Adelaide Festival Centre and Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre announce venue closures

Following declarations of public health emergencies in both South Australia and Victoria, the Adelaide Festival Centre and the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre (MCEC) have announced the suspension of events and their closure to the public.

To help delay the spread of Coronavirus, MCEC will close for four weeks, until 13th April, while the Adelaide Festival Centre will close until 30th April.

The Festival Centre’s decision affects around 10 scheduled performances including the cancellation of the State Theatre Company of SA’s upcoming season of The Gospel According to Paul and the touring production School of Rock the Musical.

Festival Centre Chief Executive and Artistic Director, Douglas Gautier stated “we deeply regret any inconvenience caused to our patrons and any distress to performers and the teams of people who work so hard to create and produce our shows.

“Our thoughts are with those in the arts and creative industries who will be most affected by this challenging situation.”

MCEC’s closure will align with the Victorian Government’s declared State of Emergency with a decision on reopening to take into consideration any developments in the COVID-19 situation.

MCEC Chief Executive, Peter King stated “this has been a very difficult decision to reach and one that we haven’t arrived at lightly.

“Personally, I am devastated to be making it, as I know it will have an impact on our customers and our people. But as a business that brings people together we have a responsibility to do what we can to help support efforts to reduce the spread of COVID-19.”

Clients who are holding events in the immediate future will be directly contacted by a member of the MCEC sales team.

The Art Gallery of South Australia has also decided to suspend its public programs and members’ events, advising in a statement that this is being done “as a precautionary measure.”

With AGSA remaining open to the public, the statement added “we recognise the important role that art can play in times of uncertainty.”

Images: The Adelaide Festival Centre from the River Torrens (top) and the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre at night (below).