City toasts record-breaking Darwin Festival after the sale of 44,000 tickets

THIS year’s 18-day Darwin Festival has smashed ticket sales records while attracting ample international media attention

Darwin Festival's creative director Felix Preval, and CEO Emily Mann as the festival comes to a close.

THIS year’s 18-day Darwin Festival has smashed ticket sales records.

Organisers said the 44,000 tickets sold was 6800 up on last year and a whopping 22,567 more tickets sold than 2016.

Preliminary data reveals 32 per cent of 2018 Darwin Festival visitors came from outside Darwin, with 25 per cent of visitors from interstate and seven per cent from overseas.

One in three interstate visitors travelled to Darwin specifically to attend Darwin Festival.

Chief executive officer Emily Mann said growing interstate and international audiences is critical to expanding the success of Darwin Festival.

“This year, Darwin Festival implemented a seven-week targeted national digital marketing campaign that has yielded fantastic results,” she said.

“In the past month, the digital campaign has been served more than 8.7 million times to online consumers, resulting in more than 14,500 click-throughs to the Darwin Festival website that have converted into 258 ticket booking confirmations to consumers in southern states.

“Our ‘hot August nights’ tagline has had enormous, positive response from consumers and social media users, as has the marketing of Darwin Festival as Australia’s ‘best tropical winter festival’.

GALLERY: OUT AND ABOUT AT DARWIN FESTIVAL

“We welcomed more than 20 journalists from China, Japan, England, Singapore, Hong Kong, Western Australia, New South Wales and Victoria to the Festival this year, who have shared Darwin Festival with hundreds of millions of readers and viewers worldwide.”

The 2018 program featured 703 performers, including 400 local NT artists, in 228 free and ticketed performances across 31 Darwin venues.

At the Spiegeltent for the last night of Darwin Festival 😭 pic.twitter.com/3br6whnSpc

— eb (@TerritoryGal17) August 26, 2018

Thanks to all at Darwin Festival for taking care of us. A pleasure to be with you singing under the stars.

— Paul McDermott (@YoungMasterPaul) August 21, 2018

Fifty-five per cent of ticketed shows sold out – a total of 80 sold-out performances – with the Festival scheduling additional theatre, comedy and cabaret shows to meet demand.

The Festival enjoyed 15 straight weeks of the highest tickets sales on record

A record 10,160 tickets sold in the first week of the Festival alone.

Darwin Festival chair Ian Kew paid tribute to CEO Emily Mann and Artistic Director Felix Preval.

“We are delighted with this year’s achievements,” Mr Kew said.

“The results speak to the hard work and dedication of the wider Festival team under the leadership of CEO Emily Mann and artistic direction of Felix Preval.”