Electric Avenue Festival has delivered a record-breaking economic boost for Christchurch, generating almost $14 million in visitor spend across its 2026 edition, according to an economic impact report by FreshInfo.
The two-day sold-out festival, held on 27–28 February in Christchurch’s Hagley Park, attracted nearly 90,000 attendees and has now overtaken its own 2025 benchmark of $10.5 million, when the event first expanded to a two-day format.
This year’s expansion included a new Electric Stage in the northern section of the park and a broadened footprint spanning around 45 acres.
The lineup featured international and local acts, including Kesha, Dom Dolla and a reunited Split Enz, contributing to what organisers described as the festival’s strongest edition yet.
Team Event Managing Director Callam Mitchell said the event’s evolution reflected growing ambition around production scale and visitor experience, pointing to improved site flow, expanded staging and upgraded amenities as key enhancements.
Beyond ticket sales, the festival delivered a major uplift for the local economy. Christchurch recorded hotel occupancy levels of around 98% over the event weekend, with visitor nights totalling nearly 80,000 and an average stay of just under three nights.
February occupancy also reached 96.4%, the strongest February result in the past decade and well above national averages reported for the same period.
Mayor Phil Mauger said the results reinforced Christchurch’s position as a leading events destination, highlighting increased visitor spending and strong demand from both domestic and international audiences.
More than half of the attendees travelled from outside Christchurch, with rising visitor numbers from Australia and the United Kingdom.
Organisers say early demand for future editions is already strong, with more than 32,000 tickets sold for 2027 despite no artists yet being announced.
Local tourism and events officials, including ChristchurchNZ, say the festival continues to play a key role in showcasing the city’s central-city vibrancy and summer events calendar.
Industry observers have also noted Electric Avenue’s growing status among Australasian urban festivals, driven by its scale, accessibility and strong visitor experience ratings, with 95% of attendees reporting high satisfaction.
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