Electric Avenue breaks visitor spend record
The sold-out Electric Avenue festival in Christchurch resulted in a visitor spend of almost $10.5 million, an economic impact report from FreshInfo shows.
The two day festival in February eclipsed the $6.3 million spent in the city by Electric Avenue attendees in 2024.
The year was the first year it was held over two days.
Said team event director Callam Mitchell: 'Moving to a two-day festival has been a work in progress for several years, and we're thrilled with how successful it's become, and how the whole city seem to be embracing it.
'Approximately 34,000 tickets were sold as full weekend passes proving there is a real appetite for a central multi-day festival, and we're already working hard behind the scenes towards the 2026 edition.'
Electric Avenue attendees said they loved the event, with 96% reporting they were satisfied or very satisfied with their event experience and 96% of resident event attendees saying that hosting events like Electric Avenue makes the city a more enjoyable place to live.
Reviewers also raved about the festival, with The Spinoff's Liv Sisson saying, 'Everyone I've talked to loved it. Every review has been glowing.' Stuff's reviewer said, 'Electric Avenue 2025 sent a clear message to New Zealand and the world — Christchurch is back, it's ready for international artists and, after years of rebuilding, it's becoming a cultural capital.'
An estimated 55% of event attendees came from outside of Christchurch.
'This festival truly felt like a Coachella, a Bonnaroo, maybe even a Tomorrowland," said Mitchell.
"The kind of thing you'd travel for, save for, plan for months with your mates for,' writes Sisson. The public seemed to agree, with demand for 20,000 more tickets than were available."
The festival also helped accommodation providers, with the city at 98% occupancy during Electric Avenue, which generated 62,902 visitor nights with an average stay of 2.97 nights.
Festivalgoers partied to more than 60 acts across five stages across a site as large as 20 football fields while using 300,000 reusable cups that were washed and re-used on site.
ChristchurchNZ head of major events Karena Finnie said it was exciting to see the city's homegrown festival super-size.
'We are looking forward to seeing this event go from strength to strength. Callam and his team have defied the negative headwinds that have affected music festivals worldwide and the success of Electric Avenue shows Ōtautahi Christchurch has something for everyone. This reputation helps our city attract students and young workers, helping to fill the talent pipeline for our city's innovative businesses.'
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