Adelaide Festivals A Major Boost To SA Economy, Reap Major Benefits

The massive success of Adelaide Festival and Adelaide Fringe in March proved to be great boosts in economic activity, tourism and social contribution for the state, according to new economic reports.

As a result of its figures, Adelaide Festival is to receive $3.1 million in new investment, the South Australian Government announced this week, after it drew a total attendance of 365,402 in March and injected $62.6 million gross into the state’s economy in 2025.

SA Minister for Arts Andrea Michaels said, “Adelaide Festival not only has a significant economic impact in South Australia, it also inspires us and exposes us to new ideas and experiences.

“This new money brings together public and private investment and will support the festival to continue to grow and captivate audiences with stellar performances, artists and authors for years to come.”

The freshly minted investment is made up of $650,000 over two years from the Government, and the rest matched through dollar-to-dollar donations from philanthropists.

The matched funding scheme is from the Arts Investment Fund, part of the A Place to Create State Cultural Policy. 

The Malinauskas Government earlier pumped in $2.3 million to ensure the festival could exclusively bring in international acts to generate more ticket sales. This was a successful ploy: 35 per cent of patrons came from outside South Australia to see them.

The new 2025 Economic Impact Report highlighted how Adelaide Festival continues to be a major tourism event. The crowd included 27,471 visitors from around Australia and globally to ticketed events – a 40 per cent rise from last year – and each spent an average of $4,162.

With half of them staying in Adelaide for a week, the tourists’ spend represented $47.1 million in new money for the state – an increase of 16 per cent on last year – and supported the equivalent of 338 full-time jobs. 

Notably, 30% of tickets were purchased by interstate or international visitors, with more than half of them staying in Adelaide for over a week, with a total of 121,485 nights in beds recorded.

The 2025 Adelaide Festival ran for 17 days, showcasing 65 events across music, opera, dance, film, and visual arts, including 11 world premieres and nine Australian premieres. Fifteen of these were exclusives.

Festivals within Adelaide Festival included WOMADelaide and Adelaide Writers’ Week.

Fringe

An economic analysis report on Adelaide Fringe showed that it donated $26 million to artists and venues from sales of 1,066,515 tickets to 1,532 events. These were held in 575 performance spaces.

Its Director and Chief Executive, Heather Croall, commented, “At its heart, Adelaide Fringe is about supporting artists, giving them a platform and helping them grow their audiences.”

She said that in addition to the $26 million, “Our Honey Pot marketplace generated over $6 million in touring deals, creating tangible career opportunities for artists by connecting them with national and international programmers, producers, and presenters. 

“It’s this marketplace that turns a festival season into a launchpad for touring, collaborations, and long-term creative success.”

The 2025 festival generated a total expenditure of $197.7 million, and $144.2 million was identified as new money injected into the state economy. It was responsible for creating 16,128 jobs, both directly and indirectly, through the season.

The Fringe’s marketing campaign outside South Australia also worked. Visitors spent approximately $4,825 each and stayed a week.

Executive Director, Audience, Ella Huisman added, “Our number one priority has always been to support artists. 

“By directing our marketing efforts towards tourism and striving to make Adelaide Fringe the most inclusive and diverse festival in the world, we’re not just growing audiences, we’re filling more seats. And when more seats are filled, the outcome for our artists is greater.”

Fringe organisers also mentioned that the 2025 arrival of NRMA Insurance as presenting partner allowed up to $150,000 in matched community donations through Arts Unlimited, helping artists participate in Fringe and 10,485 South Australians experiencing disadvantage attend the festival.

2025 marked 20 years of partnership with BankSA as principal partner, “reinforced the long-term commitment of Adelaide Fringe’s supporters to making arts more accessible and impactful.”