ADELAIDE.- The 2025 Adelaide Festival has returned impressive results, injecting an estimated $62.6 million gross expenditure into the South Australian economy. The March Festival drew 365,402 total attendances including 27,471 visitors to the state for ticketed events — a remarkable 40% increase compared to last year.

In a major coup, the Festival has also secured an additional $650,000 in funding from the South Australian State Government’s Arts Investment Fund which has already been matched by philanthropic supporters of the Adelaide Festival, taking this extra investment to over $1.3 million.

This new initiative under Create SA’s Cultural Policy encourages philanthropic giving by matching new private donations dollar-for-dollar, bringing together public and private investment to ensure the Festival remains a dynamic and sustainable cultural event for years to come.

The 2025 Adelaide Festival also delivered a 16% increase in its contribution to South Australia’s Gross State Product, generating $47.1 million in new income and supporting the equivalent of 338 full-time jobs.

Visitors spent generously, with an average spend of $4,162 per person and a total of 121,485 bed nights recorded. Notably, 30% of tickets were purchased by interstate or international visitors, with more than half of them staying in Adelaide for more than seven days.

Exclusive, Adelaide-only events proved a major drawcard, with 35% of attendees travelling from outside South Australia to see them. The Festival’s commitment to young audiences also remained strong, with 6,573 tickets sold to students from 72 schools across SA and beyond.

Minister for Arts Andrea Michaels MP said: “Adelaide Festival not only has a significant economic impact in South Australia - contributing $62.6 million to our economy in 2025 - it also inspires us and exposes us to new ideas and experiences.

“This new money brings together public and private investment and will support the festival to continue to grow and captivate audiences with stellar performances, artists and authors for years to come,” she said.

Tracey Whiting AM, Chair of the Adelaide Festival Corporation, said: “This matching initiative presents us with a rare and powerful opportunity made possible through the generous support of the State Government to double the impact of every new major contribution through a $1-for-$1 match. In 2025, the Adelaide Festival once again demonstrated its extraordinary cultural and economic value, attracting audiences, delivering a dynamic and diverse program, and reaffirming our position as Australia’s international arts festival.”

The Right Honourable the Lord Mayor of Adelaide Dr Jane Lomax-Smith AM said: “The Adelaide Festival is la crème de la crème of our enviable year-round events calendar and continues to program ambitious and bold acts every season. Its ability to constantly reinvent itself with thought-provoking performances and conversations is undoubtedly the secret of its 40-season success.”

“It was heartening to see ticket sales topping last year’s figures, especially in a cost-of-living crisis, underscoring the faith audiences place in the program year after year,” she said.