Mad March cancellation as organisers monitor performers travel amid Middle East conflict
Adelaide Festival has confirmed the first cancellation of a performer stranded as the Middle East conflict wreaks havoc on air flights.
Adelaide Festival has confirmed a performance of Works and Days by Belgium artists on Thursday, March 5, is being cancelled as the conflict in the Middle East takes hold.
“This cancellation is the result of unavoidable travel disruptions following the cancellation of flights through Doha and Dubai due to the outbreak of military conflict in the region. The remaining performances of Works and Days will proceed as scheduled,” the statement said.
“We sincerely apologise for the disappointment and inconvenience this causes and thank you for your understanding.”
While at the Garden of Unearthly Delights, Fringe festival comedian Stephen K Amos was hit with travel delays but has been rescheduled and won’t be missing any of his performances.
International music festival WOMADelaide is also set to take centre stage in Botanic Park this weekend with more than 600 artists from 38 different countries on this year’s lineup.
A WOMAD spokesperson told InDaily it was “too early to tell” whether international artists had been disrupted due to the conflicts and the organisation would provide an update soon.
The festival is set to open this Friday and run until Monday with iconic pop icon Grace Jones to headline on Saturday night.
An Adelaide Fringe spokesperson said the group was currently unaware of delays or cancellations of international artists due to the flight disruptions.
“All of our artists are fine and are very excited to forge ahead with the programming,” the spokesperson said.
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Dubai International Airport and Hamad International Airport have both confirmed temporary suspensions due to the conflict while Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong confirmed 115,000 Australians were stranded in the Middle East.
The latest statement from Dubai Airport on Monday said only a “small number of flights” would be permitted to operate from the international terminal after it sustained “minor damage” in a retaliatory Iran missile strike.
“Dubai Airports continues to closely monitor the situation in coordination with relevant authorities, and our focus remains on maintaining the highest standards of operational safety, security, and wellbeing of passengers and staff.
Hamad International Airport in Qatar also confirmed on Monday via Instagram that flight operations would “remain temporarily suspended” and would resume once the Qatar Civil Aviation Authority deemed it safe.
Adelaide Airport has also cancelled several flights this week travelling through the Middle East.
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