A Labor Government will fund a new arts festival to warm our winters and deliver year-round economic benefits to our economy.
Labor took a popular plan for a winter arts festival to the 2018 State Election and is committed to delivering a winter festival if elected in 2022.
Festivals and major events should be held year-round, not just during Mad March, to drive jobs and provide cultural vibrancy throughout the year. A 12 month calendar of arts and entertainment across SA will deliver more jobs, more stable jobs and greater economic security.
The Adelaide-based family friendly festival would include visual and performance art, as well as live music. It would build on Labor’s long-standing investment in the Adelaide Fringe, Adelaide Festival, Umbrella Music Festival and Guitar Festival, to name a few.
The entertainment and creative sector is particularly hard hit by the coronavirus restrictions, both in terms of border closures and limits on crowd numbers.
Providing clear direction and greater funding certainty to the sector at this tough time will help drive recovery and swiftly capitalise on opportunities when restrictions are eased.
The arts fuels 16 000 SA jobs and stimulates the tourism and hospitality sectors.
Quotes attributed to the Shadow Minister for Arts Jayne Stinson
A new winter arts festival would warm up the South Australian winter with jobs, economic activity and entertainment at a traditionally slow period of the year.
Six months ago Steven Marshall commented on Labor’s idea of a new winter festival telling people to “watch this space”. We’ve been watching, and nothing’s happened – so Labor will commit to funding the festival if elected in 2022.
While the sector is largely in hibernation right now, there’s nothing stopping development of a new winter festival to provide direction and funding to the sector when it emerges post-COVID.
Steven Marshall has done very little for the Arts – despite handing himself the portfolio. If Steven Marshall won’t show leadership and fund fresh ideas in the arts – Labor will.