Organisers deem FABalice Festival a success, however some local small business owners aren't so convinced

A CABARET and drag festival designed to celebrate the melting pot of diversity that is Alice Springs has been deemed a success by organisers, with early figures suggesting an almost 50 per cent increase in ticket sales on last year.

The 2020 FABalice Festival has been deemed a success by organisers. Picture: Naomi Baker

A CABARET and drag festival designed to celebrate the melting pot of diversity that is Alice Springs has been deemed a success by organisers, with early figures suggesting an almost 50 per cent increase in ticket sales on last year.

Speaking to the Centralian Advocate, Chair of the FABalice Festival Committee, Stuart Ord, said the preliminary results were “really encouraging.”

“Based on figures to hand and estimates, we believe the Festival attracted over 5,000 pax cumulative for the entire weekend,” Mr Ord said.

“At this stage, our data is suggesting that around 30 per cent of our guests were from outside Alice Springs, interstate and overseas, however we’re still analysing all of the results.”

With two major components of the three-day event held in the Alice Springs CBD – and anecdotal feedback that the majority of local retailers and businesses experienced a 50 per cent surge in trade on Saturday, according to Mr Ord – some small business owners expressed concern over the lack of wider community consultation and collaboration by event organisers.

“I think the event as a whole is fantastic, and this year definitely had more traction than last year,” a local business owner, who wished not to be named, told the Advocate.

“But we weren’t contacted regarding any collaboration or promotion.

“We could have promoted the event through our social channels and vice versa – it’s got to be a reciprocal thing being a small town.

“So potentially there is a missed opportunity there.”

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Alarmingly, one small business owner told the Centralian Advocate that despite the weekend’s events and proximity to a high foot traffic area, their business had traded at a loss – alleging only a select few “larger” businesses had monopolised the economic opportunities presented by the Festival.

Mr Ord also denied allegations made by media involved in the event that a member of the FABalice Festival marketing team had explicitly instructed against the use of the word “pride” in content regarding the event.

“I am unaware where this comment came from- certainly not from the FABalice Committee,” Mr Ord said.

“We did advise that the Saturday was a Pageant rather than a Pride Parade from the year before, which is highlighting exactly what it is, a Festival Showcase.

“There is a local pride committee and they run their own local community events for Alice Springs.

“The FABalice Festival is something entirely different. We aim to be different to Desert Festival, Parttijima and every other event in town, to open up a whole other market for the locals and visitors to enjoy.”