Adelaide Fringe confirms significant rise in visitor spending

The 2018 Adelaide Fringe has reaffirmed its status as one of Australia’s major public events delivering a 19.3% increase in visitor expenditure to $29.5 million and a record $90.6 million in gross economic expenditure for South Australia.

The new record for visitor spending came as a result of more interstate and international festival-goers (up 8% to 20,244) staying longer in Adelaide (visitor bed nights up 21.1% to 97,941), according to figures from the 2018 Adelaide Fringe Annual Review.

This year’s Festival also became the first Fringe in the world to abolish inside charges on ticket sales thanks to a $1 million funding injection from the South Australian Government.

Adelaide Fringe Director and Chief Executive Heather Croall said removing the inside charges for tickets under $35 and halving them for all others meant artists and venues received larger box office settlements.

Croall advised “we’ve had fantastic feedback from artists about how this had a huge impact on their Fringe season.

“It allowed them to invest more money in production quality, and it made them feel more respected and recognised for the hard work they put into their shows.

“It’s also helped keep ticket prices at the affordable rates our festival is known for. Fringe-goers can do more than just see a show – they can make a whole day or night of it by having a meal and a drink beforehand. And as our Review results show, this brings in extra spending for our local economy.”

The 2018 Fringe is estimated to have attracted 2.7 million attendances across free and ticketed events, including 100,000 for the Opening Night Street Party and 505,000 for the Parade of Light digital projections along North Terrace on every night of the 31 day festival.

Box office revenue reached $16.6 million from 705,761 tickets sold (up 7%) to further cement Adelaide Fringe’s position as the highest ticket selling arts festival in Australia and the second-largest Fringe in the world.

Adelaide Fringe Chair David Minear said the festival had maintained consistent annual growth by pushing creative boundaries, challenging artists to be brave and inspiring audiences to take risks.

Minear added “the Adelaide Fringe is a major contributor to the cultural vibrancy of our city and our state ... and as shown in our Annual Review, its economic impact just keeps getting bigger and bigger.” 

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19th September 2017 - NEW GALLERY TO SHOWCASE MODERN ART ON FORMER ADELAIDE HOSPITAL SITE  

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