Funding open to support regional events and festivals

Crush Festival in the Adelaide Hills

Organisers of tourism events and festivals held in regional South Australia are invited to apply for grants to support marketing and publicity activities which will help bolster event attendance, promote the state’s regions and grow the visitor economy.

The State Government’s funding streams incorporate the Regional Events & Festivals Program and the Community Events Development Fund to help drive local tourism. The next round of applications opens on Friday, 31 January 2020 and will support events held after 1 September 2020.

South Australian Tourism Commission Chief Executive Rodney Harrex said tourism is the economic backbone for South Australia’s regions, and local businesses need it to survive and thrive.

“With 44 per cent of the state’s total visitor expenditure spent in the regions, regional tourism plays a key role in the South Australian visitor economy. Regional events and festivals are not just major tourism drawcards, they also inject millions of dollars into local communities, creating more jobs, as well as improving the social and cultural fabric of towns,” said Mr Harrex.

“Visitor expenditure in our regions has hit $3.4 billion and this funding program is just one of the ways we’re working to support local tourism and meet our target of $3.55 billion spent in our regions by the end of this year.”

Food and wine events such as Crush Festival in the Adelaide Hills, music festivals like the Handpicked Festival at Langhorne Creek, and iconic local events such as Tunarama Festival in Port Lincoln, are some of the events that have benefited from the funding.

“Our regions offer some of our state’s most special and vibrant events which are able to grow bigger and better each year, using this funding as a launchpad,” said Mr Harrex.

“Not only have these grants assisted events to grow and attract more visitors, they’ve also helped ensure South Australia has a strong calendar of regional events to put it on the map as a tourist destination.”

Applications for funding are assessed against the South Australian Tourism Commission strategic plan, must be important to the state or their tourism region, and support South Australia’s economic priorities and the South Australian Regional Visitor Strategy.

There is no maximum amount for funding per event through the Regional Events & Festivals Program. The Community Events Development Fund is aimed at smaller, community-based events with the potential to grow into regional tourism events and offers a maximum of $5,000 per event.

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