Adelaide Fringe Powers SA Economy with Record $197.7 Million Total Expenditure
Adelaide Fringe continues to be one of Australia’s biggest and best events.
Image Carl Vester
If selling a whopping 1,066,515 tickets wasn’t a big enough achievement, it has been revealed Adelaide Fringe generated an eye-watering $197.7 million, with $144.2 million identified as new money injected into the SA economy.
Tourism was key to the festival’s success, with most visitors spending just over a week on average in the state and spending approximately $4,825 each. Adelaide Fringe have put a key focus on growing the festival through attracting interstate visitors with targeted campaigns that have proved tremendously successful. The Fringe also created 16,128 jobs throughout the season, with a total of $26.7 million paid directly to artists and venues who took part in the annual event.
Adelaide Fringe Director and CEO Heather Croall, said, “At its heart, Adelaide Fringe is about supporting artists, giving them a platform and helping them grow their audiences. More than $26 million went directly into the pockets of artists and venues this year from ticket sales. In addition to that, our Honey Pot marketplace generated over $6 million in touring deals, creating tangible career opportunities for artists by connecting them with national and international programmers, producers, and presenters. It’s this marketplace that turns a festival season into a launchpad for touring, collaborations, and long-term creative success.”
Executive Director, Audience, Ella Huisman, added, “Our number one priority has always been to support artists. By directing our marketing efforts towards tourism and striving to make Adelaide Fringe the most inclusive and diverse festival in the world, we’re not just growing audiences, we’re filling more seats. And when more seats are filled, the outcome for our artists is greater.”
Minister for Arts, Andrea Michaels, said, “Adelaide Fringe is at the heart of South Australia’s cultural and economic calendar, delivering a significant boost to our hotels and small businesses, including hospitality venues and retailers. The flow-on effects from interstate and international tourism benefit communities right across the state. South Australia is the proud home of the biggest arts festival in the southern hemisphere and the Malinauskas Government continues to support it to succeed.”
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Adelaide Fringe also relies on philanthropic support to keep on delivering a successful event. Through generous donations from the public, the Fringe Donor Circle and funding from the State Government, the Fringe was able to distribute $1.1 million in grants to artists and venues, while 10,485 people from disadvantaged backgrounds were able to attend Adelaide Fringe.
2025 marked the 20-year partnership between Adelaide Fringe and Principal Partner BankSA and welcomed Presenting Partner NRMA Insurance, whose support played a key role in expanding the festival’s social impact.
State General Manager for BankSA, Enza Ferraro, said, “BankSA is proud to have partnered with Adelaide Fringe for more than 20 years, one of the longest-running corporate partnerships in the state’s arts sector. As Principal Partner, we’ve seen firsthand the extraordinary economic impact the festival delivers year after year, generating opportunities for artists, small businesses, and local communities right across South Australia. Adelaide Fringe not only ignites creativity, it fuels jobs, drives tourism, and helps position our state as an inclusive cultural destination. Backing the Adelaide Fringe is just another way Bank SA backs South Australians”
Adelaide Fringe is the biggest arts and culture festival in the southern hemisphere. A celebration of art, culture, people and place, the inclusive and family-friendly event has been running for 65 years.
Over that time, Adelaide Fringe has established itself as a hub for emerging talent, showcasing some of the greatest comics, musicians, acrobats, dancers and performers from across the globe.
Adelaide Fringe returns in 2026 from Friday 20 February to Sunday 22 March. Tickets on sale Friday 5 December 2025. Read the full impact report here.
