Adelaide’s live music scene may be feeling the squeeze with the introduction of a raft of new liquor laws under a new draft of the Late Night Trading Code of Practice, while attempting to reinvigorate the city of churches’ ailing music scene with new licensing reforms to replicate Melbourne’s laneway culture; but its festival culture remains as healthy as ever.
An economic impact study into the South Australian capital has revealed that Adelaide’s 10 major arts festival drew a combined $62.9 million to the state’s economy in 2012 and attracted 2.82 million in total attendees.
Adelaide Now reports that the new study is the first from the new organisational body Festivals Adelaide, an umbrella organisation formed to co-ordinate and jointly market the city’s key arts and music events, and includes the likes of WOMADelaide, International Guitar Festival, Adelaide Festival, Fringe, Cabaret, Film, Feast, OzAsia, Come Out and SALA.
Festivals Adelaide Executive Officer Tory McBride says the events have consistently delivered strong results through economic downturn, with a combined 590,000 tickets sold to events in the last year.
“The combined return on investment to SA is approximately 5:1 ,” said McBride. “Working collaboratively through Festivals Adelaide, this is just the beginning of exponential growth.”
Conducted by UniSA, the study found that 63,850 of festival attendees were from visitors outside of South Australia, spending a total of 304,100 nights in the sate, an average of six nights per person. While visitor spending while in South Australia – on expenses such as food and transport – was $58.1 million, excluding the cost of tickets to events.“I can’t think of anywhere that’s got a whole, year-round group of festivals that has the same cultural vitality and reputation as the ones here.” – Tory McBride, Festivals Adelaide
The 10 major events under the Festivals Adelaide banner also created the equivalent of 790 full-time jobs in order to deliver the festivals. The new organisation also marks the first time a city, outside of Edinburgh, Scotland – has formed a combined festivals body.
“There are plenty of places that have one great festival,” said Ms McBride. “But apart from Edinburgh, I can’t think of anywhere that’s got a whole, year-round group of festivals that has the same cultural vitality and reputation as the ones here.”
The $62 million revenue figure is good news not just for Festivals Adelaide but for the state as a whole, and Ms McBride says that the body’s “first objective is to engage the Adelaide business community more actively… so that everybody’s getting some advantage out of the fact that suddenly there are loads of people in the city.”
Festivals Adelaide has also established and advisory committee, which includes representatives from Tourism SA, Arts SA, Adelaide City Council, Business SA, the Convention Bureau and the Festival Centre.
The Executive Officer also indicated they would help to collectively market the city’s arts and music events interstate and overseas: “There are certainly possibilities for economies of scale for marketing and communications activities,” Ms McBride said.“…everybody’s getting some advantage out of the fact that suddenly there are loads of people in the city.” – Tory McBride, Festivals Adelaide
Given the strength of the musical lineups for both the Adelaide Festival and WOMADelaide this March, Ms McBride and Festivals Adelaide can look forward to another successful year.
The Adelaide Festival music program is rife with unique riches, beginning with a free opening night concert from Neil Finn and Paul Kelly. Other highlights include a performance The National’s guitar-playing brothers – Aaron & Bryce Dessner – with indie collective Clogs and the Adelaide Art Orchestra, while experimental music veteran (and Mrs. Lou Reed) Laurie Anderson is teaming up with the Kronos Quartet.
The likes of Silverchair’s Daniel Johns and Kimbra are also playing, in a tribute concert to Van Dyke Parks in a career-spanning retrospective of the famed arranger and composer’s work, while fans of left-of-field electronica are sorted with Unsound Adelaide, a series of shows featuring the likes of Daniel Lopatin (aka Oneohtrix Point Never), Tim Hecker, Lustmord, Actress, Emeralds, The Caretaker, Pole, Demdike Stare, and Ben Frost.
WOMADelaide isn’t to be outdone with its musical selections though, with the Peter Gabriel-founded event bringing a host of acts to Adelaide’s Botanic Park this March. Including reggae legend Jimmy Cliff, Australia’s beloved The Cat Empire, funk-hop collective The Herd, Swedish troubadour The Tallest Man On Earth, Tim Rogers teaming up with The Bamboos, femme fatales Mia Dyson and Clairy Browne & The Bangin’ Rackettes, and a whole swather of international music delicacies.
