Passengers onboard Celebrity Edge will get a taste of South Australia's world-renowned festival season this week, as three of the State's multi-million-dollar tourism sectors come together in an industry first collaboration.
The bespoke shore excursion designed to complement the cruise's food and wine theme offers a tour of the Adelaide Central Market, before a two-course lunch at Gluttony and tickets to 'In Pour Taste' and 'The Gin Flight Red Hen' at Ayres House.
This year, the Market which has already reported a positive start to 2025, with over 1.2M visitors in the first 2 months of the year of trading after a solid Christmas and holiday period, has partnered with Gluttony to present The Local Bar, to bring the Market to the hundreds of thousands of visitors expected through the gates during the Mad March festival season.
This comes as the Adelaide Central Market was featured in the Financial Times (December 2024) as one of the world's best food markets.
The Market remains Adelaide's #1 top attraction (per Tripadvisor) and its traders are ready to welcome the expected 100,000 visitors in this week ahead of WOMADelaide and the hundreds of thousands more who will experience the Market during the festival season. The LIV Golf weekend was also a key driver for visitors at the Adelaide Central Market with the strongest trade day in February 2025 bringing well over 40,000 visitors to the Market on the Friday.
Tripadvisor also awarded the Market the 2023 Travelers' Choice award, placing it within the top 10% of attractions worldwide.
Looking to the future, in 2026, the Market will double in size and welcome 50 new tenants to the Market Expansion - cementing the Adelaide Central Market's position as the largest undercover Market in the Southern Hemisphere and a world leading fresh food and produce market.
The collaboration represents a significant first for cruise tourism in South Australia, being the inaugural partnership between an iconic destination, a major South Australian event and a cruise line visiting Adelaide.
With more than 60 years of heritage, Adelaide Fringe's popularity has led to significant growth year-on-year, making it a must-visit destination for culture seekers from all over the world.
The Celebrity Cruises ship is scheduled to bring up to 3,500 passengers and 1,377 crew to Adelaide today.
South Australia's 2024-25 cruise season continues to provide an economic boost to local communities across tourism regions.
In February alone, five maiden voyages visited Adelaide, Port Lincoln, and Kangaroo Island on luxury cruise lines such as Silversea, Viking Cruises, and Azamara Cruises.
The 2024-25 cruise season is scheduled to welcome a total of 21 first-time voyages, including visits to remote coastal locations such as Cape Donington and Flinders Island in the Eyre Peninsula, American River in Kangaroo Island, and Robe in the Limestone Coast.
This is the outcome of continued work by the State Government, through the South Australian Tourism Commission, to expand the range of cruise lines and ships visiting each season.
South Australia's 2023-24 cruise season delivered a record-breaking economic impact of $227 million into the State's visitor economy and supported 738 jobs.
Minister for Tourism, Zoe Bettison this innovative collaboration sees three important tourism sectors - cruise, retail and events - come together to really showcase why South Australia is a destination worth returning to.
"While I acknowledge there are some challenges ahead for cruise as a sector nationally, our focus remains on growing the number and range of cruise lines and ships bringing in visitors to South Australia - just like we have seen this season," Minister Bettison said.
"I know this excursion will be the talk of the Celebrity Edge ship, helping promote not just the Adelaide Fringe, but South Australia as a must-do destination, which is a key benefit of the cruise sector.
"I am also thrilled to see our iconic Adelaide Central Market report record breaking visitation during major events held in Adelaide throughout the year, win accolades, and collaborate with tourism operators to showcase South Australian produce, increase trade and encourage tourists to experience more than 150 years of rich history and culinary heritage."
Adelaide Fringe Director and CEO, Heather Croall said welcoming cruise passengers to Adelaide Fringe is an exciting opportunity to showcase how special our festival is to new audiences from around the world.
"Fringe is a cultural highlight for South Australia, and we know that once visitors experience the electric atmosphere, they'll be inspired to return," Ms Croall said.
"Out-of-state and international visitors are a key part of our growing audience, and we're thrilled to offer them a taste of the creativity, diversity, and energy that make Adelaide Fringe so unique."
Adelaide Central Market Chair, Theo Maras said the Market's 70 small and family businesses have benefited from an influx of visitors for the state's busiest time on the event calendar.
"The Market remains the top tourist destination in the CBD, and when the city comes alive with its world-renowned festivals and events, the vibrancy and visitation flows onto the Market and our traders. LIV Golf was great for the Market and we expect as usual that this weekend will be a busy few days of trading with the combination of festival goers and retail demand for fresh food for the Adelaide Cup long weekend driving visitation and spend," Mr Maras said.
Celebrity Cruises Australia and APAC Vice President and Managing Director, Tim Jones said it is a delight to have partnered with Adelaide Fringe to create an industry-first shoreside experience, exclusive to Celebrity guests, that perfectly meets their demand for cultural immersive holiday experiences.
"Guests will enjoy unique opportunities to engage in culinary and entertainment offerings from Australia's biggest annual arts festival," Mr Jones said.
