RCC drops out of Adelaide Uni
Festivals
After two years hosting big crowds at its North Terrace grounds during festival season, the University of Adelaide has pulled the plug on popular arts group RCC, saying it could not commit to further events due to the pandemic.
The university this morning announced that it and RCC had “concluded their arrangement”.
“The event drew hundreds of thousands of visitors to the University of Adelaide’s grounds during 2019 and 2020 and involved many artistic highlights,” a university statement said.
The then-RCC Fringe set up on the university grounds in February 2019 with a month of acts including live music, circus, comedy, cabaret and theatre, along with bars and food outlets.
This year’s event ran from February 14 to March 15 and again included stages for numerous live acts along with art installations, bars and food outlets spread across the university’s Maths Lawns.
“We thank RCC for bringing their event to the University, and most of all we thank the incredible artists and events industry that have made this possible,” the university’s chief external relations officer Leah Grantham said.
“Their work over the past two Fringe seasons has enriched the social fabric of our community, and the lives of our students, staff and alumni.
“With the impact of COVID-19 still ongoing, the University is unable to commit to RCC in 2021 and beyond. We must ensure our primary focus remains on providing world-class education and research.”
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Grantham said that despite no longer hosting the event, the university “remains committed to our partnerships with South Australia’s arts community and supporting creativity and culture in our State”.
RCC managing director said in the statement that the group was “grateful to the University of Adelaide for hosting RCC over the past two years”, but gave no indication of where or if a 2021 event would be held.
“Our thanks go to the many staff and students, the Adelaide University Union and other groups on campus for working closely with us. We also appreciate the vision shown by the University in taking on such a major event,” he said.
“While the community is still recovering from the impacts of COVID-19, we believe South Australia will need events more than ever.”
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