Ministerial Statement

Adelaide Fringe

The Hon. J.J. SNELLING (Playford—Minister for Health, Minister for the Arts, Minister for Health Industries) (14:02): I seek leave to make a ministerial statement.

Leave granted.

The Hon. J.J. SNELLING: Today, the Adelaide Fringe released its full economic impact statement for 2016. It is no secret that the Adelaide Fringe is the biggest and best fringe festival in Australia and is second only in the world to Edinburgh, yet it goes from strength to strength, not only providing a unique experience for performers and a great atmosphere in Adelaide during February and March but also as an economic driver for our state.

With around 4,400 artists in 1,124 events and across 430 venues and creating 216 jobs, the 2016 Adelaide Fringe was the biggest ever, smashing the previous ticket sales with over 604,000 tickets sold. Through this, $14.8 million in box office revenue was generated, most of which goes directly to artists—a 64 per cent increase in five years. The incredible free offerings such as the Fringe Parade, and the incredible illuminations which lit up our North Terrace cultural institutions and universities saw attendances also skyrocket to 2.26 million, an 8.4 per cent increase on 2015. The 2016 Fringe delivered a staggering $21.7 million of new money to the state from over 13,500 interstate and international visitors, an increase of almost 70 per cent in five years.

This has led to an increase in the total estimated number of visitor bed nights, now sitting at around 77,200, a 14 per cent increase on the 2015 figure. The total expenditure related to the event was $77.6 million, up almost 13 per cent on last year's figure of $68.8 million. The Adelaide Fringe is so incredibly important to our economy, but it is also worth noting what an incredible opportunity it provides to our artists through the Honey Pot program. This year the Fringe hosted 136 directors and presenters from venues around the world, who were all here to buy productions to take to their festivals and their venues. With 225 sleeps until the next Festival kicks off, planning is well underway for the 2017 Fringe. Both venue and artist registrations will open up next month and will close on 7 October.

I encourage everyone, but particularly our bricks and mortar businesses around the state, to find ways to get involved with next year's Festival. I would like to take the opportunity to thank and congratulate Fringe director, 'the pink lady', Heather Croall; chair, David Minnear; as well as the board and the team at the Adelaide Fringe for their hard work and success. I know there is no rest for the wicked, and they are working hard to bring together what promises to be a great 2017 Fringe.