Govt pledges to keep Adelaide Fringe on stage
Premier Peter Malinauskas has announced a Labor government will maintain funding for the Adelaide Fringe if re-elected, with a $1.5 million top-up.
If re-elected, the Malinauskas Labor government will continue funding Adelaide Fringe at its current levels, with a $1.5 million boost over four years, the Premier announced at the Adelaide Fringe 2026 season launch on Friday night.
The new commitment would put the total state government funding for the Adelaide Fringe at $20 million over four years, the Premier saying there was an $8 million increase when Labor was elected in 2022.
Adelaide Fringe contributes around $200 million to South Australia’s economy each year, according to the state government.
It comes after Malinauskas secured the MotoGP’s return to Adelaide this week, which former Victorian Premier Jeff Kennett said was likely to have cost “millions upon millions upon millions” – the exact figures have not been made public due to commercial confidentiality.
Taxpayer funds would also be committed to overhauling the city street circuit for the MotoGP.
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Malinauskas was joined by Arts Minister Andrea Michaels, who will not be contesting the March election, for the new funding announcement at Angus Street’s Dom Polski centre.
The extra $1.5 million would go towards the Fringe’s “Honeypot initiative” – a program to attract national and international arts programmers to Adelaide Fringe, the country’s largest arts event.
Funding would also support the Fringe’s grants program and boost interstate and international marketing, the state government said.
Before the 2022 state election, the Malinauskas government gave the Adelaide Fringe an $8 million funding boost, which the Premier said “has paid off”, producing record results.
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“The Adelaide Fringe is a cultural icon and an economic powerhouse that enriches our society and brings tens of thousands of visitors to South Australia,” Malinauskas said.
“I’m really proud that the massive injection of additional resources we promised and delivered to the Fringe has delivered record results – with more than a million tickets sold each year for the past three years running.
“We are now doubling down on that momentum – taking to the election our commitment to deliver that additional funding over the next four years.”
In a big year of supporting events for the state, in December last year, the Premier revealed plans to spend $45 million on redeveloping the North Adelaide public golf course to make it suitable to host LIV Golf from 2028.
A newly-developed $45.7 million oval in the Barossa Valley was also unveiled for last year’s AFL Gather Round football festival.
Also Adelaide-bound in 2027 is the government-supported $20 million Italian Opera AIDA.
The Adelaide Fringe 2026 season is now on until March 22.
