OzAsia Festival attracts record attendance for opening week

Adelaide Festival Centre and the Riverbank precinct attracted an enthusiastic crowd for the OzAsia Festival which saw record breaking attendances of more than 106,000 across the first four days of performances and community events.

OzAsia Festival 2024 is underway until 10th November. 

Families and fans flocked to the popular Moon Lantern Trail as it lit up Tarntanya Wama/Pinky Flat with more than a dozen giant lanterns, including the new Hong Kong Dragon lantern designed by OzAsia Festival artist Vivian Ho. The Moon Lantern Trail, which was introduced in 2021, attracted 42,000 attendees who enjoyed roving performances, giant puppets, interactive workshops and delectable food on the riverbank.

More than 1000 passionate fans converged at Dunstan Playhouse for two sold out performances of Taylor Sheesh’s The Errors Tour, where the fearless tribute performer brought down the house and the beloved annual celebration of Japanese pop culture AnimeGO! took over Festival Theatre foyer on Sunday. 

Crowds also gathered at Elder Park’s Lucky Dumpling Market which continues to serve up a delicious range of cuisine from the best local vendors, as well as live entertainment on the OzAsia Festival stage, community performances, and free workshops from Tuesday to Sunday each week, up until 10th November.  

OzAsia Festival Artistic and Executive Producer Joon-Yee Kwok shared “what a spectacular start to OzAsia Festival 2024! Thank you to all our wonderful audiences for making the opening weekend so special.  

“From Taylor Sheesh fans singing their hearts out in the Dunstan Playhouse, to families making a wish at Tanabata: Star Village on their way to meet the new Hong Kong Dragon lantern at Moon Lantern Trail, and Festival Theatre Foyer overtaken by Japanese pop culture fans at AnimeGO!  

“I was so thrilled to see Adelaide Festival Centre and the Riverbank precinct full of our communities opening this year's OzAsia with such joy and revelry. Please join us for another fantastic two weeks.”

Still to come this week, the OzAsia Festival stage at the Lucky Dumpling Market welcomes some of Adelaide’s hottest musical acts including Aaron Duff’s exhilarating Chinese Electronic Music Project, multi-instrumentalist Koleh’s blend of Southeast Asian sounds and contemporary indie-pop, and Big Bao’s vibrant party vibes featuring an expertly curated Asian Australian playlist.

Adelaide Festival Centre Chief Executive and Artistic Director Douglas Gautier enthused “we were delighted to see so many people enjoying OzAsia Festival’s opening week, showcasing contemporary Asian and Asian Australian performances at their finest. These attendance numbers are a testament to the dedication of Joon-Yee Kwok and the OzAsia Festival team in bringing such a wonderful program of engaging events to the people of Adelaide. I look forward to welcoming everyone to connect with the exceptional OzAsia Festival program over the next two weeks.”

The 2024 program, curated by multi-award-winning writer and comedian Sami Shah, features an extraordinary lineup of novelists, journalists, poets, playwrights, performers, and screenwriters from across Australia and Asia, including a panel session from the Asia Society on Our Modern Asian Australian Identity.

The full OzAsia Festival program can be viewed online at ozasia.adelaidefestivalcentre.com.au https://ozasia.adelaidefestivalcentre.com.au/

Images from top: OzAsia Festival 2024 Hong Kong Dragon Lantern Credit Xplorer Media; OzAsia Festival 2024 Taylor Sheesh Credit: Xplorer Media; OzAsia Festival 2024 Lucky Dumpling Market. Credit Xplorer Media