Our reconciliation vision is to celebrate First Nations cultures through recognition, representation, collaboration, and action. We understand unity benefits all people and makes for a richer, stronger, and more cohesive society.

Adelaide Festival Centre stands on the land of the Kaurna people on the Karrawirra Pari (River Torrens), next to Tarntanya Wama (Elder Park). We acknowledge and pay respect to the traditional custodians and elders of Kaurna Yarta. This land was traditionally a place for Kaurna people to gather, meet, dance, sing, and tell stories. As South Australia’s arts and entertainment heart, we celebrate and honour this rich history and culture.

Over the years Adelaide Festival Centre has developed many programs and exhibitions with a First Nations focus. These include the exhibition Anangu Backyard, the annual exhibition OUR MOB: Art by South Australian Aboriginal Artists, a school-based two-year traineeship program for First Nations high school students (in partnership with the South Australian Museum and the Bridging the Gap Foundation), and the Kaurna Reconciliation Sculptures, which have recently been unveiled again in pride of place outside the Festival Theatre after the 2021 redevelopment.

In the future, Adelaide Festival Centre is committed to actively recognising, respecting, celebrating, and promoting First Nations artists, cultures, histories, knowledge, and rights through learning and sharing. We will improve employment outcomes by increasing First Nations recruitment, retention, and professional development, and increase First Nations supplier and programming diversity.

We will establish a RAP Working Group and will transparently report our RAP achievements and challenges. We will also continue to celebrate NAIDOC Week and National Reconciliation Week both internally and externally whilst we work towards creating our next RAP.