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House of Assembly - Fifty-Second Parliament, Second Session (52-2)
2012-03-01 Daily Xml
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ADELAIDE FESTIVAL EVENTS

Mrs VLAHOS (Taylor) (14:19): My question is to the Premier. Can the Premier please inform the house about the latest information concerning the March festival period and the government's plans for a more vibrant City of Adelaide?

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL (Cheltenham—Premier, Minister for State Development) (14:19): March is a time when the City of Adelaide really does come alive. The 2012 Fringe is the biggest yet. There are something like 4,000 artists in 923 events spanning the whole breadth of artistic activity—cabaret, comedy, circus, dance, film, theatre, puppetry, music, special events, visual art and design. There are more venues than ever before (there are 360 separate venues) and something like 15,474 tickets for 177 opening night events were pre-sold, a 63 per cent increase on 2011. So, this Fringe really does promise to be one of the greatest ever.

For the opening weekend I think the Fringe sold 118,104 tickets to the value of $3.4 million, and I am told that is a significant rise on last year's events. The opening night parade, for those who were able to see it, was an incredible success, going right down the middle of the city for the first time. The ambition now to bring the Fringe to the whole of the city really enlivens Adelaide.

Of course, this year's Adelaide Festival starts this evening, featuring 68 events and 386 performances, including 37 world premieres and 62 Australian premieres. Highlights this year include Isabelle Huppert in A Streetcar, based on Tennessee Williams' classic play; and the opening night performance of Ennio Morricone; as well as the new production of I am not an animal.

WOMAD, of course, is celebrating 20 years in Adelaide this year, with more than 500 artists from 30 countries, and there are some fantastic events in the beautiful Botanic Park.

Of course, today we are also seeing the Clipsal 500 roar to life, and I was very pleased to be down there with the Minister for Police celebrating with a range of volunteers who have been invited to the state suite—a range of young people (guardianship kids and people with disabilities and their carers and volunteers). It was fantastic to see them enjoying themselves at the Clipsal.

The culmination of these events in March will attract tens of thousands of visitors and enliven every corner of our city. This is what we talk about when we want to create a vibrant city—not just in March but across the whole year. This is the reason we have created this as one of our priorities. It is our vision to regenerate the city, and this part of the city that we are in at the moment is a crucial part of that—the Riverbank, the Adelaide Oval, the Convention Centre, the Royal Adelaide Hospital, the SAHMRI. All those will completely enliven this city. That, together with this wonderful festival, is an example of the way forward for our beautiful city.

Mr GARDNER: I have a supplementary question, Ma'am.

The SPEAKER: I will listen very carefully, but it may be considered as a question.

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