With its full program due to land later this month, Adelaide Festival Centre has confirmed today the unsurprising news that as government restrictions on mass public gatherings look set to last at least six months, the June festival won’t be going ahead.
“This year was to be the 20th anniversary of the Adelaide Cabaret Festival,” artistic director Julia Zemiro said in a statement. “In my final year as Artistic Director I could not have been more thrilled to be at the helm of this celebration. Sadly, it can’t be.”
“This is truly one of those moments for me where you realise how you take things for granted: Like putting on a show, inviting people along and raising a glass.”
“We hope this long-loved winter festival will welcome back audiences with open arms, live music and an opportunity to reconnect in person in 2021,” Adelaide Festival Centre CEO Douglas Gautier said.
The 2020 festival’s centrepiece, Six The Musical, announced its postponement last week. The 2020 festival was also due to include Deadly Hearts, a celebration of First Nations artists headlined by Baker Boy and Thelma Plum, who a week ago told fans that she had tested positive for COVID-19.
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Last week Adelaide Festival Centre confirmed its immediate closure and suspension of its entire program until the end of April, a measure that is likely to be substantially extended in the coming days.
Walter is a writer and editor living on Kaurna Country.
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