Darwin Festival smashes last year’s ticket sales record

More tickets have been sold to the 2019 Darwin Festival than any other time in it’s 40-year history with a week of shows left to go.

Darwin Festival chairman Ian Kew has won Creative Partnerships Australia’s national business leadership award after the festival sold more tickets than ever before in its 40-year history. Picture: KERI MEGELUS

THE Darwin Festival has now sold more tickets than any other time in it’s 40-year history, already smashing last year’s record with a week still to go.

The history-making ticket sales come as festival chairman, Ian Kew, was recognised for his contribution to the arts, winning Creative Partnerships Australia’s national business leadership award.

Mr Kew said more than 44,000 tickets had already been sold at this year’s Darwin Festival, up from the roughly 40,000 sold during the festival’s entire run last year.

He attributed the “amazing and welcome result” to Territorians and visitors who had been “turning out in droves” since the festival kicked off on August 8.

“I understand we passed 44,000 tickets which was the total for all of the festival last year and last year was more than twice as many tickets as three years earlier,” he said.

“It’s an amazing result and we’ve still got a week to go so that number will be surpassed.

“It’s a real testament to the festival program, the festival team and the people of Darwin coming back and embracing the Darwin Festival wholeheartedly.”

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The CPA award was presented at a ceremony in Melbourne on Monday night and Mr Kew said he was surprised and delighted with the recognition.

He said he’d always been a big backer of Top End artists through his various roles in the business community over the years.

“We really embrace the arts, we support lots of community arts organisations,” he said.

“Most recently of course, this application was submitted by Darwin Festival for my contribution to (that).”

Mr Kew said he hoped festival ticket sales would crest 50,000 by the end of the week.

“If we got 50,000 that’d be an absolutely amazing result,” he said.

“It reflects a very strong program and a well organised event by Darwin Festival.”

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This year’s festival featured more than 200 individual performances by about 600 artists with several shows selling out, including singer-songwriter Archie Roach and comedian Nazeem Hussain.

The festival runs until Sunday with tickets to the remaining events available at www.darwinfestival.org.au