Harvest Rock kickstarts SA’s multi-million-dollar festival season

South Australia’s festival season hits all the right notes, ahead of a spate of new and returning events set to inject multi-millions into the state’s economy.

Extending the ‘summer of sport’ and Mad March, the inaugural Harvest Rock will kickstart a bumper festival season, drawing visitors and boosting hotel occupancy.

Bringing in the festival beat to Adelaide, Harvest Rock, a new two-day live music, food, wine and brew festival, gets underway in Adelaide’s Rymill and King Rodney Parks this weekend.

An Australian exclusive show by Jack White of The White Stripes will headline the festival, as well as Crowded House, The Black Crowes, The Lumineers, Groove Armada, and more.

Organiser Secret Sounds has made Harvest Rock as much about the food and beverage as it is about the music, partnering with one of Adelaide’s best chefs, Jake Kellie of arkhé and acclaimed Australian wine critic and SA’s own, Nick Stock.

Wildwood by Jake Kellie will offer a special 75-seat dining experience on both Saturday and Sunday matched with wines curated by Stock.

Other South Australian vendors and winemakers featured as part of the program include Africola Canteen, Pizzateca, Let Them Eat, Gang Gang, Torbreck, Berg Herring, and Big Easy Radio.

The two-day festival will be followed by a host of major events later this year and into next – many of which, will be returning to their full international format after the impacts of the pandemic, while others are new to SA.

Upcoming major events include the VALO Adelaide 500 bringing the Supercars back to the streets of Adelaide on 1-4 December, the Australia v West Indies day-night Test Match at Adelaide Oval on 8-12 December, back-to-back Adelaide Internationals at The Drive on 1-14 January, and the Santos Tour Down Under returning in all its glory on 13-22 January.

Forward booking data from the South Australian Tourism Commission (source: STR) shows spikes in CBD hotel bookings for major events, including the inaugural Harvest Rock.

The most recent forward booking data shows occupancy for Adelaide hotels on the Saturday night of Harvest Rock was already at 86 per cent, with actual occupancy expected to be even higher.

Tickets are on sale for Harvest Rock, which runs on 19 & 20 November at Adelaide’s Rymill Park/Murlawirrapurka and King Rodney Park/Ityamai-itpina.

Harvest Rock is supported by the South Australian Government, through the South Australian Tourism Commission.

Minister for Tourism, Zoe Bettison said the new Harvest Rock jumpstarting a blockbuster season of events and festivals in South Australia, is music to the ears of tourism operators across our state.

"It is vitally important to bring major events to South Australia, to attract visitors to our state who will fill hotel rooms, restaurants, pubs and clubs, and help our economy recover from the impacts of the pandemic," Minister Bettison said.

"I welcome the inaugural Harvest Rock to Adelaide – which includes an Australian exclusive performance and showcases a bevy of our state’s food and beverage producers. It signals that the live music industry is back and we’re hosting some of the nation’s best festivals, and it provides an opportunity to highlight all SA has to offer.

"We’ve already seen how events drive demand for hotel rooms – we saw that for the rugby double-header in August and we’re seeing that in early forward booking data for this weekend.

"Harvest Rock is the first of many events in South Australia over coming months – from music to sports, food, arts and culture – they are back, bigger and better than ever.

"I’m excited that a bigger and better events calendar is generating multi-millions for South Australia’s economy over the next 12 months, helping us rebound and progress as a state."

Co-CEO and Harvest Rock Producer, Secret Sounds, Jessica Ducrou said it is exciting to bring Harvest Rock to Adelaide.

"Alongside the incredible line-up of artists that includes some of the best acts in the world, the food and drinks offerings will be the star of the show," Ms Ducrou said.

"Having Jake Kellie from arkhé and Nick Stock onboard allows us to present the very best of South Australia. Jake’s ‘Wildwood’ along with Nick’s drink pairing is offering festival audiences a unique dining experience that will only happen at Harvest.

"Alongside the fine dining, Jake, Nick and the Gluttony team have managed to wrangle some of SA’s best food and wine offerings at Feastiville, Trucktown, our Cellar Door pop up, and of course the fabulous VIP Village.

"Harvest Rock is music to your ears and your tastebuds!"

Jake Kellie of Harvest Rock’s Wildwood by Jake Kellie said food and music go hand in hand.

"Wildwood will really be about big energy and good times, with dishes and snacks made for sharing amongst great company," he said.

"I’m really stoked to be part of Harvest Rock, which will undoubtedly become a staple in Adelaide’s thriving festival scene."