ADELAIDE FESTIVAL
generates $76.1 million for the state
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In addition to smashing records at the box office, the 2018 Adelaide Festival curated by Joint Artistic Directors Neil Armfield AO and Rachel Healy also generated an estimated gross expenditure of $76.1 million for the state – an increase of 9% on last year’s outstanding figure.
These figures are included in a 2018 Economic Assessment report by Barry Burgan on behalf of Economic Research Consultants, commissioned by the Adelaide Festival. It also revealed that an astounding 19,825 visitors came from interstate or overseas for the Festival (a 44% increase on 2017) with visitor bed nights increasing to 138,021 – a 50% increase on 2017’s figures.
It further reported that total new expenditure in South Australia related to the Festival was $18 million while net impact (or newly created incomes) on the Gross State Product is estimated at $21 million, including the creation of the equivalent of 220 full time jobs.
Premier Steven Marshall congratulated the Festival on another successful year. “The Adelaide Festival is an iconic Australian arts festival, and I’m delighted that the 2018 event has been a successful one – I certainly look forward to seeing it prosper once again in March 2019,” he said.
The stand-out event amongst a Festival that performed strongly right across the three weeks was the Glyndebourne Festival Opera production of Brett Dean’s opera Hamlet directed by Neil Armfield, which saw 39% of its audience drawn from interstate including large groups of opera lovers from Melbourne and Sydney attracted to this Adelaide exclusive.
“For many reasons, the Festival is such an important part of South Australia’s identity and today, quite distinct from its enormous cultural significance, this announcement demonstrates its sheer value in terms of boosting our economy, especially through cultural tourism,” said Judy Potter, Chair of the Adelaide Festival.
“Adelaide Festival’s economic impact continues to grow year on year, providing a vital injection to the State’s economy. That so many people choose to travel to South Australia for the Festival and spend money in our state whilst doing so, is testament to the strength and vision of Neil and Rachel’s programming,” she said.
Joint Artistic Director Rachel Healy said, “It’s absolutely thrilling to read these results and for the Adelaide Festival’s economic value to be broadly understood, alongside its social, cultural and reputational value. It is clear that the Adelaide Festival is the catalyst for bringing thousands of visitors to the state and we have great pride in the significant return on investment it delivers to South Australia. As the artistic custodians of Australia’s pre-eminent international arts festival, we will continue to work tirelessly to ensure Adelaide Festival remains the destination event for arts lovers across the country.”
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The 2018 Adelaide Festival by numbers:
$76.1 million gross expenditure generated for SA (+9 % on 2017)
$18.1 million new expenditure in SA (+19% on 2017)
$21 million net impact on the Gross State Product (+23% on 2017)
19,825 visitors to the state (+44% on 2017)
138,021 visitor bed nights (+50% on 2017)
220 full time jobs equivalent (+20% on 2017)
383 performances across 48 ticketed events
4 world premieres and 14 Australian premieres
13 events exclusive to Adelaide
Over 1,700 artists from 53 countries
24 free events including talks and visual arts exhibitions
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