Welcome to the corporate site for Adelaide’s 11 major Festivals and their strategic umbrella organisation, Festivals Adelaide.

Festivals Adelaide was conceived as a joint initiative of the 10 major arts festivals in Adelaide.  Based on the successful Edinburgh model which has been in operation since 2006, Festivals Adelaide started in 2011 with funding from Arts SA and the Adelaide City Council through the Capital City Committee.  Its primary purpose is to act as a collective voice for this very important sector in South Australia’s reputation and economy.

The entity was incorporated in June 2012.  Since then, a number of joint research projects have been implemented, and the Light Years Ahead review of Adelaide as a Festival City was commissioned.  Future projects concentrate on increasing tourism opportunities by leveraging the festivals, the need for improved infrastructure, training opportunities for festival staff in the technical, administrative, marketing and leadership fields, continuing research into audience building in Australia and internationally, and into the social, cultural and economic impact of the festivals.

In 2017 South Australia’s History Festival joined the alliance.

The Board is made up of representatives of the 11 festivals:

Ian Scobie, Womadelaide (Chair)

Kate Moskwa, South Australian Living Artists Festival (SALA)-(Deputy Chair)

Rob & Torben Brookman, Adelaide Festival

Heather Croall, Adelaide Fringe

Elizabeth Hawkins, Adelaide Festival Centre

Susannah Sweeny, DreamBIG Festival

Ebony Bott, Adelaide Cabaret Festival

Helen Sheldon, Feast Festival

Joseph Mitchell, OzAsia Festival

Greg Mackie, CEO, History Trust – SA’s History Festival

Brian Gilbertson, South Australian Tourism Commission (observer)

Mat Kesting, Adelaide Film Festival