Womad remains popular as ever

Womad 2010 numbers have proved the gloom merchants wrong, with a buoyant attendance.

Predictions that the popular music and dance festival would fail after becoming an annual event in Taranaki have again been disproved, with numbers on par with previous years.

The projected turnout for the 2010 festival was a grim 12,050, but box office figures released by Taft show the festival was as popular as ever, with attendance recorded at 13,586, not far off 2008 with 13,791 and 2009 with 14,154.

Womad boasted the strongest attendance numbers in 2005 with 15,182, the year the festival began running annually.

Womad 2010 was held at New Plymouth's Bowl of Brooklands last weekend.

Taranaki Arts Festival Trust chief executive Suzanne Porter said the numbers were impressive.

"The festival is still relatively new," she said.

"The numbers are encouraging and I'm optimistic that we will break even."

She said Taft had spent conservatively this year.

Ticket sales started off well last year but dropped off, causing Taft to think sales for the 2010 festival would be well down on previous years.

"You can't predict sales," said Ms Porter.

"Every year the sales patterns change, but then the festival is still in its infancy and this year there was a late last-minute pick up."

Although an economic impact report is still at least 10 days away, Ms Porter estimates it will be close to last year's result.

Womad 2009 had a direct economic impact of $2.89 million and the flow-on economic impact was an additional $6.43 million.

"We are looking at a similar economic impact to last year."

"We haven't done any better, but we are close to breaking even." From 2003 until 2009, Womad contributed $24.7 million to the Taranaki economy and every Womad event during that time has sold out on the day of the event.

Meanwhile, Ms Porter continues to repute the persistent rumours that Womad will leave Taranaki once its contract with Taft ends in 2012.

"There has been quite a high interest in Womad from other cities," she said.

But even when the contract ends, Taft has the right of renewal and the trust will be looking to renew the contract.

"As long as everything is looking good, we will definitely be keen to keep it going.

"It's the jewel festival."

Ms Porter said when the contract ended, the only way it would not be renewed was if there was not enough funding.

- © Fairfax NZ News