By I. Hansana, Jadetimes News
Adelaide Festival Faces Deficit in 2024 Despite $2.3 Million Government Injection
Australia’s oldest and most prestigious arts festival, the Adelaide Festival, will report a financial deficit for 2024, despite receiving a $2.3 million boost from the South Australian government earlier in the year. This development was confirmed by festival management on Friday, just days after the sudden departure of its artistic director, Ruth Mackenzie.
While the specific figures regarding the deficit remain undisclosed, the festival plans to reveal the full extent of the losses in its upcoming financial report to the South Australian government. In the meantime, the festival can rely on reserves from previous years to support its 2025 program.
The 2024 festival marked Mackenzie's first as artistic director. However, her unexpected resignation halfway through her tenure means she will no longer oversee the 2025 and 2026 festivals as initially planned. A festival spokesperson indicated that Mackenzie’s resignation was due to her acceptance of an executive role in the South Australian Department of Premier and Cabinet, unrelated to the festival’s financial issues.
South Australian Arts Minister Andrea Michaels praised Mackenzie’s new role, describing her appointment as a significant gain for the state. However, the minister did not comment on the specific circumstances surrounding Mackenzie’s departure from the festival. Michaels also acknowledged that the cultural policy Mackenzie is now tasked with overseeing, originally promised for mid 2024, is overdue.
Mackenzie’s new role as program director for arts, culture, and creative industries policy was not publicly advertised. Minister Michaels defended the appointment, citing Mackenzie’s extensive experience in public policy and her international credentials as an artistic director.
The opposition’s arts spokesperson, John Gardner, questioned the timing of Mackenzie’s departure, especially given the current challenges facing the Adelaide Festival. He highlighted the importance of strong leadership at this critical juncture. Mackenzie, who previously left her role as artistic director at Paris’s Théâtre du Châtelet under contentious circumstances in 2020, has not commented on her departure from the Adelaide Festival.
In parliament, Gardner also inquired about potential shortfalls in sponsorships for the 2025 festival. Minister Michaels acknowledged the loss of several sponsors but stated this was unrelated to the 2024 event. The festival confirmed that three sponsors had withdrawn in 2023 due to a disagreement over the inclusion of Palestinian writers in Adelaide Writers’ Week.
The anticipated deficit is attributed to an increase in free events and a decline in ticket sales, a trend consistent with other global festivals. Former festival director Brett Sheehy has been appointed as interim artistic director while a search for Mackenzie’s replacement is conducted.
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