ADELAIDE.- The 2025 Adelaide Festival has truly fulfilled its promise, as Australia’s premier international festival. This year’s 40th edition showcased an extraordinary program, featuring breathtaking performances across all genres and a global lineup of world-class artists and creators. Together they celebrated the transformative power of art in its many forms leaving audiences inspired.
In addition to its artistic triumphs, the Adelaide Festival has achieved a remarkable financial turnaround, combining artistic excellence with a strong fiscal performance. The Festival is proud to project a robust six figure surplus for this financial year. This success is the result of the vision, dedication and hard work of a talented and dynamic team, with meticulous financial planning, innovative partnerships, strategic marketing and an unwavering commitment to excellence. The team delivered an ambitious program that resonated with audiences both locally and internationally, ensuring Adelaide Festival’s future as a cultural cornerstone while offering an unforgettable experience for all involved.
Adelaide Festival Chair Tracey Whiting AM said: “Adelaide Festival 2025 has been a triumph. It has featured critically acclaimed performances that have captivated audiences not only from South Australia but also from interstate and around the globe, and Adelaide Writers’ Week has again seen record attendances, continuing its growth as one of the most significant literary events in the world.
This exceptionally successful 2025 festival has exceeded its box office target, leading to a positive financial outcome for the organisation, an extraordinary achievement which would not have been possible without the unwavering dedication and collaboration of our entire team and our large community of supporters. My deepest gratitude goes to everyone whose efforts have made Adelaide Festival 2025 such a resounding success.”
Premier of South Australia Peter Malinauskas said “We’ve witnessed an exceptional Adelaide Festival, which has brought new visitors into South Australia and enriched our cultural fabric.
“I’m very pleased that the additional funding we have been able to provide the Festival has allowed it to deliver extraordinary, world-class elements like the contemporary opera Innocence, keeping Australia’s pre-eminent arts festival at the cutting edge and in its rightful place on the world stage.
“Congratulations to the Adelaide Festival team for all of their hard work, dedication and creativity in pulling this together.”
Minister for Arts Andrea Michaels MP said: “Once again, the Adelaide Festival has blown audiences away with hundreds of thousands of people attending the festival over the past two weeks and three days still to go.
“I’d like to congratulate Brett, Kath, Ruth, Louise and the entire team on producing another stellar festival for South Australians and all of our many visitors to enjoy. Bring on 2026!"
Artistic Director Brett Sheehy AO said: “The 2025 Festival’s artistic, critical and financial results speak for themselves. My deepest thanks go to the extraordinary artists, generous stakeholders, wonderfully generous audiences and our stellar festival team who gave their all 24/7 in unprecedented circumstances. What a privilege it’s been to be back, once again artistically helming this great festival, 17 years after my last edition. And, after making a perhaps rash declaration to my Board and my team that a deficit this year was simply not an option, I am thrilled to call it now - the 2025 Festival will finish with a very healthy six figure surplus.”
Chief Executive of Adelaide Festival Kath Mainland CBE said: “It has been so wonderful to see Adelaide come alive again at Festival time. Our audiences, from Adelaide, South Australia, Australia and further afield, have really embraced the festival and it’s been a joy to see them engage with the incredible artists who have graced our stages. We talk a lot about the importance of the Festival to the State, but it’s equally important to remember the excitement, pleasure and lasting memories our festival creates for all involved. I add my thanks to everyone, from the talented artists and dedicated staff to the volunteers, stakeholders, donors and audiences who have made AF25 such a joy to be part of.”
Adelaide Writer’s Week attracted record breaking crowds, 160,000 attendances in total to the picturesque Pioneer Women’s Memorial Garden, where a stellar lineup of acclaimed authors and literary minds captivated audiences with their storytelling and insights. From best-selling novelists to new voices, each session sparked engaging conversations that lingered long after. This year’s overwhelming turnout is a testament to the continued significance and appeal of this beloved cultural event.
Director of Adelaide Writers’ Week Louise Adler AM said: “Writers’ Week in 2025 built on the wonderful traditions of prior years. Over 220 Australian and international authors joined us to talk about their latest books, marvel at the huge crowds, the glorious setting, the perfect weather and the quintessentially South Australia informality and generosity of spirit. The Premier, Peter Malinauskas, set the tone for the six day celebration of writing and reading with an Opening Address that reminded a packed Town Hall of the importance of empathy. That impulse, to open our hearts, shaped the rest of Writers Week as we collectively explored a broad range of ideas from grief and solace through to the dark and troubling times in the world at large. It has been a privilege to share in so many conversations and to remember that words do matter.”
