goes all the way to helping those events in the way they asked council to help.”

Adelaide Fringe CEO Heather Croall announcing the 2023 Adelaide Fringe Economic Results. NCA NewsWire / David Mariuz

The Garden would have been hit with a $184,000 fee in 2024 and Gluttony $241,000.

There were no fees in 2022 and 2023, but in 2020 The Garden paid $108,000 and Gluttony $110,200 on a much smaller area.

The council on Tuesday night voted to dump the increase and will instead charge only the 2020 rates.