Road events

Temporarily closing a road or portion of a road to vehicular traffic can add vibrancy and excitement to an event. While the City of Adelaide (CoA) must balance the needs of traffic and commuters, surrounding businesses and residents with event requirements, temporary road closures are often granted for:

• events and festivals
• cycling/running events
• street parties
• marches/parades

All event organisers are eligible to apply for a temporary road closure as a part of their event. Applications for road closures are assessed on a case-by-case basis. Find out more about the application process.

In order for the CoA to meet its statutory requirements, applications for road closures should be received at least three months prior to the scheduled event date. Major complex events require a lead time of at least six months.

Public Consultation

Road closures for events may require public consultation under the Local Government Act. The public consultation will be open for 21 days and be run on Our Adelaide (amongst other locations). The outcomes of the public consultation process will determine whether the event can be approved or otherwise.

If the road closure is proposed to be in place for over 28 days, or in other certain instances at the determination of the City Events team, a report may be presented to the Council (including the outcomes of the 21-day public consultation) for a decision on whether the road closure can be approved or otherwise. Further details regarding this particular process will be advised by the Event Facilitator.

Associated costs

There is a $904 road event fee for all road closures within the City of Adelaide. Where a road event occurs on a Major Road in the City of Adelaide, the road event fee will apply for every 24 hours (or part thereof) that the Major Road is closed. Excluding Government entities, the fee is waived for Charity and Not For Profit organisations.

Other fees may apply based on the individual road event requirements. These may include:

• Advertising and promotion costs where Public Consultation is undertaken for any road event
• Temporary Parking Controls installation and removal costs
• Operational Services fees
• Park Lands Site Hire fees for use of the Adelaide Park Lands and Squares
• Remediation charges
• City Works permit fees
• Object on a Footpath permit fees

In order to conduct your road closure, you will be required to engage the services of a Traffic Management Contractor to prepare compliant Traffic Management Plans and manage and implement the road closures. All costs associated with this are at the cost of the Event Organiser.

The use of roads for events is subject to conditions of hire. It is important as an event organiser to understand the conditions required for your event.

You will be asked to provide a copy of your public liability insurance cover upon application.

To complete an application, download the PDF form.

If you have any questions about road events or road closures, please contact the City of Adelaide at: