One of South Australia’s first regional events to be held since the easing of COVID-19 restrictions, the Adelaide Hills Winter Reds festival kicks off today, marking an important milestone for the state’s events and festivals sector.

With more than 40 events at 19 cellar doors over the weekend, this year’s Winter Reds will run in-line with COVID-safe practices. Event organisers are asking patrons to be patient to help make the milestone event a roaring success.

The event is supported by the South Australian Tourism Commission, through its Regional Events & Festivals Program, which provides financial and marketing assistance to events that generate an increase in visitation to the state’s regions.

South Australian Tourism Commission chief executive Rodney Harrex said the return of Winter Reds was an important step forward in the recovery of regional tourism.

“We know too well that countless events have had to be postponed or cancelled this year due to COVID-19 and related restrictions, causing heartbreak for organisers and for the regional communities which host them,” said Mr Harrex.

“The return of this iconic Adelaide Hills food and wine festival is welcome news not only for this event but for all of South Australia’s usually bustling events and festivals sector, and can give hope to organisers of regional events across the state.

“Regional tourism is a key driver of the South Australian visitor economy, with 43 per cent of SA’s total visitor expenditure spent in the regions in the year ending March 2020. As we move forward in the post COVID tourism rebound, events like Winter Reds will be key to reclaiming our $7.8 billion visitor economy and we’re pleased to get behind them as they work to drive visitation into the regions.”

Around 19,000 food and wine lovers are expected to make the trip into the Adelaide Hills for this year’s Winter Reds. With COVID-safe restrictions still in place, most Winter Reds events are ticketed, and eventgoers are encouraged to make a booking with their venue of choice before heading to the Hills.

The 2020 Winter Reds is one of 32 regional events receiving SATC sponsorship in the 2020/21 Regional Events & Festivals Program, managed by Events South Australia. The Adelaide Hills festival has been supported through this program since 2013. 

Go to southaustralia.com for more details, including ticket information.