Cash boost for South Australia’s regional events

Regional events boost to showcase the best of South Australia all year-round

Regional events and festivals across South Australia have received a financial boost in the latest round of the South Australian Tourism Commission’s Regional Event Fund.

The Regional Event Fund aims to support the development of new and innovative regional events and grow existing events, while driving visitation and economic stimulus across regional South Australia.

The 2024-25 Fund supports events to be staged from 1 September 2024 to 31 August 2025.

Among the events being supported this year are Riverland Rose and Garden Festival, a 10-day showcase of art and culture in the Yorke Peninsula, and the Port MacDonnell Bay Festival which returns in a reimagined format to the Limestone Coast after a 5- year hiatus.

Other long-standing events and festivals supported by the Regional Event Fund include the Bay to Birdwood, Barossa Vintage Festival, and the Kangaroo Island Cup.

Recent events which have benefited from the support of the Fund include SALT Festival held over 10 days in April in Port Lincoln. Since the inaugural SALT Festival in 2017, it has become a ‘launch pad’ for creativity, innovation and ideas, growing over the years to attract 15,500 attendees in 2024 – its biggest audience yet.

Minister for Tourism, Zoe Bettison said she was “thrilled to see such a diverse range of events supported in this year’s Regional Event Fund, which are set to showcase the best of South Australia’s unique regions and world-class hospitality.”

“Delivered through the South Australian Tourism Commission, the Regional Event Fund is an important initiative that supports a thriving events calendar across our state, helping trigger visitation as those thinking about exploring our state commit to a trip.

With 43 cents in every tourism dollar spent in the regions, it is important we continue to drive visitation across regional South Australia and this Fund aims to do just that.”

Other events to receive funding include –

Flinders Ranges – A Brush with Art,
Grenache and Gourmet (Fleurieu Peninsula),
Clare Valley Festival of the Lamb,
Nature Festival,
Coonawarra Cabernet Celebrations,
Ceduna Oysterfest,
Rodeo By The Sea,
Anlaby Spring Festival,
Wellness Wander,
Handpicked Festival,
Sounds in the Quarry (Riverland),
Feast Festival,
Bay Sheffield,
Summer Vines,
A Taste of the Hills,
Port Lincoln Cup,
Colour Tumby Bay,
Fringe Mount Gambier,
Seafood on Spencer,
South Australian Wooden Boat Festival,
Kernewek Lowender Copper Coast Cornish Festival,
Clare Valley SCA Gourmet Week,
The English Ale,
Gutsy Kangaroo Island,
Winter Whale Festival,
Coober Pedy Opal Festival,
Winter Reds,
Willunga Almond Blossom Festival,
SALA Festival,
GROUNDED YP Art Festival