OzAsia Festival attracts large audiences in 2018

OzAsia Dancing GrandmothersMore than 200,000 people came to Adelaide Festival Centre, the Riverbank and city venues to experience the best contemporary arts from across Asia and beyond, reaffirming OzAsia Festival as Australia’s major international arts festival engaging with Asia.

Running from 25 October, the 12th annual OzAsia Festival featured five world premieres, 20 Australian premieres and 22 events exclusive to South Australia, with work presented from 817 artists and 20 countries. From grooving Korean grandmas, to acrobatic Shaolin Monks and new perspectives on Syria, Australia’s largest festival celebrating Asia presented the very best music, dance, theatre and art across 18 days right in the heart of Adelaide.

“The 2018 OzAsia Festival was our most expansive program yet,” said OzAsia Festival Artistic Director Joseph Mitchell. “This has truly become one of the most iconic international arts festivals in Australia and provides audiences with an opportunity to connect with world leading artists and productions.

The 2018 program included more than 400 activities, with over 250 scheduled performances, 55 talk events, 34 film screenings, eight exhibitions and 66 workshops. Rave reviews and numerous sold out performances included Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui’s iconic acrobatic masterpiece Sutra and legendary Chinese playwright and director Stan Lai’s beloved modern classic Secret Love in Peach Blossom Land.

Festival favourite Moon Lantern Parade wowed attendees with more than 40,000 converging on Elder Park and the Lucky Dumpling Market to soak up the colour, lights and entertainment of Australia’s largest lantern parade. Lucky Dumpling Market was also popular, with families and people of all ages taking advantage of a smorgasbord of food and a jam-packed program of free entertainment.

Celebrating the stories and rich culture of India and the connections between broader Asia and Australia, Jaipur Literature Festival in Adelaide was a huge success, with more than 5,000 people soaking up fascinating, insightful and sometimes provocative panels.

“For more than a decade, OzAsia Festival has been at the forefront of artistic excellence and celebrating cultural diversity in our state,” said Adelaide Festival Centre CEO & Artistic Director Douglas Gautier AM. “We are particularly excited to have welcomed the Jaipur Literature Festival to the OzAsia Festival program for the first time, strengthening our commitment to celebrating culture from all over the Asia Pacific and its wider international connections.”

“I congratulate and thank all who made OzAsia Festival a success again this year: state, federal, and local governments, sponsors and partners, artists, community groups, volunteers, staff and audiences.”

For more information, visit: www.ozasiafestival.com.au for details.

Image: Dancing Grandmothers (supplied)