Whether extreme weather, increasing costs or poor ticket sales, Australia's festival industry is having a hard time of it at the moment — but the National Folk Festival is underway in Canberra after 'strong' ticket sales.
The National Folk Festival is entering its third day in Canberra while other festivals around the country have been forced to cancel.With extreme weather, increasing costs or poor ticket sales, the country's festival industry is having a hard time of it at the moment.Festival director Heidi Pritchard acknowledged it was a "tough time" for the industry but said she was confident the event had the support of a loyal audience.
Between 38,000 and 50,000 people were expected to attend the event, which takes place over five days from Thursday, 28 March to Monday, 1 April. "That's not what people come for … the best acts are the kids choirs and those smaller acts," she said.Ken said with its many covered stages the festival was also more weatherproof than others around the country that had been affected by either extreme heat or rain.Dallas, who travelled from Bundanoon to see the festival this year, said the cost of the ticket — and needing to pay $10 for a program on top of that — was a hit to her hip pocket as a pensioner.
"If you compare the price of getting an Airbnb down the coast … it is cheaper to get a season ticket and come and play with us," Ms Pritchard said. But he said there were also bigger challenges at play in the music industry, including the fact that people's tastes were changing so rapidly that it was hard to program acts that would pique audience interest.
Director of Music Australia, Millie Milgate, said the report would show that some festivals were doing well despite the challenges.
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