Adelaide Festival Centre economic benefits highlighted by Ernst and Young analysis
Updated
Adelaide's Festival Centre contributed almost $108 million to the South Australian economy in 2015-16, a report says, in news which delights its chief executive at a time when the four-decades-old facilities are getting an upgrade.
The venue commissioned the Ernst and Young analysis, which found the festival centre created more than 1,000 jobs across greater Adelaide and performance attendances were at record levels.
"For every dollar the State Government invested, $8 came back," festival centre chief executive Douglas Gautier said.
"That's why really great cities like Adelaide are reinvesting in cultural facilities and their operations because they pay back so well."
Mr Gautier said hard work over the past decade had achieved economic benefits which exceeded expectations.
The festival centre and Torrens Riverfront precinct are undergoing an upgrade, part of which will move the main entrance to the riverbank, with the Festival Theatre to close for five months from late July.
"We will turn the centre around, particularly the Festival Theatre, to embrace the riverbank and you can see with the sort of traffic that's going up and down the riverbank now, with the bridge and the [redeveloped Adelaide] Oval, that critical mass is there," he said.
"We'll see a great walk of fame along the north front, new restaurants, a kids' art playground — it'll be a rebirth."
The chief executive said the festival centre would be integrated with the new plaza along King William Road, and the nearby convention centre, Intercontinental Hotel and Adelaide Casino.
"You can see from the study [report], the results — what it's been delivering in its pre-state — in the post [upgrade] state hopefully it will do a lot better," he said.
The Adelaide Festival Theatre was first opened in 1973 by then-prime minister Gough Whitlam and its Playhouse, Space Theatre and amphitheatre were later additions.
Topics: community-and-society, arts-and-entertainment, adelaide-5000, sa
First posted
