The Wiggles will rival Coldplay to sell the most concert tickets in Australia this year

KIDS’ favourites The Wiggles have shifted a whopping 70,000 seats in under 24 hours for their upcoming annual area tour.

THE Wiggles will rival Coldplay for the most concert tickets sold in Australia in 2016 after shifting a whopping 70,000 seats in under 24 hours for their annual arena tour in December.

That tally adds to the thousands of tickets they have sold to more than 250 shows from March to August on the smaller scale The Wiggles Town Tour of suburban and regional Australia.

The under-fives’ Fab Four are estimated to sell almost 250,000 concerts tickets under $40 each in 2016 with British supergroup Coldplay predicted to match that with their five A Head Full Of Dreams stadium shows in December.

The Wiggles throw plenty of lights and colour at their big arena shows. Picture: Supplied

This year’s Dance, Dance! The Wiggles Big Show Tour shifted 70,000 tickets in less than a day; Coldplay sold out three stadium shows averaging about 40,000 fans per concert in an hour.

Promoters warn that neither tour is completely sold out so fans should avoid buying scalped or resold tickets.

“The opening of ticket sales for The Wiggles 2016 arena tour has been tremendous, and it compares to that of an international concert artist. They really are a phenomena,” Tim Worton, Group Director of Arenas for AEG Ogden, said.

Headlining an arena tour is a big step up for Australian artists with only a handful able to sell tens of thousands of a tickets for one show.

Hilltop Hoods packed arenas with orchestras in April. Picture: Simon Cross

Keith Urban has been playing the big gigs in Australia for more than a decade. Picture: Al Wagner/Invision/AP.

Keith Urban, John Farnham and Cold Chisel are three local crowd-pullers who will always fill the country’s largest rooms.

Hip hop chart-toppers Hilltop Hoods stepped up to the big leagues for their national tour with orchestras in April.

Electronic music hero Flume quickly sold out his first arena shows in December, adding second concerts for Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane.

Delta Goodrem returns to the Australian stage for her first tour in seven years, with tickets on sale for her Wings Of The Wild arena tour from last week.

Electronic king Flume has two arena shows in the big cities for his Skin tour. Picture: Jonathan Ng.

Delta Goodrem steps up to arenas for her first tour in seven years. Picture: Adam Taylor.

The Wiggles are able to pack out arenas year in year out because their audience replenishes with new under 5s and parents appreciate the production and educational values of their “big shows”.

Other pundits point to the enormous popularity of the first female Wiggle Emma Watkins as rejuvenating the group’s appeal in recent years.

“Compared to the regional and suburban tour they are on now, The Wiggles Big tour is bigger and longer shows, a lot of dancers doing everything from ballet and jazz to Irish dancing, a lot of inflatable big sets,” manager Paul Field said.

“It’s also very affordable compared to other arena concerts, tickets are less than $40, and we don’t get discounts on the hiring of the venue or any of the production costs just because we are playing to kids.”

Little kids favourite The Wiggles play the big venues every December. Picture: Supplied

Field said he remembers when the Wiggles were one of the first acts to perform at the newly erected State Sports Centre in Sydney Olympic Park ahead of the 2000 games and caused chaos at the venue.

“There were massive queues and we made Hansard because a politician said if the site couldn’t handle a Wiggles concert, how were they going to handle the Olympics?”

The Wiggles remain one of the most lucrative groups in Australian entertainment, averaging $20 million in earnings annually from concerts, merchandise, TV and DVD licences.

Originally published as The Wiggles will rival Coldplay to sell the most concert tickets in Australia this year