Assurances over MotoGP impacting Gluttony and new cafe
Park lands advocates fearing the MotoGP construction start date will impact an Adelaide Fringe hub are being told to cool their jets, as a new cafe in Rymill Park is set to open its doors.
Gluttony co-director Daniel Michael said he has been assured his major Fringe hub will run as normal in Rymill Park next year, despite MotoGP track construction slated to start in December.
Meanwhile, a long-awaited cafe by the Peter Rabbit crew will open at Rymill Park’s lake kiosk three months before the MotoGP construction begins.
City residents near the eastern park lands were told work will start in December in government letters dropped last week titled ‘Circuit Redevelopment Project’.
It sparked concerns from the South East City Residents Association and Adelaide Park Lands Association, who are worried about tree loss and impacts on the parks.
Adelaide Park Lands Association President Mat Monti said he feared Gluttony would be “moved or cancelled” for the works and that construction would make the Fringe harder to get to.
Monti said his fears were stoked by an unverified map circulated earlier this week claiming track works would extend to Rundle Road and impact Rymill Park.
The Premier said the leaked image was not a cabinet document and the real design would be revealed in the next four to six weeks.
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“To potentially lose Gluttony would be a massive loss, because the east end comes alive during Fringe,” Monti said.
“As an artist myself, I’m keenly aware that it’s hard to sell tickets in a cost-of-living crisis; if the construction makes Fringe harder to access, that would hardly help numbers”
Michael told InDaily he had spoken to the government about Rymill Park’s impacts and they had been “quite cooperative with timelines”.
“We’ve been assured there will be no construction [impacting Rymill Park] while Gluttony sets up,” Michael said.
Gluttony begins setting up for the season after the January 26 Australia Day holiday, and takes about four weeks to bump in.
Michael said he was unaware how many trees could be lost from Rymill Park for MotoGP, but he understood any works would not interfere with Gluttony in 2027.
“I’m hoping the impact on the park lands will be minimal,” Michael said.
“The concern for us is we need to make sure Gluttony can build and operate.”
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A spokesperson said the state government “is working constructively with Gluttony to ensure next year’s Fringe is just as successful as ever”.
“It’s surprising to see the Park Lands Association talking up the benefits of events and activity on the park lands while actively campaigning to prevent them,” the spokesperson said.
Another long-awaited feature of Rymill Park is Puddle Duck cafe, the latest venture from Peter Rabbit owner James McIntyre.
Puddle Duck will open on September 24, after securing the lease to the vacant Rymill Park kiosk in 2024.
McIntyre first expressed interest in the lease in 2017 and previously told InDaily it was a “slow burn, but as they say good things take time”.
McIntyre declined to comment on MotoGP.
Adelaide Fringe delivered about $238.3 million to state coffers in 2026, and brought about six million visitors to Adelaide, according to the festival.
The state government funds the Adelaide Fringe with about $20 million over four years, and at the recent election announced an extra $1.5 million in funding for the Honey Pot Initiative, an international program that, in 2026, generated more than $7 million in touring contracts to bring new artists to Adelaide.
Premier Peter Malinauskas told parliament earlier this week that he would not cancel MotoGP “at the first sign of resistance”.
“People are able to enjoy the park lands without fear of judgement about what is culturally appropriate for the park lands and what isn’t,” Malinauskas said.
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