Councillors in a committee meeting on Tuesday night debated whether to approve a request from Secret Sounds, the organisers of Harvest Rock, to close Bartels Road in the East End from 7.01pm on Tuesday, October 24, to 11.59pm on Monday, October 30.

Tickets are already on sale for Harvest Rock 2023, which is scheduled for October 28 to 29 in Rymill Park/Murlawirrapurka (Park 14) and King Rodney Park/Ityamai-itpina (Park 15).

More than 25,000 festival-goers are expected to attend on both days.

The organisers had initially requested an 11-day closure of Bartels Road, but this was whittled down to just over six days following negotiations with council administration.

This portion of Bartels Road in Adelaide’s East End is set to close for just over six days in October.

Secret Sounds advised six days was the minimum required to safely set up the infrastructure required for the festival, according to council administration, after a four-day closure last year resulted in a delay opening the event.

All councillors present at the committee except North Ward councillor Mary Couros and South Ward councillor Keiran Snape recommended council approve the Bartels Road closure at its next meeting on June 13.

Closing Bartels Road, located between Dequetteville and East Terrace, was a major issue for the previously-elected council.

In August 2022, council nearly derailed the inaugural Harvest Rock festival by refusing to approve Secret Sounds’ request for a four-day road closure of Bartels Road.

The decision prompted fierce criticism from the state government, with Premier Peter Malinauskas immediately vowing to overturn the decision and Treasurer Stephen Mullighan accusing the council of having “goldfish-like memories”.

The state government declared the festival a major event to allow the road closure.

Former Lord Mayor Sandy Verschoor said at the time the council couldn’t justify the road closure due to the potential impact on East End traders, which would face additional road closures the week after from the Adelaide 500.

On Tuesday, incumbent Lord Mayor Jane Lomax-Smith said the council should “have a discussion about sharing the benefits and the pain” of Harvest Rock by moving it to different sites in the city.

“I think capital city events and every single event produces winners and losers, let’s acknowledge that some sectors benefit and some sectors lose,” she told councillors.

“The best way to be fair is to move stuff around the city.

“And it also protects the park lands because having the same site continually used disrupts our maintenance programs, stop us repairing Rymill Lake, it makes it difficult for commuters, it makes it difficult for businesses.”

Lomax-Smith, who voted for the road closure motion, said she was “delighted” the event was only one weekend “because it means the weekend’s trade is less disrupted”.

“But the next time I meet with the Minister I will be talking about how much we need to move things around, make it fair for West End traders, make it fair for North End traders,” she said.

“If the pain and the gain is spread across the city, then it will be less of a stress on the park lands and the local businesses.”

Councillors heard in April that a nearly 40 per cent jump in city festivals and events since before the pandemic has impacted the council’s capacity to restore and maintain the park lands.

Harvest Rock 2022. Photo: supplied

The 2022 Harvest Rock festival generated $16.5m in total economic activity for Adelaide, according to state government data, with 23,940 people attending the festival over two days.

Secret Sounds are projecting that the 2023 festival will have a bigger economic impact and attendance due to an earlier announcement of event dates and greater availability of flights into Adelaide.

InDaily asked Tourism Minister Zoe Bettison whether the state government has a contract in place to hold the Harvest Rock festival beyond 2023.

In a statement, Bettison said the state government would “continue to work closely with the Secret Sounds organisers to identify opportunities and more events in the future”.

“We are really looking forward to this year’s event; the benefits for our city are only set to grow when the festival returns,” she said. 

“Harvest Rock will once again bring international and Australian artists to Adelaide’s Rymill/Murlawirrapurka and King Rodney/Ityamai-itpina Parks.

“Harvest Rock’s return is also music to the ears of Adelaide hoteliers who enjoyed the best weekend for room bookings in 2022, while almost 24,000 attendees – including almost one third from out-of-state – providing a boost to city traders, as they helped fill restaurants, bars and cafes.”

Councillors also voted last night to recommend approval of a $550,000 budget for the council’s New Year’s Eve events program, which is this year returning to the traditional fireworks show in Elder Park on the riverbank.